The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1ºC. The calorie has been replaced by the joule as an SI unit, for which the conversion of one calorie (1 cal) is equal to 4.186 joules. The Calorie (upper case C) is a largely obsolete unit of energy and confined to defining the energy in foods. It is equal to one kilocalorie (1 kcal) or 4,186 joules.