How is it made?
It all starts with a tree. The Theobroma cacao, which grows nearly always within 20 degrees of the equator, has pods which grow straight out of its trunk. These contain cacao seeds, the source of eventual chocolate joy. First, however, the seeds need to be fermented. They are then dried, cleaned and roasted. The shell is removed to claim the cacao ‘nibs’ inside, which are ground to a cocoa mass. This can be processed further to separate the cocoa butter from the cocoa solids. When cocoa butter and solids are blended together, along with sugar, it forms chocolate and the different forms depend on the ratios of cocoa butter, cocoa solids and sugar, and in the case of milk chocolate, milk. The darker the chocolate, the more cocoa solids it contains. White chocolate does not have any cocoa solids at all. The three main types of cacao beans used for chocolate are Trinitario, Forastero and Criollo. Trinitario is a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero, and Criollo is the rarest and most expensive. Like wine and coffee, single origin chocolate refers to beans from one region being used to make chocolate (as opposed to beans from lots of places), which is thought by some to be superior. The path of chocolate from ancient life-giving elixir to mass produced cheering treat was a long one... First there was The Olmecs This ancient tribe were among the first to use the bitter seeds of the Theobroma cacao. The Mayans also embraced chocolate, using ground seeds to make a paste which they combined with other ingredients to make frothy, bitter drinks. Chocolate (still in liquid form) was only consumed by the elite of the Aztec empire and the bean was even used as currency. After the Spanish conquered the Aztecs... Drinking chocolate finally caught on back in Spain towards the end of the 16th century, but it was still largely the domain of the royal and privileged. The cheeky Spaniards managed to keep this delicious treat to themselves for nearly a century, but finally hot chocolate, now mixed with European additions such as milk, sugar and other spices, was picked up by the upper crust of Europe. In 1828 there was a Dutch man called Casparus van Houten Sr. He invented a hydraulic press which could separate cocoa butter easily from the cocoa mass, leaving a ‘cake’ which could be crushed to a powder. His son came up with the idea of adding alkaline salts to the powder, so it could be mixed more easily with water (‘dutching’). The result was drinking chocolate that could be easily produced, making it a people’s drink for the first time. The British touch In 1847, Englishman Joseph Fry made the first coarse version of a chocolate bar by blending cocoa butter and sugar back into the separated cocoa, creating a paste which could be shaped into a bar. What about the Swiss? Long associated with all things chocolate, the Swiss’ contribution to its evolution came when Philippe Suchard invented the melangeur, a machine to blend cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar evenly. Rodolphe Lindt invented the conche machine in the same year, which further refined chocolate, removing graininess, giving it shine and making it smooth in the mouth. This mixture was then tempered and chocolate, as we know it, had arrived. 5 things you might not know about chocolate 1) A chocolate maker uses cacao beans and other ingredients to make chocolate, while a chocolatier makes confectionary (or pretty chocolatey treats) from chocolate. 2) Chocolate is not a dog’s best friend. The cocoa mass contains theobromine which can be lethal for our canine friends. 3) The alkaloids in cocoa solids have been linked to increasing serotonin levels in the brain, making you feel gooood. 4) The antioxidants in dark chocolate (the cocoa solids are made from plant matter, after all) are good for you, mopping up free radicals. 5) Chocolate syrup was used for blood in Hitchcock’s famous Psycho shower scene. 5 chocolate dishes to make 1) Chocolate Ganache with Peanut & Caramel Ice Cream 2) White Chocolate Cannelloni with Strawberry Soup 3) Chocolate Delice with Salted Caramel
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