Before arriving to the shops in the form of bars or powder, chocolate undergoes several stages of transformation: chocolate making is an art form in itself.
Chocolate origins
Chocolate is made with cocoa beans which are grown in the tropics, where they benefit from the necessary heat and humidity.
There are three types of cocoa bean :
- Forestero (80% of global production)
- Criollo (5% of global production)
- Trinitario, which is a natural cross between the other two (15% of global production)
Chocolate production
The cocoa beans are processsed as soon as they are harvested : each region has its own drying technique, which influences the final resulting chocolate flavour.
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First the cocoa beans are left to ferment : this is how they develop their aroma. Fermentation can occur underneath palm leaves or in wooden boxes, as is the case in Madagascar, where the beans are also washed before being dried. Once this stage is completed, they are sent to Europe.
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Next the cocoa beans are ground and dried in order to get the cocoa mass. Up next is the conching : the mixing of the heated cocoa mass. For high-quality chocolate, conching can take up to 72 hours. The longer this process lasts, the higher the quality of the chocolate.
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Next comes the blending: chocolate is like a good wine. The cocoa bean is to chocolate what the grape variety is to a good wine, and the marriage of different varieties allows us to vary the flavour of the chocolate.
Different types of chocolate
Chocolate isn't made up of just cocoa and the percentages of the different ingredients vary dependant on whether it's dark, milk or white chocolate.
Dark chocolat
It is made up of :
- cocoa butter, the fat that is released when pressure is applied to the cocoa beans when obtaining the cocoa powder. Today, it is often replaced with vegetable fat, which is cheaper.
- cocoa mass (of which 50% is cocoa butter)
- sugar
Milk chocolate
Starting with the same ingredients, it is produced by adding milk powder.
White chocolate
It is made up of :
- cocoa butter
- sugar
- milk powder.
Tempering of the different chocolate types
The differences in composition explain the differences in temperature required for tempering, a process used by chocolate makers in order to get a chocolate which shines and is easily breakable, ideal for chocolate sweets for example. The temperatures need to vary according to the type of chocolate being produced :
Dark chocolate
- melts at 40-50°C (104-122°F)
- crystalises at 27.5°C (81.5°F)
- working temperature 31-32°C (87.8-89.6°F)
White and milk chocolate
- melts at 35°C (95°F)(it should never go past 45°C/113°F)
- crystalises at 28.5°C (83.3°F)
- working temperature 32°C (89.6°F)
Which chocolate to choose ?
To make chocolate decorations, creations or moulded sweets, head for either couverture chocolate bought from an artisan or plain chocolate from the shops. Don't use chocolate marked "for cooking", simply because it contains less cocoa butter, it is less liquid and therefore harder to work.
The golden rules
Chocolate is an ingredient which can be used as you feel like and is easily used in countless recipes. If you respect the golden rules, your desserts are guaranteed to be a success!
- Choose chocolate based in cocoa butter rather than vegetable fat.
- Water is the enemy of chocolate.
- Don't melt chocolate at too high a temperature as it is likely to burn.