Nutrition
Title: Chocolate: I'm writing a report on chocolate and the connection between agriculture and manufacturing. Where does chocolate come from and how is it made?
Information: What a fun topic! The source of chocolate is the Cacao tree, which produces seedpods that are processed into chocolate. It's interesting that the tree's scientific name, Cacao Theobroma, means "food of the gods!" It is a native species of rain forests, but small family farms now provide most of the crops for the chocolate industry. I found some good sources of information by searching the NSDL collections. Go tohttp://www.nsdl.org, and type "chocolate" in the search box. You'll find many math activities that you can do with chocolates, but here are three good resources on its manufacture. The Chicago Field Museum's "Chocolate Exhibit" - The Internet Scout Project http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/) featured this site, and it is part of the Digital Library for Earth Science Education (DLESE) Community Collections http://www.dlese.org/dds/index.jsp). Click on "All About Chocolate" and explore the links. The section "Making chocolate" provides a good summary of the manufacturing process. http://www.fieldmuseum.org/chocolate/exhibits.html "Chocolate Engineering: What Does Engineering Have to do with Chocolate?" Engineer Girl's "Hot project" and the different ways engineering plays a role in chocolate production. http://www.engineergirl.org/nae/cwe/egcars.nsf/weblinks/CTON-4THVDV?Opendocument Discover Hershey: Making Chocolate-The tour links provide information on how Hershey's makes chocolate. http://www.hersheys.com/discover/chocolate.asp I also performed a Google search athttp://www.google.com using the phrase "history of chocolate." Here are a few good results from that search. The Exploratorium: "The Sweet Lure of Chocolate" by Jim Spadaccini-Special online edition provides facts on the growth of plants, chocolate history and lets you take a video tour of the Scharffen Berger chocolate factory. http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/exploring_chocolate/ Candy USA: Chocolate - The National Confectioners Association looks at the history, manufacture, types, and tastes of chocolate, as well as growing the cocoa bean. http://www.candyusa.org/Chocolate/default.asp The CocoaPro: Chocolate, Nutrition and Your Health. Check out the side links, especially "Where does chocolate come from?" http://www.cocoapro.com/cnhy/world_choc/wc201.jsp Thank you for your question. For more information, be sure to check with the librarian at your school or public library. Sincerely, Joyce W. Virtual Reference Librarian Updated: 2/3/05
Category: Nutrition