The Story of Chocolate

This phenomenon is the tempting, mouth-watering taste that turns stomachs on. This is one of the most popular ingredients in the world-chocolate.

What is it and how is it made?

Chocolate is a common ingredient in many kinds of sweets, such as chocolate bars, candy, ice cream, cookies, cakes, pies, chocolate mousse, and other desserts. This ingredient is made from the fermented, roasted, and ground beans taken from the pod of the tropical cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, which was native to Central America and Mexico, but is now cultivated throughout the world.

The Impact of Chocolate

Chocolate usually refers to bars made from the combination of cocoa, solids, fats, sugar, and other ingredients. It is often produced as small molded forms in the shape of squares, animals, people, or inanimate objects to celebrate festivals worldwide, such as eggs for Easter, Santa Claus for Christmas, and hearts for Valentine's Day. Chocolate can be made into drinks, such as hot chocolate, as originated by the Aztecs and Mayans.

Types of Chocolate

There are three different types of chocolate. Here are the three types:

1. Cocoa is the solids of the cacao bean.

2. Cocoa butter is the fat component.

3. Chocolate is the combination of the solids and the fat.

Now that we know what the three types of chocolates are, there are two main jobs for creating chocolate candy. These two are the chocolate makers and the chocolatiers. Chocolate makers produce couverture chocolate from harvested cacao beans. Chocolatiers take the finished couverture to make chocolate candies, such as bars, baked goods, etc.

Chocolate History and Modern-Day Use

The word, chocolate, originates from the Nahuathl language of the Aztec of Mexico. It comes from the Nahuathl word xocolatl, which is a combination of the words xocolli (butter) and atl (water); also represents the Mayan god of fertility. The earliest record of cacao use took place approximately 2,600 years ago. During this period, chocolate residue that was found in an ancient Mayan pot implied that the Mayans were drinking chocolate.

Approximately two-thirds of the world's cocoa is produced in western Africa. Like many food industry producers, individual cocoa farmers are at the mercy of world markets. Chocolate prices may vary from $945 to $5,672 per ton, in just a few years.

Chocolate Production

During harvesting, the beans are removed from the pod and left in pile or bins to ferment for three to seven days. The chocolate taste comes from the fermentation process.

To prevent mold growth, beans must be dried quickly-best to spread the beans out in the sun. Beans are roasted, graded, and ground. The residue product is cocoa powder, which is removed from the resulting chocolate liquor either by being pressed or by the Broma process.

With blending, the basic blends of ingredients for the various types of chocolate are:

Dark chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and sometimes vanilla.

Milk chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, milk or milk powder, and vanilla.

White chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, milk or milk powder, and vanilla.

Manufacturers develop their own blends based on dark, milk, and white chocolate, but various proportions of different elements are used.

Conching is the grinding process. It produces cocoa and sugar particles smaller than the tongue can detect, maybe the smooth feel in the mouth. High-quality chocolate is conched for 72 hours, lesser grades approximately four to six hours.

The final process is called tempering. Uncontrolled crystallization of cocoa butter generally results in crystals of various sizes, some or all large enough to be viewed with the naked eye. It caused the chocolate surface to appear spotted and matte and causes chocolate to crumble rather than snap when broken.

There are two classic ways to tempering chocolate. One is working the melted chocolate on a heat-absorbing surface until thickening indicates the presence of sufficient crystal seeds. The chocolate is gently warmed to working temperature. Another way is stirring solid chocolate into melted chocolate to inoculate the liquid chocolate with crystals.

Storing is very sensitive to temperature and humidity. The ideal storage temperature is between fifteen and seventeen degrees Celsius (59-63 degrees Fahrenheit) with a humidity of less than 50%. Chocolate should be stored away from other foods as it can absorb different aromas.

Potential Health Benefits and Risks

In addition to being an appetizer, chocolate also has beneficial effects. For example, dark chocolate is a rich source of the flavonoids epicatechin and gallic acid, which are thought to possess cardio protection. Cocoa possesses a pivotal antioxidant action, protecting LDL oxidation, perhaps more than other polyphenol antioxidant-rich foods and beverages.

There are also some reported risks associated with chocolate. According to some studies, there are indications that cocoa flavonoids may possess anticarcinogenic mechanisms, but more evidence is needed for this theory. The major concern that nutritionists have is that even though eating dark chocolate may favorably affect certain biomarkers or cardiovascular disease, the amount needed to have this effect would provide a large quantity of calories which, if unused, would promote weight gain.

Chocolate Addiction

Chocolate has a really good taste, sometimes so good that it is addicting. Believe it or not, there is such thing as chocolate addiction. The following are the ingredients that cause many of us to become addicted to chocolate:

Sugar: For example, chocolate bars, unlike cocoa, contain large amounts of sugar.

Theobromine: This is the primary alkaloid found in cocoa and chocolate and one of the causes for chocolate's mood-elevating effects.

Phenethylamine: Often described as a "love chemical." This is metabolized by the enzyme MAO-B, preventing significant concentrations from reaching the brain. This causes endorphin releases in the brain.

Caffeine: This stimulant is present mainly in coffee and tea. This exists in chocolate in very small amounts.

Chocolate consists of a number of raw and processed foods that originates from the seed of the tropical tree called the cacao. Many people may wonder how these little beans have this much impact on the world's food appetite and other benefits. Just thinking about the different types of chocolate, cooking processes, and its physiological effects is making one's mouth run water more than before the story of chocolate.

Sources:
http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/healthandfitness/a/chochealth.htm
http://nutra-smart.net/cocoa.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate