AFTERTASTE
The flavors lingering on the palate after the chocolate has been consumed. Called the finish in the wine industry, this term is increasingly applied to chocolate. A good aftertaste should leave positive chocolate flavors in the mouth for two minutes or more.
ANTIOXIDANT
Any substance that reduces oxidative damage such as that caused by free radicals, highly reactive chemicals that attack molecules by capturing electrons and thus modifying chemical structures.
Well-known antioxidants include a number of enzymes and other substances such as vitamin C, vitamin E that are capable of counteracting the damaging effects of oxidation. Antioxidants are also commonly added to food products like vegetable oils and prepared foods to prevent or delay their deterioration from the action of air.
Antioxidants slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration and may possible reduce the risk of cancer.
Dark chocolate has been found to have a high level of antioxidants, specifically from its flavanol content.
ARTISAN CHOCOLATIER
Artisan chocolate is handmade by a skilled artisan in small batches, using time-honored and honed skills. Modern artisans are also innovators in flavor and technique.
BEAN
The seed of the cacao pod of the Theobroma cacao tree, beans are the source of all chocolate and cocoa. There are generally 30 to 40 flat, almond-shaped beans in a pod. When first picked, the beans have tropical flavors of lychee and pineapple; but in a few hours the sugars convert and they become bitter and inedible. Beans are then fermented, dried, roasted, ground and conched to create chocolate.
BELGIAN STYLE CHOCOLATE
Belgian chocolates are characterized by a slightly larger size, a thicker chocolate shell and a heavier and sweeter ganache. Belgian chocolates are made in molds, accounting for the thicker shell. The technique of molding was created by Belgian chocolatier Jean Neuhaus in 1912, who developed a process to pour couverture into molds creating a hard shell, enabling softer, more liquid fillings like crèmes, to be used.
BLOOM
With fat bloom or cocoa butter bloom, the chocolate loses its gloss: A powdery grayish-white or tan film forms on the surface. This is due to improper storage or changes in temperature. Heating chocolate above 25°C or repetitive heating and cooling will cause microscopic cocoa butter particles to join together, leaving particles of sugar and cocoa uncoated. The bloom is the cocoa butter that has separated and risen to the surface.
BONBON or BON BON
French for “good good” is a hard shell of chocolate filled with a variety of centers. It is referred to as praline in Belgian.
BUTTER FAT or MILK FAT
The natural fat in milk from which butter is made; it is separable from the milk by churning. There is no butterfat in cocoa butter, which is a vegetable product.
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COCO
Coco is a hot beverage made from cocoa powder, generally served sweetened. It is the evolution of the original chocolate, which was a spiced cold drink of the Maya and Aztecs.
The difference between coco and hot chocolate is that coco is made from cocoa powder while hot chocolate is made from shaved chocolate. Hot chocolate is richer because chocolate contains the cocoa butter that was removed in the production of cocoa powder.
COCOA
The name of both the tree native to Amazon forests (Theobroma cacao) and the unprocessed seeds (beans) from which chocolate is made.
COCOA BEANS
Cocoa is a misspelling of cacao that appeared on a ship’s manifest in the 18th century and led to the replacement of the original word with the erroneous one. The “beans” are the seeds from the cocoa pod. At the center of the bean is the nib from which chocolate is made. There are three species of bean—Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario—and many subspecies. More than 13,000 clones of cacao have been classified.
COCOA BELT
The band 20° north and south of the Equator where the Theobroma cacao tree grows.
COCOA BUTTER
The natural vegetable fat present in the cacao bean. Cacao beans contain approximately 52% cocoa butter by weight. After the beans are roasted and finely ground, the cocoa butter is squeezed from the liquor by high pressure. It is pressed through fine screens and solidifies into a yellowish-white fat, solid at room temperature.
Most producers then deodorize the cocoa butter to eliminate bitterness and the cocoa butter is added back into the chocolate, where it adds smoothness and mouth feel, it is responsible for the “melt in your mouth” quality of chocolate.
Cocoa butter is not a dairy product and does not contain cholesterol. Cocoa butter is to cocoa beans what olive oil is to olives. While technically classified as a saturated fat because of its chemical structure, it acts almost exactly the opposite in the human body. Composed mostly of stearic acid compounds, it is a healthy fat and has a neutral effect on cholesterol levels and is not a source of trans fat.
COCOA CONTENT or COCOA PERCENTAGE
The percentage of a chocolate product that is made from cocoa beans. This percentage can include the beans themselves, the nibs, cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, or cocoa powder. In general, the higher the cocoa content, the lower the amount of sugar and other ingredients used in making the chocolate and the more intense the chocolate flavor. The higher the cocoa content, the darker the chocolate and the stronger the cocoa flavor (also, the higher the level of antioxidants and the more expensive to produce, because cocoa beans are 10 times costlier than sugar).
