Chocolate
Types of Chocolate
Chocolate everyones favourite comfort food! Or is it? There are typically three main types of chocolate; white, dark and milk. These all are essentially the same, however the varying intensity and the concentration of the cocoa solids within them, are the differentiating factors.
Chocolate is made from beans, which are roasted and fermented to enhance the flavour. Early seedlings from the cacao tree are extremely intense and bitter, and therefore grounding and roasting, the end result is the product we know as cocoa.
The cacao tree itself is something of a wonder. They are extremely difficult to grow, and are not too easy to come across as they can only be found 20 degrees north and south of the equator!
History of Chocolate
The actual word chocolate was derived from the Aztec word for it. The Aztec word can be literally translated as bitter water. The reason for this is that the Aztecs of Mexico used to drink and enjoy the bitter taste that the seeds of the cacao tree produced. So in theory chocolate was first enjoyed as a drink, as we do nowadays!
Remains and chocolate residue have even been found on ancient pottery dating back thousands of years. Due to the fact that the cacao tree is native to South America, the Aztecs regarded their bitter drink to be a cure for fatigue, which supports modern day research on the physiological effects of the contents of chocolate.
Regions of Chocolate
Cocoa (different from cacao!), is produced mainly in West Africa, predominantly in Cote dIvoire. To clarify the difference between cacao and cocoa, chocolate is any product made primarily of cocoa solids and cocoa fats.
Two-thirds of the entire worlds production of chocolate occurs there in West Africa. It has been suggested that roughly 40 million people worldwide depend on the cultivation of cocoa, as a source of livelihood.
The differences in flavour arent due to the regions of the beans themselves, but the way the chocolate is comprised. So the same beans from the same region can be heated, ground and measured differently, to give an overall different taste and texture in the chocolate.
How it's made
We as consumers enjoy chocolate in many different and exciting forms! There are so many different ways to enjoy chocolate that it remains a wonder as to how these are all produced.
The first step is to pick the pods from the cacao tree, and to leave the pulp and seeds in a fermenting bin for days. This is what we commonly associate with the chocolate flavour. The beans must also be dried very quickly to prevent mould, and are dried naturally by being spread and sun-dried.
Nearer the end of chocolate production, we can compartmentalise it into two; chocolate makers and chocolatiers. Chocolate makers use harvested cacao beans to produce a type of chocolate called couverture chocolate. This is then further used by the chocolatiers to make the chocolate candies that we are most commonly aware of (bars, truffles, baked goods etc).
From start to finish the process of making chocolate is very detailed and is carefully balanced. It is all dependants on the differences of intensity of the roast on the beans. However the key difference between white and milk chocolate is that milk chocolate contains chocolate liquor, whereas white chocolate doesnt.
After many methods of roasting, grounding and fermenting the beans, the cocoa can be heated and tempered. In actual fact most of the production of chocolate, involves the heat levels and grounding techniques to be varied to give different textures and properties of chocolate. Who would have guessed that making something so widely available would be so much like a science! Chocolate requires fine attention to detail and is a lengthy process that has different levels to its production.
The final part of the process of making the sweet brown stuff is the storage! Chocolate is extremely sensitive to humidity and varying temperatures. Funnily enough, we should actually store chocolate in cooler places, not in a cupboard or on the worktops in the kitchen! The optimum temperature for storing chocolate is around 15 degrees Celsius. In addition to this chocolate shouldnt be kept with other foods, as it has a tendency to absorb different aromas.
How to enjoy!
Surely we dont need to tell you how to enjoy chocolate?! Everyone has their own habits and ways of getting the most out of chocolate. However we suggest simply eating in moderation, and savouring the taste!
