What is Chocolate and How Is Chocolate Made?
Considered by many to be the food of the gods, chocolate is a near-universally enjoyed confection worldwide that has inspired music, poems, art, and fine eating. It’s popular among both genders, people of all ages and races, and even touted by nutritionists and health professionals for its inherent physical benefits. But do we really know what chocolate is, where it comes from, and how it’s made? Let’s find out.
History of chocolate
Thousands of years ago, inhabitants of what is now Brazil discovered cacao trees in the forests of the Amazon. The cacao trees are native to Mexico, Central, and South America (although they are now cultivated around the world).The earliest recorded enjoyment of a chocolate morsel was before the Olmec, which dates back between 1200 BCE and 400 BCE. Just recently , archaeologists found evidence that there may have been cultivation of the cacao tree as far back as 1100 BC.
We know for sure that the Mayans grew cacao trees and used the seeds for making bitter beverages such as xocoatl which was believed to fight fatigue. It was used in ceremonial services as well as an ancient currency.
It wasn’t until the 16th century that chocolate was introduced to Europeans when the Spanish began to import it after their conquest of the Aztecs. At first, only royalty and the well-connected were able to afford this expensive luxury, but eventually cacao was planted on plantations in Africa and other parts of the world which allowed them to lower the price over time.
Since then, the popularity of chocolate has increased. And with the Industrial Revolution, making chocolate became much more economical. Today, chocolate is an accessible food for most people in the world since it is widely available and relatively inexpensive.
What is chocolate?
The makings of chocolate have remained relatively unchanged over the history of this food. The main ingredients include cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. The lower the cocoa solid content the lower the quality of chocolate. Likewise, if other vegetable fats are substituted for cocoa fat, the quality of the finished product degrades. But where do cocoa solids and cocoa butter come from?
Growing and harvesting cacao beans
As we mentioned, cacao trees are grown in South and Central America as well as Mexico and Africa—anywhere that’s 20 degrees on either side of the equator where temperatures and rainfall are in the right proportions. Cacao trees require temperatures between 69 degrees F and 90 degrees F and an annual rainfall around 80 inches of rain. Today, most of the world’s cacao comes from Western Africa.
Cacao trees are relatively small and grow in nature in the understory of forests (although they can be grown in plantations, which is much less environmentally-friendly). Cacao trees produce a melon-like fruit called a cacao pod. Each of these pods contains between 20-40 seeds or cocoa beans. There are generally three types of cacao plants most commonly cultivated: forastero (the most popular), trinitario, and criollo (which is the most rare and expensive).
Processing cacao pods
When it comes time to harvest the cacao pods, farmers will first check to ensure the pods are ripe. This ensures the highest cocoa butter content and sufficient natural sugars for fermentation. When ready, farmers will knock pods down using a stick or cut the pods from the tree using a machete. From there, the pods are processed by separating the pulp from the beans.
Once the beans have been isolated, they are put into bins or piles where they are left to ferment for about one week in order achieve that familiar chocolate flavor. During this time, the beans will darken in color and become richer in flavor. Finally, the beans are dried by laying them in the sun (weather permitting) for 5 to 7 days. The finished cocoa nibs are transported to a manufacturing facility where they are turned into familiar chocolate products.
How is chocolate made?
We’ve now walked through how cacao is grown and processed, but we’re still far from achieving a finished chocolate product. Discovering how chocolate is made is the next step in this delicious journey.
Chocolate liquor
Once cleaned of twigs and stones, the beans are roasted at temperatures around 300 degrees F, then graded, and finally put through a winnower to shell the beans and expose the cacao nib. These nibs are then ground up and liquefied, producing chocolate liquor (which is a misnomer since there is no alcohol in chocolate liquor). From there, the liquor can be separated into cocoa solids and cocoa butter.
Blending
From here on in, the process for creating chocolate will differ some from chocolatier to chocolatier. The main things that change will be the proportions of cocoa butter and chocolate liquor blended together. Here are the general proportions of the most common types of chocolate:
- White chocolate contains milk or milk powder, sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla, but no cocoa solids.
- Milk chocolate will contain milk or milk powder, sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and vanilla.
- Dark chocolate is the purest chocolate and will contain only sugar (or some other sweetener), cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and sometimes vanilla.
Conching
The next step in making chocolate is conching. A machine containing many small metal balls will be loaded with the blended chocolate and turned on. Then, over time, the ingredients will be kept in a liquid state as they are ground by the beads. The longer the ingredients are in the machine, the smoother the chocolate that is produced, with the highest quality chocolate staying in the conch for 72 hours or more.
Tempering
Finally, the chocolate is tempered to prevent the forming of crystals in the finished product (which will cause the surface of the chocolate to appear matte or dull). Temperatures are increased to about 115 degrees F, then the mixture is allowed to cool to about 80 degrees F. The heat is increased once more to about 88 degrees F. This whole process may be repeated several times to produce a supremely smooth texture.
