© 2005 Coco Délice. All Rights Reserved
© 2005 Coco Délice. All Rights Reserved
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The history of chocolate begins with a relatively small tree that grows in the shade of larger, nearby trees. Over time, this tree acquired enormous importance socially, medically, religiously, economically, and gastronomically. |
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Everything chocolate begins with the cocoa bean. Chocolate production requires a number of very specific methods and actions to produce this food of the gods. |
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Chocolate lovers can take heart in the growing body of scientific research, which shows that chocolate is packed with high-quality polyphenol antioxidants and is associated with numerous other health benefits. |
There are numerous books that discuss the history of chocolate, but one of the most interesting and complete is The True History of Chocolate, written by Sophie and Michael Coe (1996). If you are an avid chocolate lover, this book provides a rich, detailed history of chocolate as we know it today.
Chocolate's scientific name, Theobroma cacao, means food of the gods. The roots of chocolate stem from the cacao (pronounced kah KOW) tree. Areas in which the cacao tree is cultivated are found mostly in Central and South America, with many areas being once occupied by the Mayans and Aztecs. To these occupants, the beans of the cacao tree were so highly valued that the beans were used as currency when they were not being made into a drink. The Aztecs referred to this popular drink as xocoatl (xoco meaning better, and atl meaning water). It is reported that Montezuma, the Aztec leader, drank xocoatl from golden goblets that he then threw into the lake. Additionally, before the Aztecs performed a human sacrifice, they gave the person a last taste of xocoatl.
In the sixteenth century, Hernan Cortes (the Spanish conqueror of Mexico) brought cacao beans back to Spain. By the seventeenth century, chocolate had become the fashionable drink of Europe's wealthy. Maria Theresa, who married Louis XIV in 1660, had one servant whose sole function was to prepare her favorite chocolate drink. The English diarist Samuel Pepys, having spent the day and night celebrating the crowning of Charles II, headed to his favorite chocolate house where the owner "did give me a chocolate to settle my stomach." As more cacao beans were imported, both the taxes and the prices, fell until chocolate was no longer limited to the elite.
For at least 28 centuries, chocolate had been a drink of the elite and the very rich. By the mid-20 th century, chocolate had been transformed into a solid food for the masses and available to anyone.
In 1828, a new era for modern chocolate use and modern chocolate making was achieved. It was that year in which a Dutch chemist by the name of Coenraad Johannes Van Houten requested a patent for a new manufacturing process. This new process resulted in a powdered chocolate that contained a low fat content. Van Houten’s de-fatting process then benefited the Bristol, England based J.S. Fry & Sons. In 1847, J.S. Fry & Sons discovered a way to mix a blend of cocoa powder and sugar with melted cacao butter instead of with warm water. This new process produced a thinner, less viscous paste that could be cast into a mold. By the mid-1800s, the first chocolate bar was made.
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The main ingredient used to make chocolate is the cocoa bean, which comes from the cacao tree. Cacao trees grow in South and Central America, Africa, and parts of Asia in warm, wet environments. The beans grow on the inside of cocoa pods (the fruit of the cacao tree) and are harvested by hand. Each pod contains anywhere from 20 to 60 seed (beans). In 2002/2003 the total production of cocoa beans was estimated at 2.8 to 2.9 million metric tons. 70 percent of the cocoa is produced in West Africa, 15 percent in the Americas and 15 percent in Asia (Coffee Tea, Etc.).
Raw Beans
Once the cocoa pods are harvested and the cocoa beans removed, the beans are then fermented. This fermenting process lasts for approximately a week, upon which the beans are dried in the sun and then shipped to the chocolate maker. The chocolate maker begins by roasting the beans to bring out the flavor, similar to the way coffee beans are roasted. Different beans from different locations have their own unique qualities and flavors, so they are often sorted and blended to produce a distinctive mix. Each chocolate manufacturer has their own process or recipe for roasting the cocoa beans.
Next, the roasted beans are winnowed. Winnowing refers to the machine process that removes the meat (also known as the nib) of the cocoa bean from its shell. The winnowing machine (the winnower) first lightly cracks the beans between a set of small steel rollers, or similar apparatus. The bean and shell pieces are then sorted using a series of vibrating screens.
Grinding
Once blended, roasted, and winnowed, the cocoa nibs are ground. The purpose of the grinding process is to first heat the chocolate mass so that it becomes liquid and forms what is commercially known as chocolate liquor. It should be noted that the term liquor in this case refers to “liquid” and not to alcohol.
Once the chocolate liquor has been formed, the mixture is put through giant presses, where the cocoa butter is separated out. The residue from this process is what is commonally referred to as cocoa powder or, as it is called in the chocolate trade, 'cocoa mass'. The cocoa powder or 'cocoa mass' can be sold as cocoa powder or it can be blended back with the cocoa butter (along with vanilla and soy lecithin) to produce eating chocolate.