COCOA MASS or COCOA LIQUOR
Chocolate liquor is a thick, gritty, dark brown paste, a solid mass that contains no alcohol. It only turns liquid when it is heated. It is obtained by grinding the nibs of the cacao beans. Chocolate liquor is about half cocoa butter and half cocoa solids which are what is left when the bean is pulverized and the impurities are removed. While technically not yet chocolate, chocolate liquor is the “essence” of chocolate being the pure ground product of the roasted cacao beans. It is the base and main ingredient in all chocolate products.
COCOA POD
The oblong fruit of the cacao tree which measure 6 to 12 inches and ripen in five to six months. Inside are 30 to 40 half-inch-long, almond-shaped seeds, or beans, from which chocolate is made. Pods are harvested and cut open with a type of machete and are left as is to ferment. Cocoa pods have differing shapes and sizes based on the variety of cacao
COCOA POWDER
A finely pulverized powder made from the solid portion or press cake that remains after the cocoa butter has been mechanically pressed under tremendous force from the chocolate liquor. Cocoa powder is categorized by the amount of cocoa butter that remains after pressing.
CHOCOLATIER
Signifies a person who specializes in the creation of fine chocolate confections using artisan techniques.
CONCHING
The process of refining Chocolate liquor through uninterrupted stirring, or conching, that smoothes the texture of the chocolate and enhances its flavor. This mechanical rolling and kneading process takes place in huge vats with rotating paddles or blades (the paddles are shaped like conches, giving the process its name). The technique was invented in 1879 in Switzerland by Rodolphe Lindt to make chocolate more blendable.
The friction and aeration of the paste into a smooth mass also engenders chemical changes that develop and round out the flavor of the liquid chocolate, eliminate moisture and acidity, and flush out volatile flavors, unpleasant odors, and bitterness. Conching enables complete homogenization and emulsion of the cocoa butter into the cocoa paste, producing a velvety smooth chocolate with no grittiness. Fine chocolate is conched for at least a day, some for several days, depending on the bean and the producer’s preference.
COUVERTURE
French for covering or coating, Couverture chocolate is a professional quality coating chocolate made with superior beans, ground to a finer particle size and with a higher cocoa butter content giving it a different texture and consistency. The extra cocoa butter generally makes it easier to work with and allows for a thinner coating shell than non-couverture chocolate.
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DARK CHOCOLATE
A chocolate that contains 15% to 35% chocolate liquor plus cocoa butter, vanilla, lecithin and sugar. When expressed as a percentage of cacao dark chocolate has 50% or more cacao content. Percentages of 70% or higher are classified as bittersweet chocolate.
DARK MILK CHOCOLATE
A new category of chocolate which is milk chocolate with a higher than normal percentage of cacao, which gives these chocolates the deep flavor of a semisweet bar with the extra milkiness of a milk chocolate.
DUTCH or DUTCHING CHOCOLATE
Dutching was invented by Coenrad Johannes Van Houten, a chemist in The Netherlands, hence the name, Dutching in 1828. He developed an inexpensive process for pressing the cocoa butter from roasted beans, creating the press cake that is pulverized into cocoa. Van Houten treated the nibs with alkaline salts before they were roasted, to neutralize the natural acidity and bitterness of the typical cacao bean. This creates a darker coloured cocoa that leads most people to think that Dutched cocoa is more chocolaty. In fact, the alkali are a processing agent, not a flavor ingredient, that changes the pH of the cocoa, neutralizing cacao’s natural acidity and making it milder in flavor than non-Dutched.
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ENROBING
The process of covering a chocolate, or the intended center of a chocolate like a ganache, with a thin layer of liquid chocolate.
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FAIR TRADE CERTIFIED™
Fair Trade ensures that farmers are paid fair value for their beans. This affords money for adult labor, sound agricultural practices and a minimum standard of living.
FERMENTATION
It is during fermentation that the cacao beans start developing their flavors. Fermentation is a natural, post-harvest process that converts the sugars in raw cacao beans to alcohol, kills the germ, and develops the necessary elements that modify the composition of the beans so they will yield the characteristic flavor and aroma of chocolate during roasting. Depending on the varietal, the fermentation process lasts from three days to seven days.
FLAVANOL
Flavanols are the antioxidants in cacao. There is a perception that the higher the cacao percentage, the higher the flavanol content; but actual levels of flavanol content may fluctuate widely depending upon the species and subspecies of bean, recipe, processing practices, and storage and handling conditions. Thus, “% cacao” does not necessarily indicate similar flavanol content among chocolates of similar cacao content.
