Encyclopaedia and dictionary

Encyclopaedia and dictionary
The basics The cocoa pod	All chocolate products are based upon the cocoa bean in varying amounts and forms. Once removed from the outer pod, cocoa beans are left to ferment, they are then left to dry and finally roasted to obtain the maximum flavour. The temperature, time and degree of moisture involved in roasting depends on the type of beans used and the sort of chocolate required. A winnowing machine is used to remove the outside shell of the bean leaving the kernel or nib. The nibs are then ground or milled into a thick paste. This paste is called chocolate liquor - a much used term in the chocolate industry. The cocoa or chocolate liquor is then pressed to extract the cocoa butter leaving a solid mass called Cocoa presscake. The amount of butter extracted from the liquor determines the different proportions of fat in order to produce the the desired product or qulaity of product. The chocolate liquor is then passed through rollers which removes the fat or cocoa butter to leave a dry powdery mass. This powdery mass is then ground into form: cocoa powder. The story of modern-day chocolate begins from this point.
Following is (far-from-complete) encyclopedia and dictionary set of terms that the confirmed choco-holic may find interesting to trot-out at wedding receptions, parties, corporate functions or when ever there is a slight lull in the conversation! At Passion for Chocolate, Chris and I are confirmed chocoholics. We love just about everything about chocolate. If you have any snippets, fact or fiction - send it to us and we'll enter it here. We prefer fact rather than fiction!

Bakers' Chocolate	This is couverture chocolate with vegetable fat added so it does not need tempering. It lacks the rich chocolate flavour of couverture and does not give the same crisp glossy finish.

Bitter Chocolate	Also known as Plain Chocolate, it contains a minimum of 34% cocoa solids and generally 50%. For avid Plain chocolate lovers, there are a number of 'bitter' versions. The more bitter the chocolate, the more the bean has been roasted and less sugar added. see Plain Chocolate - Classifications

Chocolate	The exact origin of the word is not known. However, it may have come from the Maya verb CHOKOLA'J meaning 'to drink chocolate together'. Some academics believe it derived from the Yucatec word 'CHOCOLl HAA' meaning 'hot drink'.

Criollo	A cocobean. This bean accounts for approximately five percent of the world's cocobean production. It is classed as possibly the world's finest bean. It has a distinctive, aromatic and lingeriung flavour. As the bean is difficult to grow and suscentible to many diseases; it is expensive.

Cocoa	In the industry, Cocoa is the preferred term in the UK for the tree: Theobroma cacao and the bean found within the fruit, the cocoa pod.

Cocoa Butter	The naturally-occuring fat found in cocoa beans that has been extracted from the cocoa mass.

Cocoa Liquor	see Cocoa Mass

Cocoa Mass	The main ingredient of chocolate. Cocoa mass is the end product of grinding roasted cocoa nibs into a thick paste. Other terms for Cocoa Mass are Cocoa Solid and Cocoa Liquor.

Cocoa Solid	see Cocoa Mass

Conching	A process which breaks down the various particles making up chocolate by gentle heating and agitating the paste. Invented by Rudolph Lindt in 1879.

Couverture	A richly flavoured chocolate that contains no fat other than natural cocoa butter. This gives the chocolate a smooth and rich texture. It is considered to be the finest form of chocolate, as a result it is more expensive than other forms of chocolate and is largely restricted to professional use. Couverture usually has a minimum of 32% cacao solids.

Cocoa Powder	Cocoa powder is the result of the chocolate liquor being passed through rollers which removes the fat or cocoa butter, this leaves a dry powdery mass. The powdery mass is then ground to create cocoa powder.

Enrobing	Process of coating confectionery centers/chocolates. This is achieved by the chocolate passing through a 'waterfall' of molten chocolate. Fresh fruit, pastries and confectionery, for example are enrobed by chocolate fountains.

Forestero	A cocoa bean. Thought to have originated from the Amazon basin. It accounts for approximately 80% of the world's cocobean production. It is much hardier and more prolific than the Criolla bean.

Ganache	A soft mixture of chocolate and cream and /or butter and flavourings. Used as a filling for chocolates or most commonly, truffles.

Houten, van	Coenraad Johannes van Houten a Dutchman, patented a method of pressing most of the fat out of the cocoa mass in 1828 making possible the production of cocoa butter and cocoa powder. From this discovery, the availability of cocoa butter led to the making of chocolate as we know it today.

Leading Producer	Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is by far the world's leading producer of cocoa beans with well over one-third (approximately 37.5% during the period 1994-1996) of the world's cocoa being produced. The second leading country is Ghana, responsible for about 13% of world production.

Lecithin	A natural emulsifier made from soya. It is used to stabilize the fats in chocolate and improve the overall texture.

Diabetic Chocolate	This choclate is made in a similar way to plain and milk chocolate, but is sweetened with sorbitol or fructose rather than sugar. Contrary to popular belief, it is not lower in calories than other chocolate!

Milk Chocolate	Originally created in 1875 by the addition of condensed milk to the chocolate liquor. It contains less chocolate liquor than plain chcolate. It consists of; sugar, milk solids and vanillin, as well as cocoa solids.

Montezuma, Aztec king (circa 1480 to 1520)	He has been attributed in saying of chocolate: "The divine drink, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food.”

Nib	The dried and roasted kernel of the cocoa bean that remains after the cocoa bean husk has been removed.

Organic Chocolate	A really dark bitter chocolate made from 70% organic cocoa solids, brown cane sugar, vanilla and soya lecithin.

Plain Chocolate	see Bitter chocolate

Plain Chocolate - Classifications	BRUT This chocolate does not contain sugar usually intended for cooking. Contains cocoa solid content in excess of 85% - Not at all palatable. AMER Chocolate with a cocoa content of 50% to 85 %. BITTER-SWEET Must have at least 35% cocoa content. SEMI-SWEET More sweet than the bittersweet type, a commonly used chocolate for baking, for example chocolate chip cookies. SWEET In general, very sweet. Ideal for those that want something very sweet, but it does mask the flavour of chocolate!

Sugar	An important and vital ingredient in chocolate! Most people will classify a chocolate by either 'sweetness' or 'bitterness'. Personal taste has a big bearing on whether one likes or dislikes a particular chocolate

Tempering	The main purpose of tempering is to make melted chocolate easier to use, especially for coating other products as well as to produce a superb, glossy finish. Tempering involves: melting the chocolate then working it to almost the point of setting then reheated to the ideal temperature.

Theobroma cacao	The botanical name for the cocoa tree. The name was given to it by Linnaeus in 1753.

Trinitario	A Cocoa bean. Said to have originated from the Caribbean island of Trinidad after the "blast" of 1727 (either an endemic disease or hurricane) that killed most of the criollo cocoa trees. The Trinitario accounts for approximately 10-15% of the world's cocobean production.

White Chocolate	Depending on whom you talk with, Not a true chocolate as it does not contain chocolate liquor. It is made from cocoa butter, milk and sugar.