Chocolate is one of the most popular food items. It is liked by the young and old alike. It is by far the most commonly used flavor in the world today. People find it easier to sell their product when it has chocolate in it.
Chocolate has been known to mankind for close to three millennia. It is got from cacao. It is produced after processing the raw materials that are got from the seeds of a tropical tree named Theobroma Cacao. It was first found in Mexico and evidences date back to 1100 BC. The seeds of the Cacao tree are actually very bitter and only after the fermentation process one can expect to taste the sweet flavor of chocolate.
It has become so popular and is available in different sizes and shapes. It is not only available in the solid form but people consume it even as beverages. Hot chocolate is a very popular beverage made from chocolate. It has become one of the most popular gifts and as it comes in different shapes, it attracts more customers. Many people prefer to gift Santa shaped chocolates for Christmas or heart shaped chocolates for Valentine’s Day!
The word chocolate came into existence in the English language from Spanish. Nobody is sure of how it came into Spanish. It is available in different types. The most popular types are dark, white, semisweet, cacao powder, couverture, compound chocolate are just some of the many forms of this food item. The various types are produced by varying the ingredients or by changing the time and temperature while roasting the cacao beans.
It is not very easy to make chocolate at home. The companies that manufacture chocolate invest a lot of money in procuring the right kind of machinery. It takes a lot of expertise to convert the bitter tasting cacao beans into a delicious chocolate. However, if one has the interest, it is possible to make it at home.
The first step involves roasting the cacao beans. Roasting these beans is similar to roasting coffee beans just that this should be done under gentler conditions. One should roast the beans for a time period of 5 to 35 minutes at a temperature of about 120 to 160 degree centigrade. The temperature should be high at first and then gradually decrease.
The second step involves cracking and winnowing the beans. The cacao beans must be cracked into nibs and winnowed. This process will help remove the husks. The third step involves grinding the nibs into what is called the cacao liqueur. This needs equipment like a food processor. Next, one has to conch and refine the chocolate. Conching is the process that affects the characteristic taste, smell and texture while refining reduced the size of sugar and cacao.
Both these can be done at the same time using a wet grinder. Then one has to temper it. This will make it shiny and hard. Once this is done, one can mold it when it is still at around 90 degree centigrade. Then you can remove the mold and enjoy your chocolate!
This article was written by Caroline.
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