Types of chocolate
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa pods mixed with fat (e.g. cocoa butter) and powdered sugar to produce a solid confectionery. There are several types of chocolate, classified primarily according to the proportion of cocoa and fat content used in a particular formulation.
Eating
[edit]Traditional
[edit]Dark
[edit]
Dark chocolate, also called plain chocolate, is produced using only cocoa butter, with no milk fat included. It is made from chocolate liquor to which some sugar, more cocoa butter and vanilla are added. Dark chocolate can be eaten as is, or used in cooking, for which thicker baking bars, usually with high cocoa percentages ranging from 70% to 100%, are sold. A higher amount of cocoa solids indicates more bitterness. Many brands display the cocoa percentage on their packaging.
European Union rules specify a minimum of 35% cocoa solids.[1] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires a 15% concentration of chocolate liquor.
"Bittersweet chocolate" is a version of dark chocolate intended for baking with a low amount of sugar, with the sugar typically consisting of about 33% of the final mass.[2] Semi-sweet chocolate" includes more sugar, resulting in a somewhat sweeter confection, but the two are largely interchangeable in baking.
As of 2017[update], there is no high-quality evidence that dark chocolate affects blood pressure significantly or provides other health benefits.[3]
Milk
[edit]
Milk chocolate is solid chocolate made with milk. Differences in flavor between different brands and regions are largely due to differences in how the manufacturers handle the milk during production, such as by choosing powdered milk, condensed milk, chocolate crumb, or partially lipolyzed milk.[4]
The first known variation was developed by Jordan & Timaeus in 1839 with donkey milk.[5] In 1875 a Swiss confectioner, Daniel Peter, developed a solid milk chocolate using condensed milk, which had been invented by Henri Nestlé, Peter's neighbour in Vevey.[6][7]
White
[edit]
White chocolate, although similar in texture to that of milk and dark chocolate, does not contain any cocoa solids that impart a dark color. It is made of sugar, milk, and cocoa butter, which has been extracted from the cocoa liquor. It is pale ivory coloured, and lacks many of the compounds found in milk and dark chocolates.
White chocolate is the type of chocolate containing the highest percentage of milk solids, typically around or over 30 percent, while milk chocolate has only around 25 percent.[8]
In 2002, the US Food and Drug Administration established a standard for white chocolate as the "common or usual name of products made from cocoa fat (i.e., cocoa butter), milk solids, nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners, and other safe and suitable ingredients, but containing no nonfat cocoa solids".[9]
Other
[edit]Criollo
[edit]Criollo beans are considered high-grade.[10] Chocolate made from criolla beans is considered higher quality than forastero varieties of cacao. Criollo is a rare and prized variety.[citation needed]
Gianduja
[edit]
Gianduja chocolate is made by blending hazelnut butter with chocolate paste. Similarly to standard chocolate, it is made in both plain and milk versions. It may also contain other nuts, such as almond.[11] As a bar, gianduja resembles regular chocolate, excepting the fact that it is significantly softer due to the presence of hazelnut oil.[12]
Organic
[edit]Organic chocolate is chocolate which has been certified organic, generally meaning that there are no chemical fertilizers or pesticides used in growing the cocoa beans producing the chocolate. As of 2016, it was a growing sector in the global chocolate industry. Organic chocolate is a socially desirable product for some consumers.[13] Many producers of organic chocolate source their ingredients from certified fair trade cocoa farms and cooperatives.[14]
Raw
[edit]Raw chocolate is chocolate that has not been processed, heated, or mixed with other ingredients. It is sold in chocolate-growing countries and to a lesser extent in other countries. It is often promoted as being healthy.[15] Raw chocolate includes many essential antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. This includes protein, iron, and fiber.[16]
Ruby
[edit]
Ruby chocolate is a type of chocolate created by Barry Callebaut, a Belgian–Swiss cocoa company.[17] The variety was in development from 2004, and was released to the public in 2017. The chocolate type is made from the Ruby cocoa bean, resulting in a distinct red color and a different flavor, described as "sweet yet sour".[18]
Vegan
[edit]Vegan chocolate is a chocolate resembling milk chocolate but using plant milk instead of milk.
Confectionery
[edit]Baking
[edit]
Baking chocolate, or cooking chocolate,[19] is chocolate intended to be used for baking and in sweet foods that may or may not be sweetened. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate, are produced and marketed as baking chocolate. However, lower quality baking chocolate may not be as flavorful compared to higher-quality chocolate, and may have a different mouthfeel.[20]
Poorly tempered or untempered chocolate may have whitish spots on the dark chocolate part, called chocolate bloom; it is an indication that sugar or fat has separated due to poor storage. It is not toxic and can be safely consumed.[21]
In the USA, baking chocolate containing no added sugar may be labeled "unsweetened chocolate".
