Chocolate

Chocolate is made from the fermented, roasted, and ground beans taken from the pod of the tropical cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, which is cultivated throughout tropical America and Africa. Each pod contains about 30-40 bitter beans, each the size of an almond, which are removed and left to ferment for up to a week to make them palatable. The beans are then roasted, graded and ground to form a rich liquid known as chocolate liquor - pure, unsweetened chocolate.

Chocolate liquor is made up of two components: cocoa solids (50 % to 58 %) and cocoa butter (42 % to 50 %). Cocoa solids provide the distinctive chocolaty flavour and dark colour, whist cocoa butter contains the fat which provides a smooth, creamy richness. The cocoa butter may be removed from the liquor by pressing, leaving behind a dry cake, which may then be ground into cocoa powder.

Types of Chocolate

Chocolate liquor may be blended with cocoa butter in varying quantities to make different types of chocolate. The higher the added cocoa butter content, the creamier the chocolate. Sugar may also be added in varying amounts, along with milk or milk powder to create a product that ranges from the darkest bitter chocolate to mild milk chocolate.

1. Unsweetened Chocolate

Pure chocolate liquor with nothing added. Unsweetened chocolate is seldom used for eating in a plain form as the flavour is too bitter tasting. However, it is often used in cooking.

2. Plain Chocolate

Plain chocolate is made using cocoa liquor with extra cocoa butter and sugar. It has a minimum of 40% cocoa solids and cocoa butter, and has a bitter flavour suitable for including in recipes and for eating on its own. The best quality brands may contain 70% cocoa solids and cocoa butter or more. This type of chocolate may also contain flavourings, such as vanilla, ginger, coffee or cinnamon.

3. Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate contains pure cocoa liquor with extra cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids. It has less cocoa solids and butter (up to 50%) than most varieties of plain chocolate, which means it has a less chocolaty flavour. Cheap brands may contain as little as 7% cocoa solids and butter. Milk chocolate is not particularly suitable for cooking but is good for using as decoration or for simply eating out of hand. Milk chocolate may often contain other flavourings and ingredients, such as hazelnuts, almonds, raisins, milt or orange.

4. White Chocolate

White chocolate is made with cocoa butter, milk solids and sugar, and contains no chocolate liquor at all. As it does not contain any cocoa solids it is not considered a 'true' chocolate, and does not have the distinctive chocolaty flavour found in real chocolate. White chocolate should contain at least 20% cocoa butter by weight, whilst high quality chocolates will contain at least 33%.

It is has a more cloying taste than true chocolate and its high sugar content means that it burns easily, making it unsuitable for many recipes.

Using Chocolate in Cooking

Chocolate is a very versatile and popular sweet ingredient that may be used in a wide range of recipes, from biscuits, éclairs and cakes to sauces, truffles and mousses. It has a special affinity with coffee, nuts, orange, mint and spirits such as whisky, rum and brandy. Melted chocolate may be used as a coating for nuts, cakes and fruit, or it may even be whisked into hot milk with sugar to create a rich and warming drink known as hot chocolate (not to be confused with hot cocoa or drinking chocolate).

Unsweetened chocolate may be used to flavour savoury dishes; for example, the Spanish make two types of casserole that are served in sauce containing chocolate, one with veal tongue and one with braised pigeon. Chocolate is also used in a Mexican national holiday dish - mole poblano de guajolote (turkey in Pueblan sauce).

Chocolate should be stored in a dry, cool cupboard away from direct sunlight. If stored in conditions that are too warm (in direct sunlight) it may develop a white coloured bloom on its surface. This is perfectly harmless and will not affect the taste of the chocolate. However if the chocolate is stored in a fridge, the damp conditions will also cause a bloom to appear; however, this type of bloom is made up of sugar crystals and may make the texture of the chocolate gritty and unsuitable for cooking.