Chocolate Coloring Pages

The Magical Treat Loved All Around the World! Chocolate

Everyone loves Chocolate! Did you know it actually comes from the fruit of a plant called "cacao"? Cacao trees grow in places that are very warm and get a lot of rain. Long ago, people did not eat Chocolate as a sweet treat like we do today. Instead, they cherished it as medicine or a special drink. Today, let's take a look at the secrets of how cacao becomes the Chocolate you know so well!

Where Cacao Grows and What It Looks Like

Cacao cannot just grow anywhere. It loves warm jungles near the equator that stay hot all year long.

• A strange way to grow fruit: Most fruits grow on the tips of branches. But cacao flowers bloom directly from the tree trunk! Then, they grow into big fruits that look like rugby balls, called cacao pods.
• Where it lives: It is grown in very warm countries, like Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana in Africa, and Brazil and Ecuador in Central and South America.
• Cacao beans: Inside each cacao pod, you will find about 30 to 40 cacao beans wrapped in sticky white pulp. This is what Chocolate is really made of!

The Long History of Chocolate

Chocolate has a very long history that started thousands of years ago.

• It started as a bitter drink: A long time ago in places like Mexico, people ground up cacao beans and mixed them with chili peppers and vanilla to make a "bitter drink."
• Food of the gods: The cacao tree's scientific name, "Theobroma," means "food of the gods" in Greek. That shows just how special it was to people in the old days!
• Becoming solid chocolate: The yummy, solid Chocolate that melts in your mouth like today was actually invented only about 200 years ago.

Try Making Chocolate Look Just Like the Real Thing!

When you color the coloring page for Chocolate and cacao, think about layering colors. It will make Chocolate look super yummy!

• Colors of Cacao Pods: Cacao fruits change color based on their type and how ripe they are. Have fun adding bright colors like yellow, orange, red, purple, and green. Mix in a little bit of brown to make them look even more real.
• Types of Chocolate: Try using light brown for milk Chocolate, dark brown for bitter Chocolate, and cream color for white Chocolate.
• Make It Shiny: Leave a few white spots on the corners or rounded parts of Chocolate. That will make it look shiny and delicious!

Make Your Very Own Special Chocolate!

Draw your favorite things on the Chocolate coloring page.

• Toppings: Draw toppings like almonds, dried fruits, or colorful sprinkles. It will look extra fancy!
• Wrappers: Color the wrapper like shiny gold or silver foil. Or draw your own colorful package to make a one-of-a-kind, fancy Chocolate.

Tips to Make It Look Yummy

Draw strawberries, bananas, or warm milk in the background. Your picture will look so good you can almost smell the sweet scent of Chocolate! Lightly color the shadows with a little blue or purple. This adds nice depth to your Chocolate, so give it a try!

Did You Know You Could Buy Things with Cacao Beans?!

A long, long time ago, during the Maya and Aztec civilizations in Central and South America, cacao beans were super valuable, so they were actually used as "money." For example, it is said that 10 cacao beans could buy 1 rabbit, and 100 beans could buy yummy food or clothes. It's amazing to think that money used to grow on trees!

There Is a Secret Why It Melts in Your Mouth

The reason Chocolate melts smoothly the second you put it in your mouth is because the fat in cacao (cocoa butter) melts at almost the exact same temperature as human body temperature. That is why it gets sticky if you hold it in your hand for too long, but it melts like magic inside your mouth!

Why White Chocolate Is White

Regular Chocolate is brown, but white chocolate is bright white, right? That is because it is made by removing the bitter "cacao liquor" from the cacao beans and using only the white fat, "cocoa butter." Since it is not bitter, it is a favorite for kids who love sweet things!

Chocolate Went to Space!

Chocolate was even picked as "space food" for astronauts! That is because it has lots of nutrition, turns into energy quickly, and best of all, makes you feel happy and energized when you eat it. Even far away in space, Chocolate makes everyone smile!