How is chocolate made?

Chocolate is made from cacao beans, which are fermented, dried, roasted, cracked, and ground. The grinding releases cocoa butter, turning the bean pieces into a thick liquid that can be mixed with sugar, milk, or extra cocoa butter before it is shaped.

One lovely detail is that chocolate flavor begins before the factory, while the wet beans rest after harvest. Tiny microbes change the beans so roasting can bring out the familiar deep taste that was hiding inside a pale seed.