Types of Chocolates part 2

picture from chocolate-world.net

Unsweetened chocolate
It is also known as baking chocolate, pure chocolate or bitter chocolate. Unsweetened chocolate is made from pure chocolate liquor that has been refined and contains 50-55% of cocoa butter. Although it looks and smells like chocolate, it has a bitter taste and is not suitable for eating.

What can Unsweetened chocolate do?

Since no sugar has been added to the chocolate it has a strong, bitter taste that is used in cooking and baking. It is popularly used as the base for cakes, brownies, confections, and cookies. Many bakers prefer this type of chocolate for baking because they have more control over the flavor and sweetness.

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Sweet chocolate does not contain any milk and thus the color is dark. Yet it is one of the sweetest chocolates. It contains about 25% chocolates, cocoa butter and sugar. Some people however mistake it for bittersweet chocolate. Sometimes, it becomes quite difficult to distinguish between semi sweet and sweet chocolates, just by the taste.Sweet Chocolate

                                                          Couverture chocolate

picture from chocogram.com.au

It is also called coating chocolate. This chocolate contains a very high percent (at least 30%) of cocoa butter, as well as a high percentage of chocolate liquor. This high ratio makes it expensive, but it also means that the resulting chocolate is smooth and melts quickly and evenly. The word “couverture” translates to “covering” and refers to one of the finest quality of chocolate in the world.

What can Couverture chocolate do?

It is used largely for candy making as it solidifies after melting to a glossy, thin layer mainly for the purpose of coating. It is often used by professional pastry chefs in many famous chocolate manufacturers such as Valrhona, Felchlin, Lindt & Sprüngli, Scharffen Berger, Cacao Barry, Callebaut, and Guittard.




Gianduja chocolate

picture from flickr.com/photos/hellokitty893112/388347878/

The original word is Gianduia which pronounced as zhahn-DOO-yuh. is the name given to a European style of chocolate made from chocolate and nut paste. It still has a smooth, chocolatey texture, but has the wonderful flavor of hazelnuts. Gianduja Hazelnut paste is most common, but gianduja can also be made with almond paste and it comes in milk or dark chocolate varieties. It is said to be Italian or Swiss invention.

What can it do?
Gianduja chocolate can be used as a flavoring or as a substitute for milk or dark chocolate. At room temperature it is soft enough to be rolled or cut, but is too soft to use for molding chocolates.



Milk chocolate 

picture from treehugger.com

In addition to containing cocoa butter and chocolate liquor, milk chocolate contains either condensed milk (most European varieties) or dry milk solids. Milk chocolate must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor, 3.39% butterfat, and 12% milk solids. Milk chocolates are typically much sweeter than dark chocolate, and have a lighter color and a less pronounced chocolate taste. Milk chocolate is more difficult to temper properly and more prone to overheating.

*Milk chocolates are common chocolates that most people will eat.

What can it do? 
As the more chocolate liquor added the more delicious it gets, this type of chocolate is most commonly used for the purpose of decoration. It is seldom used for baking, except for cookies.

picture from foodnouveau. com

White chocolate 
White chocolate gets its name from the cocoa butter it contains, but does not contain chocolate liquor or any other cocoa products. As a result, it has no pronounced chocolate taste, but commonly tastes like vanilla or other added flavorings. By law, white chocolate must contain a minimum 20% cocoa butter, 14% milk solids, and a maximum of 55% sugar. There are some “white chocolate” products available that contain vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter—these should be avoided from a taste standpoint, as they contain no cocoa products at all, and are not technically white chocolate.


What can it do?
It has a mild and pleasant flavor and can be used to make Chocolate Mousse, Panna Cotta and other desserts.

References:

1. Different Types of Chocolates and Their Uses. (2010, January 8). Retrieved April 30, 2011, from top54u.com: http://health.top54u.com/post/Types-of-Chocolates.aspx
2. LaBau, E. (2011). A Guide to Chocolate Varieties. Retrieved April 30, 2011, from about.com: http://candy.about.com/od/candybasics/a/chocguide.htm
3. McSweeney, L. W. (2003, April 18). Chocolate Simplified. Retrieved April 30, 2011, from suite101.com: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/cooking_basics/99847
4. Types of Chocolate. (2010). Retrieved April 30, 2011, from facts-about-chocolate.com: http://www.facts-about-chocolate.com/types-of-chocolate.html

Types of Chocolates part 1

How to differentiate among chocolate types?

Chocolate types are largely determined by two elements, which are the percentage of cocoa butter and cocoa solids in the chocolate liquor.

Basically there are eight main types of chocolates. They are: unsweetened chocolate, sweet chocolate, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, couverture chocolate and gianduja chocolate.

Dark chocolates

picture from chocolate-world.net

It is also known as plain chocolates because they don’t contain any milk solids. It contains high amount of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, and other ingredients. The cocoa content of commercial dark chocolate bars can range from 30% (sweet dark) to 70- 80% for extremely dark bars. Chocolates such as bittersweet, semi-sweet chocolates etc fall into this category.

