The most frequently and widely craved food is chocolate. Chocolate has been in use for a long time as evidenced by remains of vessels with remnants of chocolate drinks dating around 1100 BC found in the lower Ulua Valley in northern Honduras. Xocolatl, which means "bitter water", is the name of a drink made from cocoa and known to the Aztecs and Mayans and chocolate is associated with the Mayan god of fertility.
Chocolate contains many nutrients including fats, sugar, carbohydrates, proteins, phosphorus, and is a rich source of magnesium. Like wine and beer, you have to develop an appreciation for the richness of chocolate to appreciate the subtleties in the origin of the fruit or grain it is made from. Chocolate is a symbol of innocence and sweetness and is often used to enhance moods. Chocolate, although not an aphrodisiac, contains phenylethylamine (PEA), a natural substance that is reputed to stimulate the same reaction in the body as falling in love. Chocolate has a lot of fat but is still supposed to be heart healthy. It contains theobromine and is therefore a mild stimulant to humans.
Chocolate is the product of a long, complicated refining process starting with the cream-colored bitter beans that grow in pods of the tree Theobroma cacao which contain a family of compounds known as methylxanthines. The seeds are in the Cacao pod that grows year round on trees from Central and South America. Each pod holds 30 to 40 Cacao seeds and it takes 20 to 25 pods (each with 30-40 seeds) to get 2 pounds of cocoa. The average adult trees produce 300 to 1,000 pounds per year per acre of cocoa for about 50 years. After roasting and grinding the product, what we know as cocoa, is combined with the fats such as cocoa butter (natural vegetable fat from the cacao bean) and some sugar to get chocolate.
Chocolate is best kept at around 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit, the normal temperature of a pantry or dark cabinet, as it is very sensitive to temperature and humidity. The Cacao seed has a bitter natural taste and must be fermented to develop the flavor. Chocolate is a special mixture of cocoa butter and the cocoa solid at a specific temperature, and it is cooled down in a special way. When chocolate is between 84deg F and 88deg F (29 deg and 31deg C) it is tempered. Good chocolate is made by forming most of the type V crystals. In general the chocolate is first heated to 113 F (45 C) to melt all six forms of crystals. Then the chocolate is cooled to about 80 F (27 C), which will allow crystal types IV and V to form (VI takes too long to form).
Once at this temperature, the chocolate is agitated. The agitation results in many small crystal "seeds" which serve as nuclei for crystals to form in the chocolate. The highest quality chocolate is conched for approximately 72 hours, but lesser grade chocolate is conched for only about four to six hours. The conche is an agitator that evenly distributes the cocoa butter in the chocolate while acting as a 'polisher' of the particles. This process results in flavor development through frictional heat which releases the volatiles.
The chocolate is then heated to about 31 C (88 F) to eliminate any type IV crystals, leaving just the type V. The classic way of manually tempering chocolate is working the molten chocolate on a heat-absorbing surface, such as a stone slab, until thickening indicates the presence of sufficient crystal "seeds". The chocolate is then gently warmed to working temperature.
Fancy chocolate candies have been the inspiration of artists that make wonderful yummy looking creative chocolate candies that are not for eating since they are made of either polymer clay, glass or textile mixed media.
Chocolate contains many nutrients including fats, sugar, carbohydrates, proteins, phosphorus, and is a rich source of magnesium. Like wine and beer, you have to develop an appreciation for the richness of chocolate to appreciate the subtleties in the origin of the fruit or grain it is made from. Chocolate is a symbol of innocence and sweetness and is often used to enhance moods. Chocolate, although not an aphrodisiac, contains phenylethylamine (PEA), a natural substance that is reputed to stimulate the same reaction in the body as falling in love. Chocolate has a lot of fat but is still supposed to be heart healthy. It contains theobromine and is therefore a mild stimulant to humans.
Chocolate is the product of a long, complicated refining process starting with the cream-colored bitter beans that grow in pods of the tree Theobroma cacao which contain a family of compounds known as methylxanthines. The seeds are in the Cacao pod that grows year round on trees from Central and South America. Each pod holds 30 to 40 Cacao seeds and it takes 20 to 25 pods (each with 30-40 seeds) to get 2 pounds of cocoa. The average adult trees produce 300 to 1,000 pounds per year per acre of cocoa for about 50 years. After roasting and grinding the product, what we know as cocoa, is combined with the fats such as cocoa butter (natural vegetable fat from the cacao bean) and some sugar to get chocolate.
Chocolate is best kept at around 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit, the normal temperature of a pantry or dark cabinet, as it is very sensitive to temperature and humidity. The Cacao seed has a bitter natural taste and must be fermented to develop the flavor. Chocolate is a special mixture of cocoa butter and the cocoa solid at a specific temperature, and it is cooled down in a special way. When chocolate is between 84deg F and 88deg F (29 deg and 31deg C) it is tempered. Good chocolate is made by forming most of the type V crystals. In general the chocolate is first heated to 113 F (45 C) to melt all six forms of crystals. Then the chocolate is cooled to about 80 F (27 C), which will allow crystal types IV and V to form (VI takes too long to form).
Once at this temperature, the chocolate is agitated. The agitation results in many small crystal "seeds" which serve as nuclei for crystals to form in the chocolate. The highest quality chocolate is conched for approximately 72 hours, but lesser grade chocolate is conched for only about four to six hours. The conche is an agitator that evenly distributes the cocoa butter in the chocolate while acting as a 'polisher' of the particles. This process results in flavor development through frictional heat which releases the volatiles.
The chocolate is then heated to about 31 C (88 F) to eliminate any type IV crystals, leaving just the type V. The classic way of manually tempering chocolate is working the molten chocolate on a heat-absorbing surface, such as a stone slab, until thickening indicates the presence of sufficient crystal "seeds". The chocolate is then gently warmed to working temperature.
Fancy chocolate candies have been the inspiration of artists that make wonderful yummy looking creative chocolate candies that are not for eating since they are made of either polymer clay, glass or textile mixed media.
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