Cocoa Nib

A cocoa nib is a small piece of the cocoa bean, the dried and fully fermented seed of the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, produced during chocolate making after the beans are roasted, cracked and have their shells removed; each bean generally splits into two cotyledons, the nibs themselves. Nibs are ground into a thick paste called chocolate liquor or cocoa paste, from which cocoa butter and cocoa powder can later be separated, and roasted nibs are also powdered into chocolate liquor or added whole into chocolate bars for extra texture and crunch. In Mesoamerica, harvested and fermented beans are ground at chocolate mills and combined with ingredients such as cinnamon, chili peppers, almonds and vanilla to make drinking chocolate, and ground cocoa is also a key ingredient in the traditional Mexican drink tejate.