And that’s how chocolate is made!
Considered by many to be the food of the gods, chocolate is a near-universally enjoyed confection worldwide that has inspired music, poems, art, and fine eating. It’s popular among both genders, people of all ages and races, and even touted by nutritionists and health professionals for its inherent physical benefits. But do we really know what chocolate is, where it comes from, and how it’s made? Let’s find out.History of chocolate
Thousands of years ago, inhabitants of what is now Brazil discovered cacao trees in the forests of the Amazon. The cacao trees are native to Mexico, Central, and South America (although they are now cultivated around the world).The earliest recorded enjoyment of a chocolate morsel was before the Olmec, which dates back between 1200 BCE and 400 BCE. Just recently , archaeologists found evidence that there may have been cultivation of the cacao tree as far back as 1100 BC.
We know for sure that the Mayans grew cacao trees and used the seeds for making bitter beverages such as xocoatl which was believed to fight fatigue. It was used in ceremonial services as well as an ancient currency.
It wasn’t until the 16th century that chocolate was introduced to Europeans when the Spanish began to import it after their conquest of the Aztecs. At first, only royalty and the well-connected were able to afford this expensive luxury, but eventually cacao was planted on plantations in Africa and other parts of the world which allowed them to lower the price over time.
Since then, the popularity of chocolate has increased. And with the Industrial Revolution, making chocolate became much more economical. Today, chocolate is an accessible food for most people in the world since it is widely available and relatively inexpensive.
What is chocolate?
The makings of chocolate have remained relatively unchanged over the history of this food. The main ingredients include cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. The lower the cocoa solid content the lower the quality of chocolate. Likewise, if other vegetable fats are substituted for cocoa fat, the quality of the finished product degrades. But where do cocoa solids and cocoa butter come from?
Growing and harvesting cacao beans
As we mentioned, cacao trees are grown in South and Central America as well as Mexico and Africa—anywhere that’s 20 degrees on either side of the equator where temperatures and rainfall are in the right proportions. Cacao trees require temperatures between 69 degrees F and 90 degrees F and an annual rainfall around 80 inches of rain. Today, most of the world’s cacao comes from Western Africa.
Cacao trees are relatively small and grow in nature in the understory of forests (although they can be grown in plantations, which is much less environmentally-friendly). Cacao trees produce a melon-like fruit called a cacao pod. Each of these pods contains between 20-40 seeds or cocoa beans. There are generally three types of cacao plants most commonly cultivated: forastero (the most popular), trinitario, and criollo (which is the most rare and expensive).
Processing cacao pods
When it comes time to harvest the cacao pods, farmers will first check to ensure the pods are ripe. This ensures the highest cocoa butter content and sufficient natural sugars for fermentation. When ready, farmers will knock pods down using a stick or cut the pods from the tree using a machete. From there, the pods are processed by separating the pulp from the beans.
Once the beans have been isolated, they are put into bins or piles where they are left to ferment for about one week in order achieve that familiar chocolate flavor. During this time, the beans will darken in color and become richer in flavor. Finally, the beans are dried by laying them in the sun (weather permitting) for 5 to 7 days. The finished cocoa nibs are transported to a manufacturing facility where they are turned into familiar chocolate products.
How is chocolate made?
We’ve now walked through how cacao is grown and processed, but we’re still far from achieving a finished chocolate product. Discovering how chocolate is made is the next step in this delicious journey.
Chocolate liquor
Once cleaned of twigs and stones, the beans are roasted at temperatures around 300 degrees F, then graded, and finally put through a winnower to shell the beans and expose the cacao nib. These nibs are then ground up and liquefied, producing chocolate liquor (which is a misnomer since there is no alcohol in chocolate liquor). From there, the liquor can be separated into cocoa solids and cocoa butter.
Blending
From here on in, the process for creating chocolate will differ some from chocolatier to chocolatier. The main things that change will be the proportions of cocoa butter and chocolate liquor blended together. Here are the general proportions of the most common types of chocolate:
- White chocolate contains milk or milk powder, sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla, but no cocoa solids.
- Milk chocolate will contain milk or milk powder, sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and vanilla.
- Dark chocolate is the purest chocolate and will contain only sugar (or some other sweetener), cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and sometimes vanilla.
Conching
The next step in making chocolate is conching. A machine containing many small metal balls will be loaded with the blended chocolate and turned on. Then, over time, the ingredients will be kept in a liquid state as they are ground by the beads. The longer the ingredients are in the machine, the smoother the chocolate that is produced, with the highest quality chocolate staying in the conch for 72 hours or more.
Tempering
Finally, the chocolate is tempered to prevent the forming of crystals in the finished product (which will cause the surface of the chocolate to appear matte or dull). Temperatures are increased to about 115 degrees F, then the mixture is allowed to cool to about 80 degrees F. The heat is increased once more to about 88 degrees F. This whole process may be repeated several times to produce a supremely smooth texture.
And that’s how chocolate is made!