Adding cacao or dark chocolate

[Amateur1]

If I add dark chocolate to my quinoa it gives a different taste to adding cacao even though the chocolate is 85% cocoa.
What causes the difference? Is it the cocoa butter or something else?

 

[karadekoolaid]

Cacao beans are bitter, whereas chocolate is prepared. I´m no expert on how to make dark chocolate, but I DO know that it needs to be processed for quite a long time.

 

[PabloLerntKochen]

I guess it's the cocoa butter plus the extra sugar

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Cacao is uncooked. Cocoa is the cooked/roasted product. Cooking/heating anything changes it, often completely. That's the difference you are tasting. But a better comparison would be between adding cacao powder and cocoa powder (not the Dutch variety) to your quinoa.

Cocoa powder (regular) comes from beans that are fermented, dried, roasted and cracked into nibs.

Cocoa powder (Dutch) starts with cocoa beans that have been washed in alkaline solution of potassium carbonate. This wash neutralizes their acidity. They are then processed as above.

Cacao powder comes from the unroasted beans, that are still fermented...