All chocolate is made from the cacao bean. The beans are harvested from the large fruit pods of a tropical evergreen called Theobrana Cacao, a tree which typically only grows within 20º, north and south, of the equator. The tree originates from Venezuela but today is grown on cacao plantations around the world.
Once the beans are harvested they normally undergo a fermentation process, then are either sun-dried or dried out in commercial drying plants. The total process can take up to 26 days.
Once the beans are shipped to a chocolate factory they are first cleaned, then graded according to quality. Undesired beans are thrown away. The next step in the process is the roasting, which enriches the color, and develops the aroma and flavor. Roasting the beans is the trickiest and perhaps the most crucial part of processing. The intent is to dry out both the 'husk', or outer shell, and the 'nib', the edible interior section, of the beans. The temperature and length of time of the roasting varies according to the type of beans. The roasted beans are then sent through a 'winnowing' machine where the husks and nibs are separated.
After the separation process, the nibs from different types of cacao beans are carefully blended together by a highly skilled 'chocolatier'. This is a very similar to what a winemaker does when blending various grapes to create a certain wine. Each chocolatier blends two or more different types of beans, ranging from mild to strong, in order to create a desired chocolate flavor. These formulas or blends, are carefully guarded secrets.
Once the nibs are blended, they are ground into tiny particles usually around 0.001 inch. This finished powdery substance is generally referred to as a 'liquor' or 'cocoa mass'. What happens next depends on whether the cocoa is to be made into 'eating chocolate' or cocoa powder.
For eating chocolate, manufacturers blend the cocoa mass with cocoa butter (or sometimes vegetable fats) pulverized sugar, and vanilla extracts. The resulting paste is then ground through a series of rollers and then conched. Conching is a process where the chocolate is agitated in liquid form to develop and mellow the flavor and texture of the finished product.
It is important to note that some mass producers either skip the conching process altogether, or do so for only four to twelve hours. Makers of fine chocolates will run their chocolate through the conching process for up to seven days.
After conching, the chocolate is heat tempered, then molded into whatever shapes the manufacturer desires (bars, eggs, coins, etc.), then packaged and shipped. The next stage is usually where you, the consumer, will purchase and eat the chocolate.
The preceding is a very basic description of the process by which chocolate is made. Many manufacturers of quality chocolates have developed intricate processing techniques which are not mentioned here. If you wish to learn more visit your local bookstore, library, or run a search on the web. You may be surprised at how varied the chocolate making process is.
"The origin of the solid, sensuous and, to some, addictive substance we know as chocolate are rooted in New World prehistory in the mysterious realm of the Olmec and the Maya. It was these ancient Mesoamerican civilizations living in the heart of equatorial Central America who were responsible for cultivating the tree from which chocolate is derived."
The Olmec
"Three thousand years ago the Olmec people, one of the earliest Mesoamerican civilizations, occupied an area of tropical forests south of Vera Cruz on the Gulf of Mexico. Modern linguists have managed to reconstruct the ancient Olmec vocabulary and have found that it includes the word cacao. Given the cacao tree's requirement for hot, humid and shady conditions, such as the land of the Olmecs, many historians are certain that the first civilization to cultivate the tree was the Olmec not the Aztec as is commonly believed."
The Maya
"Around the fourth century AD, several centuries after the demise of the Olmec, the Maya had established themselves in a large region just south of present day Mexico, stretching from the Yucatan peninsula across to the Chiapas and the pacific coast of Guatemala. The humid climate there was perfect for the cacao tree, and it flourished happily there in the shade of the tropical forest.
The Maya called the tree 'cacahuaquchtl'-"tree;" as far as they were concerned, there was no other tree worth naming. They believed that the tree belonged to the gods and that the pods growing from its trunk were an offering from the gods to man.
The Maya were the originators of a bitter brew made from cacao beans. This was a luxury drink enjoyed by kings and nobleman, and also used to solemnize sacred rituals. In their books the Maya describe several ways of making and flavoring the brew. It could be anything from porridge thickened with maize meal, to a thinner concoction for drinking. An early picture (drawing) shows a dark brown liquid being poured from one vessel to another to produce an all-important froth. Various spices were used as flavorings, the favorite being hot chili.
More evidence of Maya use of cacao survives on the many painted vessels that have been unearthed from their burial grounds. A tomb excavated in Guatemala in 1984 contained several vessels obviously used for chocolate drinking. One exotic and beautiful specimen bears the Mayan symbol for chocolate on its lid and was found still to contain residues of the drink."
