CHOCOLATE OR CACAO: What is the difference? BY LILIA MANCILLA
Many people use the terms chocolate and cacao as if they were the same thing, but there’s actually a significant difference between them.
This confusion is understandable—after all, both come from the same tropical fruit . However, the journey they take from seed to final product changes everything.
How cacao becomes chocolate: Chocolate, while also derived from cacao, is the result of transformation: 1 Cacao seeds are fermented for several days. 2 Then they’re sun-dried for better preservation. 3 Next, they’re roasted, which intensifies their flavor. 4 The husks are separated to obtain cacao nibs. 5 The nibs are ground into a thick paste called cacao liquor (alcohol-free). 6 This liquor can have some of its fat (cacao butter) extracted to obtain cocoa, or it’s mixed with ingredients like sugar, milk, and vanilla to create chocolate.
What is cacao? Cacao is the seed of the Theobroma cacao tree, a tropical fruit that has been valued since ancient times for its energizing and medicinal properties . When cacao is presented in its most natural form (nibs, paste, or raw powder), it retains maximum
Both can be part of your daily routine through a delicious beverage, made with our Royal Prestige ® Chocolatera .
nutrients and antioxidants.
Cacao is the essence. Chocolate is its transformed version.
Learn more chocolate facts in this video with Chef Omar Sandoval.
Source: “Cacao vs Cocoa: What's the Difference?”, Healthline.
32 ROYAL PRESTIGE ® MAGAZINE | UNITED STATES SUMMER 2025
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