Dark chocolate consists of cocoa mass that is combined with cocoa butter, vanilla, soy lecithin (which acts as an emulsifier) and varying amounts of sugar. Milk chocolate is a combination of the same ingredients in different proportions, plus powdered milk solids. White chocolate, a blend of cocoa butter, sugar, vanilla, milk solids and lecithin, is not really considered chocolate because it contains no chocolate liquor.
No matter which ingredients are used to make eating chocolate, the mixture must first travel through a series of heavy rollers. This process helps to refine the mixture to a smooth paste that is ready for "conching."
Conching
A conche is a type of container filled with the refined and blended chocolate mass. The process of conching develops the flavor of the chocolate through a process similar to kneading dough. In this process, heavy rollers move back and forth through the chocolate mass. The length of time given to the conching process determines the final smoothness and quality of the chocolate. Some of the finest chocolate is conched for a minimum of one week! Once this process is completed, the chocolate mass is stored in heated tanks at temperatures of 45-50°C, (113-122°F) until ready for final processing.
Tempering
The final step in chocolate production is called tempering. Because cocoa butter naturally possesses an unstable crystal formation, the mass must be cooled very carefully to encourage the crystals to stabilize in the right order. For tempering, the chocolate mass is heated to approximately 45°C (113°F). This temperature can vary depending on the brand and type of chocolate (e.g., dark, milk, or white). The chocolate is then cooled to about 27°C (81°F) and then warmed up again to about 37°C (98.6°F).
The results from this process include a chocolate that has a “snap” to it when eaten, melts evenly in the mouth, and provides a gloss/shine to the finished product.
Couverture and Ganache
Two additional definitions pertaining to chocolate are couverture (meaning “covering” in French), and Ganache. Couverture chocolates are made with a high percentage of additional cocoa butter (generally at least 70 percent) which gives the chocolate a thinner consistency. Couvertures are used primarily for chocolate coatings (e.g., hand dipped chocolates). The term ganache is used to describe the blended mixture of chocolate, cream, and butter that is used for the filling in molded candies and truffles. Ganache is often blended with other flavors such as liquors, fruits, and nuts.
Not All Chocolates Are Created Equal
In today’s global marketplace, the principal ingredient in many of the commercially mass-produced chocolates has very little to do with actual chocolate or cocoa. Often the first ingredients listed on the label of such products begin with sugar, vegetable oils, powdered milk and other additives, many of them artificial. In fact, the average cocoa content in these products is generally less than 20 percent by volume and can be as low as 7 percent. Unfortunately, such ingredients have contributed to chocolate's undeserved reputation as being fattening, tooth decaying and generally unhealthy.
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(Much of the information below was obtained from EurekAlert! (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-06/uoc--fdc052604.php)
There is a growing body of recent research that shows chocolate is packed with high-quality polyphenol antioxidants. These beneficial compounds are similar to those found in fruits, vegetables and red wine. Scientists have concluded that these compounds may reduce the risk for developing heart disease, as well as offer some anti-aging health benefits (Chocolate Manufacturers Association).
In recent years, numerous studies have been conducted where research has shown that true, dark, un-adulterated chocolate is actually good for us. In June of 2004, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) researchers published the results of a study that examined dark chocolate's effects on blood vessel function in healthy people. The team reported that small, daily doses of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate consumed over a two-week period improved blood vessels' ability to dilate, or expand. The research also found that a particular flavonoid thought to be beneficial for blood vessel function, epicatechin, was absorbed at high levels in the blood.
"This is the longest clinical trial to date to show improvement in blood vessel function from consuming flavonoid-rich dark chocolate daily over an extended period of time," said lead author Mary Engler, Ph.D. RN, professor of physiological nursing in the UCSF School of Nursing. "It is likely that the elevated blood levels of epicatechin triggered the release of active substances that vasodilate, or increase, blood flow in the artery. Better blood flow is good for your heart." The study appeared in the June 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
Flavonoids, a group of chemical compounds with antioxidant properties, are derived from a variety of plants. These chemicals have been shown to promote several beneficial effects in the cardiovascular system, including decreasing oxidation of LDL cholesterol (a harmful process that allows cholesterol to accumulate in blood vessels); inhibiting aggregation of blood platelets (which contributes to the risk of blood clots that produce stroke and heart attack); and decreasing the body's inflammatory immune responses (which contribute to atherosclerosis).
The UCSF study suggested that the beneficial effects of eating small doses of chocolate can be found in consuming chocolate with higher amounts of cocoa, (e.g., at least 70 percent cocoa content).
Additional information on research pertaining to the health benefits of chocolate can be found at the Chocolate Information Center (CIC) (http://www.chocolateinfo.com) as well as the Chocolate Manufacturers Association (CMA) (www.chocolateusa.org).
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