White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, milk solids, and sugar, without the cocoa solids that give dark and milk chocolate their brown color and chocolate flavor; because it contains no cocoa solids, some consider it not 'true' chocolate at all. It was developed by Nestlé in the 1930s as a way to use surplus milk powder, decades after Daniel Peter's unrelated invention of milk chocolate in the 1870s.
Cocoa butter is extracted from fermented, dried cacao beans grown mainly in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America, then blended with milk solids, sugar, and flavorings such as vanilla.
White chocolate is used in baking (cakes, cookies, pastries), in truffles and ganaches, and increasingly in savory sauces and marinades for a subtle richness. Its flavor is sweet and creamy with notes of vanilla or caramel, pairing well with fresh berries, citrus, nuts, and warm spices like cinnamon or cardamom.