1. What is the difference between milk and dark chocolate?
Milk chocolate contains milk products and dark chocolate does not. Dark chocolate has a higher cocoa content which produces a stronger chocolate flavor. Milk chocolate contains milk products which softens the chocolate flavor.
2. Why is some chocolate more expensive than others?
Like fine wines that derive their flavor from specific grapes, fine chocolate derives its flavors from specific cocoa beans and the roasting process. Whetstone Chocolates uses the freshest ingredients and the highest quality beans, roasted to specific standards and blended to produce the freshest and smoothest chocolate.
3. What is white chocolate?
White chocolate is a blend of cocoa butter, milk, sugar and flavor. There are no chocolate solids such as cocoa powder present which is why it lacks the brown color. Natural flavor is added to increase the intensity of the chocolate flavor.
4. What is the difference between chocolate and chocolate flavored.
The US standards for chocolate requires only cocoa butter, which is derived from the cocoa bean, be used in “real” chocolate. For example, real chocolate cannot contain vegetable, palm kernel, cottonseed or any other type of oil. Manufacturers may use a combination of cocoa butter and other oils in the manufacture of their chocolate but it must be labeled “chocolate flavored”.
5. Why would manufacturers substitute the oil?
The main reason is cost. Cocoa butter is the most expensive ingredient in chocolate. The higher the percentage of cocoa butter in the formulation, the more expensive the chocolate. A higher percentage of cocoa butter also translates into a better tasting product. The flavor of the chocolate will release faster on the tongue because the cocoa butter allows the chocolate to melt faster.
6. How do you get the liquid inside a cherry cordial?
There are two methods of producing a cordial cherry. The first method is by enrobing (similar to a chocolate waterfall) or coating the cherry with chocolate. In this process the cherries are rolled in a powdery sugar mixture. Then the cherries are covered in chocolate. After a few weeks, the sugar mixture that encapsulates the cherry converts to a liquid. When this happens, you have chocolate on the outside with a cherry surrounded by a liquid center. In the second method, a plastic mold is used and filled with chocolate. The mold is inverted to allow most of the chocolate to drain out. A “shell” or thin layer of chocolate sticks to the inside of the mold. A cherry is then dropped into the chocolate mold and the cream filling is added. A bottom layer of chocolate is added to the mold. Once cooled the chocolate pieces are released from the mold. Weeks later the cream filling converts to a liquid center.
7. How much caffeine is in chocolate?
Chocolate has very little caffeine in it. For example, one ounce of chocolate contains about 4.3 milligrams of caffeine, less than the amount found in a cup of decaffeinated coffee.
8. What is cocoa butter?
The fat that is naturally present in cacao beans that melts at body temperature and gives chocolates its unique mouth feel. The amount of cocoa butter in cacao beans is 50% to 60%.
9. What are nibs?
The meat of the cocoa bean. Once roasted the shell of the bean is removed leaving the center which is the cocoa nib.
10. What does 72% versus 60% versus 47% cocoa mean?
The percentages indicate the amount of cocoa powder that the chocolate contains by weight. A higher percentage of cocoa is also an indication that the product contains less sugar and thus less sweet and more bittersweet. Typically milk chocolate will contain less cocoa than dark chocolate. Health studies have indicated that the higher percentage of cocoa, the healthier the chocolate.
11. What is the difference between a truffle and a cream?
A truffle center is made with chocolate, cream, butter and flavoring. It is then covered with chocolate. A cream is fondant based and is made with sugar, cream, butter and flavoring. Likewise it is also covered with chocolate.
12. How should I store my chocolate?
Chocolate is best stored in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight and with a temperature between 55 and 70 degrees F. Many consumers prefer to keep their chocolate in the refrigerator. If that is your preference, then chocolate should be stored in a moisture proof container. Once taken out of the refrigerator allow it to come to room temperature before opening or unwrapping. Doing so before it is at room temperature will cause moisture to form and the product may become sticky and develop a whitish or gray look on the outside.
13. What causes chocolate to turn grayish or white?
There are two possibilities for this to happen. First, a temperature change may have occurred and cause a slight melting of the chocolate which allowed the crystalline structure of the cocoa butter to change. The technical term for this is “fat bloom”. Second, moisture may have attacked the chocolate and caused condensation to form on the surface of the chocolate. This is known as “sugar bloom”. This most often happens when chocolate is stored in a refrigerator or freezer and is taken out and opened without allowing it to reach room temperature slowly.
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We owe it all to Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god of air, light and life. Deploring the lack of variety in man’s food, he made his way to the land of the Sons of the Sun, where he stole the cacao tree for the Aztecs. It is from this tree that chocolate begins.
To truly understand chocolate, you must know that during nine-tenths of its long history, chocolate was drunk, not eaten.
Christopher Columbus first brought chocolate to Europe, except he didn't know what it was. Cocoa beans were presented to him by an Aztec chieftain in 1502. Columbus discovered the beans were used to make a strong native beverage and as a medium of monetary exchange by the Aztecs. Since Columbus didn't know what to do with the beans, chocolate remained a Central American specialty until the time of Cortez.
In 1519, Cortez and his 600 soldiers undertook the conquest of Mexico. To his amazement he was welcomed by the Aztec emperor and his subjects, who believed Cortez to be the reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl. It didn't take long to show the Aztecs they had made a mistake. But not before the emperor had heaped riches upon the Spanish in the form of cacao-tree plantations.
During the time of Cortez the beans of the cacao tree were still used for currency by the Aztecs. One hundred beans could buy a slave and twelve a rabbit. Cortez exchanged his beans for gold, to which the natives were indifferent. And because there was not any Spanish wine available, Cortez' men learned to drink the local beverage made from cacao or cocoa.
That beverage, favored by the Indians, was far removed from today’s chocolate. It was flavored with pepper, pimento and other spices. The Spaniards reduced the proportion of the spices, added some flour and sweetened the drink with honey. As sugar cane began to be cultivated it was combined with cocoa to make the delicious beverage close to what we now know as chocolate. Further experimentation added aromatic spices, vanilla, musk or ambergris to the mix. Hot or cold, the use of chocolate continued to increase. Around 1527 the first few small shipments of chocolate found their way to Spain. By the end of the 16th century regular cargoes were shipped.
In Spain chocolate became popular — so much so that the government taxed it heavily, keeping chocolate a beverage of the privileged classes. Over time, chocolate spread to France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and England.
It was not until about 1755 that chocolate made its way to North America, at that time still a British colony. Americans have since caught up and are now among the world's largest consumers of chocolate.
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The Real Meaning Of Chocolate
The botanical name of the chocolate plant is Theobramba cacao, which means “Foods of the Gods”.
Give Chocolate To Your Boss
“Giri Choco” is a Japanese custom which means “duty chocolate”. It calls for employees to give chocolates to their bosses as a token of loyalty.
Who Craves Chocolate More?
A recent study indicates when men crave food, they tend to crave fat and salt products. When women crave food, they tend to desire chocolate.
The Love Affair With Chocolate
Chocolate was considered an aphrodisiac by the Aztec Indians, and as such, was forbidden to women. Today, some postulate that chocolate triggers a brain chemical that produces the same reaction brought on by a passionate love affair. Perhaps that is why, when a love affair turns sour, many a spurned lover goes on a chocolate binge.
The King and Queen Miss the Boat
On the fourth visit of Christopher Columbus to the Americas, he came across cocoa beans, which he presented to the Spanish court. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, however, dismissed chocolate as a bizarre tribal concoction. Boy, did they miss the boat!
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