Semi-sweet chocolate: This is primarily an American term, popularized by Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips. Semi-sweet chocolate contains at least 35% cocoa solids, and is generally assumed to be darker than sweet dark chocolate, but sweeter than bittersweet.

picture from chocolate-world.net

picture from chocolat.com

Bittersweet chocolate:It is defined by the FDA, that has the same percentage of cocoa solids with semi-sweet chocolate. Most bittersweet bars contain at least 50% chocolate liquor, with some bars pushing 70-80% chocolate liquor. This chocolate often has a deeper, more bitter flavor than sweet dark or semi-sweet bars.
It is said that semi-sweet chocolate is actually refer to bittersweet chocolate. Both of them come from the same group which is the dark chocolate, but is just that in America, dark chocolate refers to Semi-sweet chocolate while in Europe dark chocolate refers to Bittersweet chocolate. In deed the two types of chocolate are able to use interchangeably.

picture from lolcandy.com

Sweet dark chocolate: It is the dark chocolate that contains high percentage of sugar and is much sweeter than other types of dark chocolate. Many brands of sweet dark chocolate have only 20-40% cocoa solids.

What can dark chocolates do?

 This type of chocolate is most commonly used for cooking purposes. It is used for baking cakes, brownies and cookies. They are very beneficial for the health as it helps in lowering the blood pressure.



References:
1. Different Types of Chocolates and Their Uses. (2010, January 8). Retrieved April 30, 2011, from top54u.com: http://health.top54u.com/post/Types-of-Chocolates.aspx

2. LaBau, E. (2011). A Guide to Chocolate Varieties. Retrieved April 30, 2011, from about.com: http://candy.about.com/od/candybasics/a/chocguide.htm

3. McSweeney, L. W. (2003, April 18). Chocolate Simplified. Retrieved April 30, 2011, from suite101.com: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/cooking_basics/99847

4. Types of Chocolate. (2010). Retrieved April 30, 2011, from facts-about-chocolate.com: http://www.facts-about-chocolate.com/types-of-chocolate.html

How Chocolates are made?

This video is a brief introduction of the process of making chocolates.

:by me

1.   Extraction & Fermentation

Cocoa beans are removed from their pods after they are harvested. After the beans are dried, they are then extracted and fermented naturally in open heaps for about six days.

* The finest chocolate is produced when the drying process is done NATURALLY by the sun for 7 days or more.

2. Roasting

The next process is shared with coffee in that the beans are first graded, then roasted. Roasting times depend on the type and size of the beans, like coffee this can also affect the final flavour of the chocolate.

3. Light Crushing separates the kernel or 'Nib' from the shell or husk (like shelling a nut), the husk is then separated or 'winnowed' out and discarded.



4. Alkalisation

Cocoa Nibs are put through an alkalisation process to help develop flavour and colour.

5. Milling

The Nibs, are then finely milled and liquefy in the heat to produce cocoa liquor. When cocoa liquor, otherwise known as cocoa mass, is allowed to cool and solidify.

6. Blending

Cocoa Liquor or Cocoa Mass is blended back with cocoa butter in varying quantities to make different types of chocolate:

The finest plain or dark chocolate should contain 70% or more Cocoa .
The best Milk Chocolate contains 30% or more Cocoa
The best White Chocolate contains 30% or more Cocoa Butter.

In addition most chocolate contains a sweetener, usually sugar, this is because without some kind of sweetener, chocolate would be so bitter as to be virtually inedible. The other most commonly added ingredients are natural Vanilla for flavour and Lethicin (usually made from Soya) as an emulsifier.

7. Refining and Conching

The blended Chocolate then goes through a refining process involving heavy rollers, this grinds down and blends the particles to smooth and improve the texture.

Mostly, but not always, this is followed by the penultimate process called “conching”, a conch is a type of container in which the refined and blended chocolate mass is continually kneaded and further smoothed, the fractional heat produced by this process keeps the chocolate liquid. The length of time given to the conching process determines the final smoothness and quality of chocolate. The finest chocolate is conched for a minimum of a week.

8. Tempering

After the refining and conching process are completed, the chocolate is stored in heated tanks at about 46°c (115°f). It is then cooled to between 29°c (84°f) and 31°c (88°f) and warmed up again to between 30°c (86°f) and 32°c (90°f). The chocolate must go through such process to encourage the stable crystal formation needed to produce the desirable properties for good tasty chocolate.

* Well tempered chocolate has a good shiny gloss, a snappy or brittle bite and a smooth tender melt on the tongue, coating the palate with long lasting flavour and generally tasting wonderful.

References:

1.      The images in the video are provided by Google Images.

2.      The song is from 02-klaus_badelt-the_medallion_calls-fntx

3.       How Chocolate is Made. (2004). Retrieved April 30, 2011, from aphrodite-chocolates: http://www.aphrodite-chocolates.co.uk/history_chocolate.htm

History of Chocolates

A Brief Introduction of Cacao Tree

When?

Fifteen hundred years ago.

picture from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cocoa_Pods.JPG

Where?

