Unsweetened or bitter chocolate intended as a baking ingredient rather than for eating directly, also called bitter chocolate. It is essentially pure chocolate liquor, the ground mass of cocoa beans containing both cocoa solids and cocoa butter, with no added sugar, giving it an intense, austere chocolate flavor. Recipes use it where sugar is added separately, allowing precise control of sweetness in brownies, cakes, and ganaches. Its high cocoa content delivers deep flavor and the fat needed for tender texture. The term distinguishes it from eating chocolate and from cocoa powder, which lacks the cocoa butter. Quality varies with bean origin and processing, and discerning bakers choose percentages and origins the way cooks choose spices, as the foundation flavor of the finished dessert.