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Chocolate

B1 · 493 words · ≈ 3 min

Chocolate is a food made from cacao beans. It is used in many desserts like pudding, cakes, candy, ice cream, and Easter eggs. It can be in a solid form like a candy bar or it can be in a liquid form like hot chocolate. Commercial chocolate has sugar and sometimes milk added. It has a melting point of about 30 to 32 °C (86 to 90 °F).
Dark chocolate has less sugar, and a more bitter taste. It was originally used to make drinking chocolate. Chocolate has been around the world since the time of the Olmec, Mayan, and Aztecs.
The cacao tree was first found to be useful for its seeds about two thousand years ago. Early Mayan people of Central America and Mexico used the seeds from the cacao tree to make a drink that tasted bitter, not sweet. Only important people could drink it. The word for "chocolate" in almost every language comes from its name in the Nahuatl language of Mexico, chocolatl.
A vessel found at an Olmec archaeological site on the Gulf Coast of Veracruz, Mexico, dates chocolate by pre-Olmec peoples as early as 1750 BC. On the Pacific coast of Chiapas, Mexico, a Mokaya archaeological site shows evidence of cocoa beverages from 1900 BC. The residues and the kind of vessel in which they were found suggest the initial use of cocoa was not simply as a beverage, but as a source of fermentable sugars for an alcoholic drink.
Later on, this drink was made sweeter and made into what is known today as hot chocolate. It was made popular by Spanish explorers who brought it from North America to Spain. When chocolate was sweetened and made into candy, it became a very popular treat for many Europeans. At first, only the rich could afford chocolate. In France at that time, only nobles could buy it. Now, many people can afford it. Most cocoa today is made in Africa in countries like the Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) and Nigeria.
Until the 16th century, the cacao tree was unknown to the Europeans. From time to time, they served Montezuma in cups of gold that held a certain drink made from cacao. After the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, chocolate was imported to Europe.
There are three main types of chocolate: white chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate. White chocolate tastes much sweeter than the other two types, because it has more of the sweeter ingredients in it.
Milk chocolate is sweet, but not as sweet as white chocolate. Milk chocolate has lots of cocoa.
Dark chocolate is the least sweet. It has the strongest chocolate flavor.
Ruby chocolate is a type of chocolate created by Barry Callebaut. The variety was in development from 2004, and was released to the public in 2017. The chocolate type is made from the Ruby cocoa bean, resulting in a distinct red colour and a different flavour, described as "sweet yet sour".

Words to know

dessert A2: sweet food eaten at the end of a meal — Nachtisch, Dessert, Nachspeise — postre, dulce — dessert — dessert, dolce — deser — sobremesa — десерт, сладкое — tatlı — десерт, солодке
commercial B1: made to be sold in shops — kommerziell, gewerblich — comercial — commercial — commerciale — komercyjny — comercial — коммерческий, торговый — комерційний
bitter B1: having a strong, sharp taste that is not sweet — bitter, herb, hart — amargo, amaro, amargoso — amer, dur, sévère — amaro, amara — gorzki — amargo — горький, суровый — acı, sert, şiddetli — гіркий
vessel B1: a container such as a cup, bowl or pot — Gefäß, Behälter, Behältnis — vaso, recipiente — vaisseau, vase, récipient — contenitore, recipiente — naczynie — vaso, recipiente — сосуд — kap — посудина
archaeological: connected with the study of remains from the past — archäologisch — arqueológico — archéologique — archeologico — archeologiczny — arqueológico — археологический
residue C2: small amounts of a substance left behind — Rückstand, Überrest — residuo — résidu — residuo — osad — resíduo — остаток, отстой, осадок — осад, гуща
fermentable: able to be turned into alcohol
noble B2: people of the highest social class — Edle, Edler, Adlige — noble — noble, aristocrate — arystokrata, szlachcic, arystokratka — nobre — дворянин, аристократ, аристократка — soylu — дворянин, аристократ, аристократка
conquest B2: taking control of a land by force — Eroberung — conquista — conquête — conquista — podbój — conquista — завоевание, преодоление, покорение — fetih — здобуття, завоювання
distinct: clearly different — deutlich — distinto — distinct — distinto, diverso, chiaro — distinto — отдельный, различный, отличный — особливий, окремий, чіткий

