Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

In Belgium, the "chocolate bonbon" reigns supreme. Eurasia Press/Photononstop/Corbis

Special Report

The World of Chocolate

From its start as a medical treatment to chocolate tourism, discover the delightfully delicious world of chocolate.


History and Culture of Chocolate

Cocoa tree

Smart News

A Special Facility in England Keeps the World’s Chocolate Safe

The cocoa tree is very sensitive to disease and pests, so someone checks every plant bound for international trade

A chocolate pot from Yokohama, Japan, ca. 1904. Porcelain with clear glaze and overglaze enamels

At the Smithsonian

A Brief History of the Chocolate Pot

How humans have consumed chocolate sheds lights on its significance to cultures and eras

An example of a pot used by the ancient Maya

History

What We Know About the Earliest History of Chocolate

We’ve learned things that could help today’s artisan chocolatiers improve their trade

A chart of chocolate future prices since Valentine's Day, 2014

Arts & Culture

The Economics of Chocolate

Before becoming a kiss, bar, or hot drink, cocoa gets shipped, stashed, smashed, and, most critically for producers and consumers alike, commodified

The mouthwatering nature of chocolate is one constant no matter where you go.

Arts & Culture

Chocolate Destinations Around the World to Drool Over

These five places from Belgium to Hong Kong offer their own enticing takes on the confection

Smart News

A Lost Chapter From Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” Was Just Released

The chapter was removed after being deemed “too wild” and subversive

Science of Chocolate

The flavor of chocolate depends on numerous factors, from the soil the cacao plant was grown in, to the length of time the cocoa beans are fermented.

Science

The Science of Good Chocolate

Meet the sensory scientist who is decoding the terroir of chocolate—and working to safeguard the cacao plant that gives us the sweet dark treat

Scientists looked for the black-and-white colubus monkey in protected areas across the Ivory Coast but only found one population of the animals still living in a sacred grove.

Science

Illegal Cocoa Farms Are Driving Out Primates In Ivory Coast

Thirteen national parks and reserves have lost all their primates as people move in to protected regions to farm cacao

Science

What Physics Tells Us About Making the Perfect Chocolate

Like carbon, the treat can take on many crystalline forms, so a master chocolatier must know how to temper it in just the right way

Is fine chocolate slipping through our fingers?

Science

How to Save the Chocolate Tree Without Sacrificing Flavor

Demand, disease and climate change are threatening cocoa, but a new breed of clones could keep the treat abundant and tasty

Don't try this at home.

Science

Healers Once Prescribed Chocolate Like Aspirin

From ancient Mesoamerica to Renaissance Europe, the modern confectionary treat has medical roots

You can thank these Theobroma cacao flowers for your brownie sundae.

Science

You Wouldn’t Have Chocolate Without Invisible Flies and Extreme Yeast

It takes a wild and temperamental menagerie to bring the beloved candy to store shelves. Bon appétit!

Eating Chocolate

Arts & Culture

D.C.’s Artisan Chocolate Makers Show Off Their Sweet Labor of Love

Leaving no task undone, this husband-and-wife team demonstrate their process for producing chocolate

A close-up of the 2012 cake.

At the Smithsonian

How an Archaeologist Revived King Tut’s Tomb With A Chocolate Cake

By day Eric Hollinger is an archeologist, but his passion is baking and his chocolate cakes are works to behold

Chocolate beer spans a wide spectrum of flavors and varieties.

Arts & Culture

A Taste Test to Find the Best Chocolate Beers

Perfect for a cold, winter day – or as an alternative to red wine on Valentine’s Day – we took measure of these stouts, ales and lagers

Arts & Culture

Is Drinking Chocolate America’s New Cupcake?

When one trend falls by the wayside, another one must take it place. This winter, take advantage of this beverage on the rise

Smart News

A New Way to Find Out If Your Chocolate Is Legit

You no longer have to be expert chocolate-taster to tell whether your cacao beans are as fancy as advertised

A Baltimore staple.

Arts & Culture

The Berger Cookie is Baltimore’s Gift to the Chocolate World

For nearly 200 years, the true black-and-white cookie has been delighting residents of Charm City