All About Chocolate Part 1 & Part 2

All About Chocolate
Part I, The History

I have always loved chocolate. I doubt there aren't many people out there who don't share my love. When you love something you want to learn all about it, which is the reason for this series of features. I like to begin at the beginning and to me, that's the history of chocolate. Having a pantry full of different types of chocolates became the inspiration for the second part in this series. Part III will focus on the best ways to cook with chocolate.

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Carroll Pellegrinelli
About.com Desserts / Baking

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Chocolate got its start in North and Central America. Columbus actually carried some cocoa beans back to Spain. It wasn't really known what to do with those beans until Cortez conquered the Aztec Indians of Mexico. He learned about a special drink that acted as an aphrodisiac. The Aztecs called it "cacahuatl" or "gift from the gods". Cortez garnered the process. Large pods from cacao trees were harvested twice a year. The cocoa beans were extracted from these pods. Then the beans were fermented, dried and roasted. Once roasted, they were ground into a fine powder. This powder was then mixed with hot water to make the drink.

When Cortez returned to Spain, he brought back cocoa beans and the cooking process. The chocolate drink the Aztecs drank was bitter and peppery. The Spaniards experimented with the process. They added the cream and sugar, which made it more like what we drink today. The Spaniards kept the drink a national secret for almost 100 years. The drink spread to France when King Louis married a Spanish royal. Part of the bride's trousseau were some cocoa beans to make her favorite breakfast drink.

Chocolate houses opened all over France and were similar to our coffeehouses today. From France, the drink spread to England and then to back to North America. The drink became very popular after the Boston Tea Party when tea was being boycotted.

Another century would pass before the process of making a solid chocolate would be perfected.

For the process of making solid chocolate and the different types of chocolate, read my next feature: All About Chocolate, Part II.

* All About Chocolate, Part II

The Making of Chocolate and the Different Types

I once remember saying that I could live on diet colas, cigarettes, cheese, and chocolate. Well today, the cigarettes are gone; I drink a lot of water instead of sodas; lowfat cheese is not as much fun, but there's still chocolate! I haven't met a woman yet; who doesn't crave chocolate at least once a month. It's part of our chemical make up. I don't know many men who would turn down a decadent chocolate confection. This week's feature is the continuation of the history of chocolate, from Part I. Read how this popular drink became an even more popular edible delicacy. Also, find out about the different types. Are you ready to salivate?
Enjoy!

More History

It took nearly a century to develop edible milk chocolate candies. In the late 1700's, a steam engine was built by an Englishman to crush and mix the chocolate paste. In the early, 1900's a Dutchman invented the cocoa press, which is used to press the cocoa butter out of the roasted cocoa beans. This led the way for the development of cocoa powder. The first chocolate bar was made by mixing cocoa butter and chocolate liquor with sugar. It was a Swiss man who perfected a means of condensing milk and sold the process to Henri Nestle who produced the first milk chocolate bar. Rodolphe Lindt developed a process called "conching" which further refines the chocolate. The process for making filled candies was created by Jules Suchaud.

Types and Terms

COCOA is the powder that comes from hydraulic (steam) pressing of the unsweetened chocolate. It is the strongest in flavor with the least amount of fat.

COCOA BUTTER is the natural vegetable fat of the cacao plant.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS are mostly made from semi-sweet dark chocolate. When they are baked, they retain their shape.

CHOCOLATE LIQUEUR is the dark brown liquid from grinding the roasted cocoa beans.

DARK CHOCOLATE can be bittersweet, semi-sweet or sweet dark chocolate. It just depends on the sugar content.

SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE is different amounts of sugar, vanilla combined with chocolate liquor.

UNSWEET CHOCOLATE or BAKING CHOCOLATE is pure chocolate liquor. Most of this chocolate is found in squares, but there is one type that is pre-melted and is sealed in pouches.

WHITE CHOCOLATE is chocolate without cocoa solids, and so, actually, it is not really a chocolate.

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