The ovoid-shaped fruits of the cocoa tree are around 15 to 25 centimeters long. To make chocolate, both the pulp and seeds (also known as cocoa beans) are removed from the fruit, laid out on large plant leaves and covered with other leaves. The fermentation process begins within five to six days, whereby the pulp falls apart and the beans start sprouting briefly. Sprouting lets the cocoa beans develop their typical, slightly bitter taste. After this has developed, the bean is dried, roasted and ground until it turns into a viscous brown cocoa paste.
To turn this into chocolate, cocoa butter and sugar are added to the paste, along with, possibly, powdered milk and other ingredients. Finally, it is rolled, heated, poured into a mould and cooled. The paste hardens during the cooling process and results in chocolate.