Cocoa

Cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao)

Description

A flavored powder obtained from the roasted seed kernels of the Theobroma cacao tree native to tropical America. Cocoa powder is used for chocolate flavoring. The seeds also contain a high proportion of oils called cocoa butter (see theobroma oil).

Synonyms and Related Terms

Theobroma cacao; cacao; chocolate

Additional Images

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  Cocao leaves (Theobroma cacao)

Authority

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 2522

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998