Ballotin – Decorative rectangular cardboard box used for packaging chocolates in such a way that they don’t damage each other. In French chocolate shops, these typically come in 125g, 250g, 375g and 500g sizes.
Bonbon – A filled chocolate (in French, chocolat fourré)
Cabosse – Fruit of the cacao tree
Cacao – May refer to theobroma cacao (the cacao tree), or the end product (chocolate liquor) made from the cacao bean
Cacao content – Total percentage of cacao fat and cacao solids contained in chocolate
Carré – French word for “square”
Chocolate liquor – Also known as cacao mass, the liquid or paste produced when cocoa beans are roasted and ground
Chocolatier – A chocolate artisan or seller (person or company)
Cocoa – A hot drink made with chocolate, i.e. hot chocolate. In North America, the term is also also used interchangeably with “cacao”
Confiseur – French term for person who makes or sells sweets
Confiserie – French term for shop that sells candy and chocolate
Cocoa butter – Natural fat of the cacao bean
Cocoa powder – Non-fat part of the cacao bean that is ground into a powder
Dark chocolate – Produced by adding fat and sugar to cacao. It is chocolate without milk as an additive
Ganache – Smooth mixture of chocolate and fresh cream or butter
Gianduja – Blend of crushed, grilled almonds, sugar and melted chocolate.
Grand cru chocolate – Chocolate made with beans from a particular region
Milk chocolate – Chocolate with milk powder or condensed milk added
Napolitain – A small, sample-sized square of chocolate
Palet d’or – A flat, round pure ganache dark chocolate bonbon
Praline – Paste made from ground almonds and caramelized sugar
Rocher – Clusters of slivered almonds, covered in chocolate
Theobroma cacao – Botanical name of the cacao tree. It literally means “food of the gods”
Truffle – A small, rich chocolate, usually shaped into a ball
Unsweetened chocolate – Pure chocolate liquor, also known as bitter or baking chocolate, mixed with some form of fat to produce a solid substance