CHOCOLATE

History

Classic Maya (250-900 A.D.)

In their sacred life, the Maya paid homage to their gods by burning cacao seeds as an offering (Ek Chuah- Mayan special god of cacao growers, merchants ). Sometimes blood , considered as the most sacred offering was dipped over cacao pods and placed on altars. In their secular life, Maya of all ranks had some access to cacao, but members of aristocrats drank their chocolate in style. Specially trained artists made lavishly decorated vessels for the nobility to use fro drinking.

Aztec (1250-1521)

In their sacred life, the Aztecs occasionally mixed achiote, a red powder made from the seed of annato tree in their chocolate drink, scholars believe that this practice may have had symbolic connection to rituals of human race. In their secular life, the Aztecs restricted the drinking of chocolate to elite classes of society, such as rulers , soldiers, and honored merchants. Cacao seeds were so valuable that the Aztecs actually used them as form of money, even conquered people paid their tribute with these seeds.

The Aztecs also believed that cacao seed came from the white-bearded god, Quetzalcoatl, who brought cacao to earth from paradise.The Aztecs also associated chocolate with Xochiquetzal, the godess of fertility.

In the new world, chocolate was consumed in a drink called xocoatl, often seasoned with vanilla, chilli and pimento. Xocoatl was believed to fight fatigue, a belief that is probably attribute to the theobromine (a very mild stimulant with a mild diuretic action) content. Chocolate was an important luxury good throughout Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and cacao beans were often used as money. Other chocolate drinks combined it with such edibles as maize gruel and honey.

Europeans (1600-1800)

In their sacred life Europeans during the 17th through 19th centuries interwinded chocolate in Christian traditions. Catholic church , after a long debate, declared that drinking chocolate during Lent season is not considered as breakfast because it is liquid , not a solid food. In their secular life, Europeans who drank chocolate were usually from the ruling or noble classes. In fact, in France cacao was a state of monopoly, available only to the aristocrats. For many years, only members of the most previlleged classes of society could afford this expensive luxury.

Christopher Columbus brought some cacao beans to show Ferdinand Isabella of Spain, but it remained for Hernando Sotto0 to introduce it to Europe more broadly.

The first recorded shipment of chocolate in the Old World for commercial purposes was in shipment from Vera Cruz to Seville in 1585. It was still served as a beverage but Europeans added sugar to counteract the natural bitterness and removed the chilli (from Aztec). By the 17th century it was a luxury item to European nobility.

In 1882, the Dutchman Conrad J. Van Houten patented a method for extracting fat from cocoa beans and making powdered cocoa and cocoa butter. He also developed the so-called Dutch Process (Alkalization) of treating chocolate with alkali to remove the bitter taste. This made it possible to from the modern chocolate bar. It is believed that Joseph Fry made the first chocolate for eating in 1847.

Daniel Peter , a Swiss candle maker joined his father-in-law’s chocolate business. In 1867 he began experimenting with milk as an ingredient and he brought his new product , milk chocolate, to market in 1857

Rudolph Lindt invented the process called ” conching” which involves heating and stirring chocolate ensuring the liquid is evenly blended.

CACAO VARIETIES

There are three varieties of cacao beans suitable for human consumption. The Criollo, the Forasteros and the Trinitario.

Criollo

Criollo

Means native in Spanish. This was the type of cacao originally discovered by Christopher Columbus on the island of Guanaja in 1502. Criollo is found throughout South America in areas where the climate is mild and the soil is rich. It is considered as the King of Cacao beans for its extreme aroma and low acidity level. It is also the most rare and expensive of all cacao beans.

Forasteros

Forasteros

Means foreigner in Spanish. Its area of origin is the Amazon highlands. Forasteros accounts for 80% of the world’s total cacao production. The forasteros trees are usually high and strong, but unfortunately the beans aroma is weakend the taste is usually bitter. The chocolate produce using this variety is dark-almost black and the taste is bitter and rather unpleasant.

Trinitario

Trinitario

Is a hybrid bean of criollo and forasteros. The trinitairo variety emerged after a natural disaster destroyed most of the criolloo trees on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Thirty years later, forasteros variety was imported to replace the damaged criollo trees in the island. The remaining criollo trees began to hybridize with new trees and soon new variety of trinitatio was born. Trinitario combines the taste qualities of criollo and the hardiness and high yields of forasteros. Today trinitarios is mostly grown in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South America and the Caribbean islands. About 10-15% of the world’s cacao production is trinitario.

