Chocolate Appreciation 101
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Transcript of Chocolate Appreciation 101
CHOCOLATE APPRECIATION 101
Heavenly Chocolates, 27th March 2010
Chocolate!
It’s addictive, delicious, tempting, and good for you. But do you have any idea how this treat came to be? Better yet: are you appreciating your chocolate properly?
Theobroma cacao
Chocolate is made from the beans of the cacao fruit.
Its scientific name means the food of the gods.
The Cacao Tree
Cocoa Pods at Harvest
Husking the Beans
Fermenting the Beans
Drying Out the Beans
Ready for Roasting!
The History of Chocolate
Above: The Mayan glyph for
kakaw or cocoa
Archaeologists discovered that cocoa beans have been used as both an important food source and a form of currency in South America as far back as 2,000 BC.
Among the Maya, 4 beans could buy you a rabbit for dinner, 100 would get you a slave, and 10 would get a man a wife!
The History of Chocolate
Cocoa beans were sacred to the Aztecs fertility goddess Xochiquetzal.
The Aztecs were aware of its aphrodisiac properties. Montezuma was said to have drunk 50 pitchers of xocolatl (“bitter water”) to appease his harem.
Xochiquetzal and a representation of a cacao tree in bloom
The History of Chocolate
In 1528, the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes brought chocolate to Spain where it gained popularity as a beverage.
In 1670, Pedro Bravo de los Camerinos begins the cultivation of cacao in the Philippines.
Cortes among the Aztecs
A Taste of Chocolate
Single-origin Ecuador
Flavor profile is bold with a rather sharp end note.
Flavor Profile for Ecuador
Cocoa
Fruity/Bouquet
Sweetness
Acidity
Bitterness
Others
Who Grows Cocoa?
Major Single-Origin Areas
Ivory Coast 38%Ghana 20%
Ecuador 3%
Peru 0.5%
Madagascar 0.1%
Bolivia
Mexico
Flavor Profile for Ivory Coast
Cocoa
Fruity/Bouquet
Sweetness
Acidity
Bitterness
Others
Flavor Profile for Ghana
Cocoa
Fruity/Bouquet
Sweetness
Acidity
Bitterness
Others
- Good base for chocolate, smooth and mellow.
Flavor Profile for Peru
Cocoa
Fruity/Bouquet
Sweetness
Acidity
Bitterness
Others
- Weak cocoa, but unique floral notes.
(floral)
Flavor Profile for Madagascar
Cocoa
Fruity/Bouquet
Sweetness
Acidity
Bitterness
Others
- Good balance, dried fruit (raisin) character.
(raisin)
Three Unique Varieties
Criollo – or chocolate porcelana is the rarest (5% of total production) and has the most delicate flavor.
Forastero – comprises the bulk of all chocolate produced and has the strongest “classic” chocolate flavor.
Trinitario – a hardy criollo/forastero hybrid, quite flavorful.
Milling the Beans - Traditionally
The Modern Way
Pre-refiner
Pre-refiner Outlet
Refining the Chocolate
Conching the Chocolate
In-line Sieves, 400 micron mesh
Chocolate Tempering Machines
Cooling Tunnel (chips, chunks, buttons, blocks)
The Forms of Chocolate
Cocoa Powder Cocoa Butter Couverture Bars for Eating Chips/buttons Drinking
Chocolate Confections Ganache Truffles
A Taste of Chocolate
Single-origin Mexico Robust yet pleasant The flavors are
reminiscent of old-fashioned chocolate de batirol / de tablea
On Ganache
In essence, ganache is an amalgam of chocolate melted in cream.
It was discovered by accident by a French patissier in 1850 when heated cream was poured into a bowl of chopped chocolate.
To Make Ganache
Pour le Fondue (For a Fondue) 200 grams chocolate + 250mL cream
Pour les Gateaux (To Frost Cakes) 250 grams chocolate + 250mL cream
Pour les Truffes / Truffettes (For Truffles) 300 grams chocolate + 250mL cream 3 tablespoons flavoring tincture (optional)
On Truffles
Truffles were created by the Dufour family in 1895 and were, simply, chilled ganache lumps rolled in bitter cocoa.
There are now three specific styles: the classic French, American (a ganache-filled chocolate shell), and Swiss (the ganache is compounded with butter and poured into molds).
A Taste of Chocolate: Nama
Nama is a truffle-style confection that became popular in Japan in the early 1980s.
Sachi Nama is HC’s house nama brand and is certainly a sophisticated confection.
DIY: Chocolate Truffles
Any questions, suggestions, or violent reactions?
THANK YOU!