The Toltecs and Aztecs
"After the mysterious fall of the Mayan empire around AD 900, the gifted and supremely civilized Toltecs, later followed by the Aztecs from Mexico, settled in former Mayan territory. Quetzalcoatl, the Toltec king, was also believed to be the god of air, whose mission was to bring the seeds of the cacao tree from Eden to man and teach mortals how to cultivate various crops.
Because of political uprisings, Quetzalcoatl and his followers and fled south to the Yucatan. During a period of ill health he was persuaded to drink a mysterious cure, which, in fact, drove him insane. Convinced he must leave his kingdom, Quetzalcoatl sailed away on a small raft, promising to return in a preordained year to reclaim his kingdom. The legend of his exile became part of Aztec mythology, and astrologers predicted that in 1519 a white-faced king would return to release his people. This belief was to influence the whole future of the New World."
The Spanish Adventurers
"When Hernan Cortes arrived in the New World seventeen years later (after Columbus), Montezuma, the then Aztec Emperor, believed Cortes to be a reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl, the exiled Toltec god-king whose return had been predicted to take place in the same year. The confusion made it easy for Cortes to gain access to Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, where Montezuma received him and his men with a royal welcome. The emperor offered them numerous gifts, including a cacao plantation, and an extravagant banquet was prepared in their honor.
Despite the overwhelming welcome, Montezuma eventually realized that he had made a mistake and had wrongly identified the Spaniard. Immediately recognizing the insecurity of his position, Cortes enlisted the help of sympathetic natives and managed to take Montezuma prisoner. Within the space of two or three years he brought about the downfall of the Aztec kingdom. Unlike Columbus, Cortes quickly realized the economic value of the cacao bean, both as food and a form of currency. A contemporary of Cortes reported that a slave could be bought for one hundred cacao beans, the services of a prostitute for ten, and a rabbit for four. The Jesuit, Pedro Martyre de Angleria, called the beans "pecuniary almonds" and described them as "blessed money, which exempts its possessors from avarice, since it cannot be hoarded or hidden underground." It is presumed that he was referring to the fact that the beans could not be stored for long without rotting."
The Cacao Plantations
"When Cortes set out on his voyage to the New World, his primary goal was to find El Dorado - Aztec Gold. When he failed to unearth the dreamed-of riches, his attention turned to cacao beans. Having seen them used as currency, and noticing the importance attached to them, Cortes soon realized that money could literally be made to grow on trees. He devoted the next few years to exploiting the commercial potential of this "liquid gold" by setting up cacao plantations around the Caribbean.
Cacao was cheap to cultivate and reasonably profitable, and the prospect of easy riches attracted plenty of Spanish colonists. Before long, the Spanish had established plantations in Mexico, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, and the islands of Jamaica and Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Cacao production has since spread all over the world, but the plantations in these original regions still produce the most highly prized varieties of bean."
~
The preceding is from:
- The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Chocolate
SMITHMARK Publishing Inc.
It is difficult to accurately state with any certainty the nutritional benefits of chocolate if the level of cacao solids or brand of chocolate is not known. As a general rule, that mass marketed chocolate bar you buy from your local supermarket will have considerably less nutritional value as compared to a high quality bar that you are likely to find at a specialty shop.
Typically, but not always, premium chocolate contains the following per 100 grams; first, all chocolate contains protein and calcium, necessary building blocks for the human body. However, the presence of milk in milk chocolate bars nearly doubles the levels of proteins, and has more than five times the levels of calcium as found in dark chocolate, where there is no milk. However, quality dark chocolate contains double the Magnesium (100mg) and Iron (2.4mg) than milk chocolate. Most quality chocolates contain small but notable amounts of Carotene, Thiamin, and Riboflavin. On the 'not so good' side most chocolate contains a lot of calories and carbs.
Chocolate also contains a few natural stimulants. One is theobromine, which acts as a mild diuretic in the kidneys. Chocolate is by itself a natural stimulant for the central nervous system, acting much like caffeine, which is also present. However, the amount of caffeine in an average bar is much less than the amount of theobromine, and is roughly one quarter the amount you would find in a cup of coffee.
"Humidity and heat are chocolate's greatest enemies; both can cause a 'bloom' to appear on the surface. Heat-induced bloom is the result of cacao butter crystals recrystallizing. The flavor is unaffected but the appearance is ruined.
Humidity induced bloom is more damaging. It is a result of sugar crystals being drawn to the surface, where they dissolve in the moist atmosphere and eventually recrystallize to form an unpleasant gray coating. Once the texture and taste of chocolate deteriorate, it is best to discard it.
The ideal temperature for storage is 50 - 60º F, slightly warmer than the refrigerator, and the humidity should be 60 - 70 %. Chocolate also absorbs surrounding odors easily and should be kept in an airtight container."
The preceding is from:
- The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Chocolate
SMITHMARK Publishing Inc.