Posts Tagged Gourmet Chocolate
White Chocolate – Is it Really Chocolate
White chocolate falls into the classification of “chocolate” only because of its cocoa butter content. Surprisingly, it is not considered “real chocolate” because it does not contain any chocolate liquor. It is made of sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids, sugar lecithin, and flavorings such as vanilla. It is often called confectionery or summer coating because according to the Food and Drug Administration of the United States, products labeled as chocolates should contain cocoa solids from chocolate liquor.
Chocolate liquor is the result of fermenting, drying, roasting, and grinding cocoa beans. Those that are considered to be “real chocolates” are dark chocolates and milk chocolates which contain considerable amounts of cocoa solids and chocolate liquor. However, this creamy version is still popular with people who have a preference for this sweet product. Several big names in the chocolate industry also have their own line of this form of gourmet chocolate, including Hershey’s, Cadbury, Ghirardelli, Godiva, and Nestlé, among many others.
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Gourmet Chocolate – What Makes it so Special
Gourmet chocolate has become a popular food item for special occasions, gifts, and occasional treats. But what is it that makes gourmet chocolate so special? There are 3 main factors that set it apart from regular chocolate. These factors are production process, ingredients, and packaging.
Many of the gourmet chocolate products are individually made by chocolatiers, the name given to professional chocolate makers, instead of being mass produced by equipment. While individual production takes more time, the quality of the final product is worth it. The high priority given to making each gourmet chocolate product a piece of perfection and the strenuous quality assurance process sets it miles apart from the run of the mill mechanically massed produced chocolate products.
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Cocoa Bean to Chocolate – Where Did it All Begin?
Cacao, “kakaw” in Mayan and “cacahuatl” in Nahuatl, is the cocoa plant from which we get the raw materials in making chocolates and other cocoa products. It is native to the deep tropical regions of America. The cacao tree originated in the Amazon and was distributed by travelers and traders throughout Central America and Mesoamerica according to studies made into the origin of the Theobroma cacao. Cacao and its cocoa beans were highly prized during this time because the beans were used as money and were processed to create drinks for medicinal and ritual purposes. The stimulating effect of cocoa was an important factor to promote health and to cure sickness.
The Mayans were the first known cultivators of cacao plantations in the lowlands of south Yucatan as far back as 600 AD. Cacao trees were already being grown by the Aztecs of Mexico and the Incas of Peru even before the Europeans discovered Central America. According to Mayan belief, cacao was discovered by the gods in a mountain and Maya mythology tells of the Plumed Serpent which gave the cacao to the Mayans when humans were created by Xmucane, their divine grandmother goddess.
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