Gourmet Articles

Chocolate is the most widely and frequently craved food. The earliest documented use of chocolate drinks was found in remains of pottery from the lower Ulua Valley in northern Honduras dating around 1100 BC. The Maya and Aztecs made a beverage known as xocolatl which means "bitter water". Chocolate is also 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.

A long, complicated refining process is required to make Chocolate. The process starts with the bitter cream-colored seeds that grow in pods of the tree Theobroma cacao. The seeds contain a family of compounds known as methylxanthines. The seeds come from the Cacao pod that grows year round on trees from South and Central America. Each pod holds 30 to 40 Cacao seeds and it takes 20 to 25 pods to get 2 pounds of cocoa. Average adult trees produce 300 to 1,000 pounds per year per acre of cocoa for about 50 years. Fats such as cocoa butter (natural vegetable fat from the cacao bean) and some sugar are combined with cocoa (which results from roasting and grinding the product) 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).

At this temperature, the chocolate is agitated to create many small crystal "seeds" which will serve as nuclei to create small crystals in the chocolate. High-quality chocolate is conched for about 72 hours, lesser grades about four to six hours. A conche is an agitator that evenly distributes cocoa butter within the chocolate, and may act as a 'polisher' of the particles. It also promotes flavor development through frictional heat and release of volatiles.

At this point the chocolate is heated to about 88 F (31 C) which eliminates any type IV crystals, leaving just 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"; then gently warming it 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.