cacao

cocoa

noun kah-KAH-oh Rare

Origin: Nahuatl cacahuatl (cacao bean), via Spanish

Also means

cacao tree

Usage Note

Cacao is invariable — the plural is i cacao (same form). It refers both to the raw ingredient (the bean/powder) and the cacao plant. In everyday conversation cacao is what you add to milk or use in baking; cioccolato is the finished chocolate product. The word came to Italian through Spanish from the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs.

Examples

"Aggiungi un cucchiaio di cacao alla crema."

Natural Translation

Add a spoonful of cocoa to the cream.

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