Couverture
[edit]
Couverture chocolate is a class of high-quality chocolate containing a higher percentage of cocoa butter than other chocolate which is precisely tempered. Couverture chocolate is used by professionals for dipping, coating, molding and garnishing ('couverture' means 'covering' in French). Popular brands of couverture chocolate used by pastry chefs include: Valrhona, Lindt & Sprüngli, Scharffen Berger, Callebaut, and Guittard.
Compound
[edit]
Compound chocolate is the name for a confection combining cocoa with other vegetable fats, usually tropical fats or hydrogenated fats, as a replacement for cocoa butter. It is often used for candy bar coatings. In many countries it can not legally be called "chocolate".
Modeling
[edit]Modeling chocolate is a chocolate paste made by melting chocolate and combining it with corn syrup, glucose syrup, or golden syrup. It is primarily used by cakemakers and pâtisseries to add decoration to cakes and pastries.
By country
[edit]During the 20th century, chocolate was categorized based on where it was manufactured. During the 21st century, there was a shift away from this, in favor of describing the origins of the cocoa beans.[22]
Belgium
[edit]Belgian chocolate, according to academic Kristy Leissle, does not denote flavor or texture, but refers to bonbons.[22]
France
[edit]French chocolate's flavor is that of a dark roast and smooth texture.[22]
Switzerland
[edit]Swiss chocolate has a milky flavor and smooth texture.[22]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "Directive 2000/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 June 2000 relating to cocoa and chocolate products intended for human consumption". Publications Office of the European Union. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ Matsko Hood, Karen Jean (2015). Chocolate Delights Cookbook: A Collection of Chocolate Recipes. Whispering Pine Press International, Inc.
- ^ Ried, K; Fakler, P; Stocks, N. P (2017). "Effect of cocoa on blood pressure". Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 4 (5): CD008893. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD008893.pub3. PMC 6478304. PMID 28439881.
- ^ Beckett, Stephen T (August 2003). "Is the taste of British milk chocolate different?". International Journal of Dairy Technology. 56 (3): 139–142. doi:10.1046/j.1471-0307.2003.00099.x. ISSN 1364-727X.
- ^ "Confectionery industry: The invention of milk chocolate by Jordan & Timaeus". Ivt-web. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ Mintz, Sidney (2015). The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Oxford University Press. p. 524. ISBN 978-0-19-931339-6 – via Google Books.
- ^ Moskin, Julia (13 February 2008). "Dark may be king, but milk chocolate makes a move". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ Beckett, Steve T. (2017). Beckett's Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use. John Wiley & Sons. p. 498.
Typical recipes for white bar chocolate
- ^ "US Federal Register – White Chocolate; Establishment of a Standard of Identity". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
- ^ "Cocoa/Cocoa beans". Transport Information Service. The German Insurance Association. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ Beckett, Steve T. (2011). "Gianduja chocolate". Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781444357554.
- ^ Medrich, Alice (2015). Pure Dessert: True Flavors, Inspiring Ingredients, and Simple Recipes. Artisan Books. p. 157. ISBN 9781579656850.
gianduja resembles a bar of chocolate. It is softer on the tooth than a plain chocolate bar (because of the oil from the hazelnuts)
- ^ Mitch Lipka (11 February 2015). "Is organic chocolate worth the price?". Reuters. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ^ "Slave-Free Chocolate". Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ^ Cahalane, Claudia (30 March 2007). "A raw deal". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- ^ "FoodData Central". fdc.nal.usda.gov. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ Sarah Young (5 September 2017). "Scientists just invented a brand new flavour of chocolate". The Independent. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
- ^ McGee, Oona (20 January 2018). "We try the world's first ruby chocolate… inside a Japanese Kit Kat【Taste Test】". SoraNews24.
- ^ Risley, M. S. (2009). The Tante Marie's Cooking School Cookbook: More Than 250 Recipes for the Passionate Home Cook. Simon & Schuster. p. 370. ISBN 978-1-4391-4221-9.
- ^ Gisslen, W. (2012). Professional Baking. Wiley. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-118-08374-1.
- ^ Kinta, Yasuyoshi; Hartel, Richard W. (20 August 2009). "Bloom Formation on Poorly-Tempered Chocolate and Effects of Seed Addition" (PDF). Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 87 (1): 19–27. doi:10.1007/s11746-009-1473-5. S2CID 29161529. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ a b c d Leissle (2018), p. 169.
Sources
[edit]- Leissle, Kristy (2018). Cocoa. Polity. ISBN 9781509513208. OCLC 988580966.