In the Central American rain forests where the tropical mix of high rain fall combined with high year round temperatures and humidity provide the ideal climate for cultivation of a plant called Cacao Tree.

Background

The Cacao Tree was worshipped by the Mayan civilisation who believed it to be of divine origin. Cacao is actually a Mayan word which means "God Food". Hence the tree's modern generic Latin name 'Theobrama Cacao' meaning ‘Food of the Gods’, but it was then corrupted into the more familiar 'Cocoa' by the early  European explorers.

picture from naturalezabierta.com

 The Aztecs of central Mexico also prized   the cocoa beans, but because they lived further north in more arid regions at higher altitudes, where the    climate was not suitable for cultivation of the tree. As a result, they had to trade or even involve in a war to acquire the beans.
The Aztecs, like the Mayans, enjoyed Cacao as a beverage fermented from the raw beans, which featured prominently in ritual and as a luxury available only to the very wealthy. They called this drink Xocolatl, the Spanish conquistadors found this almost impossible to pronounce and so corrupted it to the easier 'Chocolat', the English further changed this to Chocolate. (A History Of Chocolate, 2004)

From Liquid transform to Solid Chocolates

Xocolatl! or Chocolat or Chocolate as it became known, was brought to Europe by Cortez. Within a few years, the Cocoa beverage made from the powder produced in Spain had become popular throughout Europe.

It just a coincident!

The first mention of chocolate being eaten in solid form is when bakers in England began adding cocoa powder to cakes in the mid 1600's. Then in 1828 a Dutch chemist, Johannes Van Houten, invented a method of extracting the bitter tasting fat or "cocoa butter" from the roasted ground beans, his aim was to make the drink smoother and more palatable, however he unknowingly paved the way for solid chocolate as we know it.

picture from http://themarktrix.blogspot.com

Chocolate as we know it today first appeared in 1847 when Fry & Sons of Bristol, England - mixed Sugar with Cocoa Powder and Cocoa Butter to produce the first solid chocolate bar then, in 1875 a Swiss manufacturer, Daniel Peters, found a way to combine cocoa powder and cocoa butter with sugar and dried milk powder to produce the first milk chocolate.

 (A History Of Chocolate, 2004)






References:

1. A History Of Chocolate. (2004). Retrieved April 30, 2011, from aphrodite-chocolates: http://www.aphrodite-chocolates.co.uk/history_chocolate.htm

2. Bensen, A. (2008, March 1). A Brief History of Chocolate. Retrieved April 30, 2011, from smithsonianmag: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/brief-history-of-chocolate.html

A Simple Introduction

picture from alum.mit.edu

Chocolate, the fabulous creation of cocoa. Not only children like chocolates but also adult, like us who are craving for chocolates. It is also the most general thing that is used to give someone else during certain days or events. Can you imagine if one day all the chocolates have disappeared? How strange will it be. No more chocolate cakes, Kit Kat, Buenos and chocolate desserts, how depress the world will turn. I like chocolates, different kinds of chocolates and I think most of you feel the same way too. Do you still remember the first chocolate you had eaten?

Well, I totally have no idea with it and it is impossible to recall when i had started gobbling my first chocolate. But I never forget the magnificent satisfaction whenever I eat them. It is an addiction? I don’t really bother as long as it tastes nice and I feel great with it. I believe chocolates are affordable to everyone. Just only few pounds or ringgit then you can have them on hands. The moment you put the ‘elixir’ in your mouth, you can straight away feel a sense of comfort, love, and endulgence transfer through all your blood capillaries. It’s not embellishment! It is one of the cheapest ways to buy happiness, agree?

picture from umassmed.edu

I love chocolates, my dad loves chocolates but my mom doesn’t. The reason she gave me was the funniest joke I ever heard, “Chocolates bring more suffer than happiness because whenever I eat it, my toothache can’t stop torture me,” my mom said. Well, I quite pity with her. But it is also a fact that, there are some people who don’t like chocolates because they dislike the taste of sweet. I wonder why they don’t like it but it just the matter of feel, a very nature thing. Like love, sometimes you just love a person or a thing without any reasons. For me, different kinds of chocolates represent different types of characters in life. Sometimes we face hardship in life, but if we can stay strong, at the end everything will be fine. This is same as when you eat a packet of bitter chocolates. First of all you will think that they taste terrible but if you can remain them for a few minutes in your mouth, you will feel the taste of sweet coming out slowly. That is why I am so in love with chocolates.

Well in this blog I’m going to cover on five major topics:
         1. History of chocolates
         2. How chocolates are made?
         3. Types of chocolates
         4. Chocolates i like
          5.  Benefits of eating chocolates
       

Lastly I hope that you guys do enjoy it. Lots of comments are welcome.



References:

1. Steenhuysen, J. (2010, April 26). Depressed? You must like chocolate. Retrieved April 27, 2011, from reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/04/26/us-depression-chocolate-idUSTRE63P5GI20100426

2. The pleasure of chocolate. (2001, February 9). Retrieved April 27, 2011, from uthscsa: http://www.uthscsa.edu/opa/issues/new34-6/chocolate.html