PROCESS OF MAKING CHOCOLATE

The cacao is harvested throughout the year but its main seasons are November to January and May to July. Ripe pods are cut from tree, broken open and the beans removed. The harvesting is done by hand-cutting the cacao fruit down with sharp machetes. While harvesting it is essential to avoid damaging the tree because it will still produce new flowers and fruits. Cocoa trees grow in low lying areas under the shades of other trees. It takes up to five years for a new plant to produce fruits and may have a lifespan of 30 years unless severe weather or disease destroys it.

After the beans has been extracted the fermentation takes place , they are placed in fermentation boxes or between banana leaves and will stay there 5-6 days during which the sugar turns into alcohol. The pulp will become liquid and will drain out, the seed will germinate, soon to be killed by high temperature and increased acidity due to fermentation process.

 

The process involves:

Cleaning: ensuring that materials such as sticks and stones are removed

Winnowing: the shells are cracked open, beans isolated, collected and heated

Roasting: the beans are roasted at the temperature of 21°F for anything between 10 and 115 minutes, it is necessary fro the development of unique cacao aroma and flavor. It is a very critical procedure that must be closely monitored at all times. If the beans are roasted at low temperature and little time, the fruitiness of the cacao bean will be preserved. If the beans are poor quality higher temperature and longer time is required, though longer time of roasting will increase bitterness and less aromatic or perhaps if over-roasted the beans become useless.

Grinding: this process breaks down the cocoa butter on the beans and produces a smooth liquid (cocoa paste)

Blending: chocolate liquor is blended with butter in varying quantities to make different types of chocolate covertures. The basic blend of ingredients in order of the highest quantity first are as follows Plain dark chocolate: cocoa liquor, cocoa butter,

sugar and vanilla Milk chocolate: sugar, milk/ milk powder, cocoa

liquor, cocoa butter and vanilla White chocolate: sugar, milk/milk powder, cocoa

butter and vanilla

Fermentation: during this stage the cacao develops the brown color of typical cacao. After fermentation beans will have to be dried. The water content is about 60% will have to be lowered to 7% before bens can be traded and stored, drying is done by the sun. beans are spread out 2 inch thick layers and are dried for about 14 days. Industrial procedures use hot air from burned woods but give s unpleasant smoky flavor that cannot be removed during the rest of the process.

Tempering: since cocoa butter exhibits a polymorphous or unstable crystal formation, the mass must be cooled carefully to encourage the crystals to stabilize in the right order to produce desired properties of snappy bite, tender melt and good gloss in the finished product. This process is done by cooling the mass from about 47°c to about 27°c and rewarmed to about 37°c followed by cooling down to its solid state.

The chocolate then is ready for sale as coverture or as finished product thus resulting in mediocre taste and consistency.

MAJOR TYPES OF CHOCOLATE

Unsweetened or baking chocolate: is simply cooled and hardened version of chocolate liquor.

Bitter chocolate: contains more than 35% chocolate liquor

Semi-sweet chocolate: has 15% chocolate liquor, extra cocoa butter and sugar added

Milk chocolate: most popular and a widely eaten type of chocolate. Contains chocolate liquor with extra cocoa butter, sugar, milk and vanilla

Chocolate liquor: can pick up moisture and odor from other products, so keep cocoa in cool dry place and tightly covered.

White chocolate: primarily cocoa butter, sugar, milk and vanilla

Decorator’s chocolate or confectioner’s chocolate: is not really a chocolate, it is a chocolate flavored candy used for covering thins like strawberries. It was created for quick melting and quick hardening.

Coverture: is a special type of chocolate which contains between 33-38% cocoa butter usually used to cover truffles and candies.

Dark chocolate: is sweetened chocolate with high contents of cocoa solids and no or very little milk. It may contain up t o12 % milk solids. Dark chocolate can be sweet, semi-sweet, bitter-sweet or unsweetened.

CHOCOLATE COMPOSITION

Fat : contains approximately 50 % fats. It is primarily comprised of two saturated fatty acids, palmitic and stearic acids and one mono unsaturated fat oelic acid

Sugar: contains a lot of carbohydrate most of its starch is composed of soluble and insoluble fiber. Simple sugar in the cacao beans are very little it is just added in the making process

Theobromine: mild stimulant with mild deuretic action. (increases production of urine)

Antioxidants: cocoa beans contain polyphenols with antioxidant properties that are healthy and beneficial. This compounds area called flavonoids and include cathechins, epicathechins and procyanindins. They are found in the non-fat portions of the cocoa. The falvonoids reduce the bloods ability to clot and thus reduces the risk of stroke and heart attacks.

Caffeine: cocoa contains very low amount of caffeine, much lesser than those found in cofee, tea and cola

Essential minerals: cocoa beans is reach in minerals including magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese

Vitamins: A. B1, B2, B3, C and D are found in chocolate.

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