Text: Simple English Wikipedia, “Chocolate”, Wikipedia contributors, https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate · CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) · shortened · Picture: Luisfi, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:140310_chocolates.JPG · Translations: English Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) · Worksheet: https://krumeto.com/read/chocolate

KrumetoChocolateName ____________________

A. Choose the right answer

How was chocolate first used, according to paragraph 3? B1
1. a) As a bitter drink for important people
2. b) As a medicine for the Aztecs
3. c) As a sweet candy for everyone
4. d) As a dessert for Spanish explorers
Where does the word "chocolate" come from? B1
1. a) The Mayan language of Central America
2. b) Spanish
3. c) The Olmec language
4. d) The Nahuatl language of Mexico
What is the oldest evidence of cocoa drinks mentioned in the text? B1
1. a) An Olmec site in Veracruz, from 1750 BC
2. b) Mayan seeds from about two thousand years ago
3. c) Aztec gold cups from the 16th century
4. d) A Mokaya site in Chiapas, from 1900 BC
What do the residues in the old vessels suggest? B2
1. a) Chocolate was first produced in Africa, not Mexico.
2. b) The Olmec ate chocolate as a sweet kind of candy.
3. c) Cocoa may first have been used to make an alcoholic drink.
4. d) Cocoa beans were used as money by the earliest peoples.
Who made sweet hot chocolate popular in Spain? B1
1. a) Montezuma's servants, who served it in gold cups
2. b) Spanish explorers who brought it from the Americas
3. c) French nobles who bought it for their families
4. d) Cocoa farmers from the Ivory Coast and Nigeria
How has the place of chocolate in society changed? B2
1. a) It has always been an everyday food for most people.
2. b) It was first sold only in Africa and later in Europe.
3. c) Only the rich could afford it once; now many people can.
4. d) It was once cheap, but now only nobles can buy it.
Which type of chocolate is the sweetest? B1
1. a) Ruby chocolate
2. b) Dark chocolate
3. c) Milk chocolate
4. d) White chocolate
Which statement about ruby chocolate is correct? B1
1. a) It was developed in 2017 and released in 2004.
2. b) It was first made by the Aztecs.
3. c) It is the least sweet type of chocolate.
4. d) It was released in 2017 after years of development.

B. Answer in full sentences

Chocolate went from a drink for important people to an everyday snack. Describe another food or product that changed in a similar way.
Most cocoa is grown in Africa but much of it is eaten in richer countries. What problems might this cause? Discuss.

KrumetoChocolateAnswer key

Answer key

a) As a bitter drink for important people — Paragraph 3 says the Maya made a bitter drink from the seeds and only important people could drink it.
d) The Nahuatl language of Mexico — Paragraph 3 says the word comes from its name in the Nahuatl language of Mexico, chocolatl.
d) A Mokaya site in Chiapas, from 1900 BC — Paragraph 4 dates the Mokaya evidence to 1900 BC, earlier than the Olmec vessel from 1750 BC.
c) Cocoa may first have been used to make an alcoholic drink. — Paragraph 4 says the first use was perhaps as a source of fermentable sugars for an alcoholic drink.
b) Spanish explorers who brought it from the Americas — Paragraph 5 says it was made popular by Spanish explorers who brought it to Spain.
c) Only the rich could afford it once; now many people can. — Paragraph 5 says at first only the rich could afford chocolate, but now many people can.
d) White chocolate — Paragraph 7 says white chocolate tastes much sweeter than the other two types.
d) It was released in 2017 after years of development. — Paragraph 10 says it was in development from 2004 and released to the public in 2017.