FONDANT
A creamy, white crystalline filling for chocolates. Made of a sugar and water base, it can be flavored with anything that complements the chocolate.
FRENCH-STYLE CHOCOLATE
French chocolates have a thinner shell of chocolate. While some are molded into shapes, the original style was hand-dipping (enrobing) rather than molding, which originally accounted for the thinner style. French chocolates focus on ganache centers.
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GANACHE
A velvety smooth blend of chocolate and cream, often with butter added that is used as a center for bonbons. Ganache can be made from dark, milk, or white chocolate and flavored with virtually any flavor that inspires the chocolatier.
GIANDUJA or GIANDUIA
Also called hazelnut praliné, a smooth nut paste made of roasted and finely ground hazelnuts, chocolate and sugar, conched together.
GRINDING
After roasting, cocoa beans go to the grinding room for the mechanical process of pulverizing the roasted cacao nibs into the chocolate liquor.
HARVEST
Cacao is harvested throughout the year, but the main growing seasons are November to January and May to July.
HOT CHOCOLATE
Hot chocolate, as first served by the Swiss, is different from hot coco as it is made with made by pouring hot milk over shaved chocolate. Since chocolate contains cocoa butter, hot chocolate is a much richer beverage.
MARZIPAN
A thick paste of finely ground almonds and melted sugar.
MILK CHOCOLATE
Is made of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, some form of milk, sugar, and flavorings. Milk chocolate generally contains between 30% and 49% cacao. Milk chocolate was first made successfully in 1879 after Daniel Peter, a Swiss chocolate manufacturer, had the idea to substitute powdered milk for the whole milk or cream that had been unsuccessfully attempted previously. Powdered milk had been invented by his neighbor, Swiss chemist Henri Nestlé, in 1867, after eight years of experiments. So while the Spanish were responsible for bringing cacao to Europe from the New World and Englishman Joseph Fry created the first chocolate bar, the Swiss have full ownership of milk chocolate. .
MOLDING
Tempered chocolate is poured into molds and the molds so that the chocolate creates a fine coating within the mold (the shell). The shells are subsequently filled with ganache, praline, whipped cream, or other filling; then closed with a layer of chocolate and cooled. The molds are tapped to remove the finished chocolates.
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ORGANIC
Organic foods are produced without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers and are processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation. Organic chocolate contains a minimum of 95% naturally grown and certified raw materials.
PANNED
Panning is the process of layering chocolate onto predominately nut products as they rotate in revolving pans. Cool air is then blown into the pan to harden the chocolates.
PRALINE
Perhaps the most complex term in chocolatedom, because it has so many different meanings.
The first were whole almonds caramelized in sugar originally spelled praslines. They were named after the French soldier and diplomat César, duc de Choiseul, comte du Plessis-Praslin in 1636.
In the centuries since, the marketplace has taken the word praline and used it to describe multiple products. Whenever you see the word praline, nuts are involved; but the word often does not refer to the original caramelized almond.
In Germany and Belgium, a praline is referred to as any filled chocolate while in Great Britain, the term praline refers to the filling for chocolates. In America, a praline is a flat, round, creamy candy patty dotted with crunchy pecans.
PRALINE PASTE or PRALINÉ
Praline paste called praliné is a ground nut paste generally made from almonds or hazelnuts and sugar. It has been used in French patisserie since the 16th century to make pastries. Hazelnut praliné is a roasted and caramelized nut paste invented during a chocolate shortage in the 19th century in Turin, Italy. In Italy it is known as gianduja which is popularly combined with chocolate and used in other confections.
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ROASTING
The first step in producing chocolate from cacao beans. Similar to roasting coffee, the heating process fully develops the chocolate flavors and aromas of the cacao beans. Roasting times vary by producer, but a typical roasting time is 30 minutes.
SINGLE ORIGIN
Refers to chocolate made exclusively with cocoa beans grown in one particular area or region of the world. This can either be a blend (e.g. Criollo and Forastero) or a single variety of beans. In fact, the origin of the bean can be a more important flavor determinant than the species of the bean.
SNAP
The clear, crisp sound made from breaking a piece of chocolate from a finished chocolate. A good, clean snap is indicative of high cacao content and well tempered chocolate.
SOYA LECITHIN
Lecithin is a natural extract from soybeans used as a thinner in chocolate. As an emulsifier, it helps maintain an emulsion (attachment) between the cocoa butter and the sugar.
SUGAR BLOOM
Sugar bloom is generally the result of a temperature shock, most often caused by storing chocolate in the refrigerator and removing it to serve. When the chocolate has been cooled then warmed, condensation collects on the surface dissolving the sugar in the chocolate. When the water evaporates, the sugar recrystallizes into rough, irregular crystals on the surface which gives the chocolate an unattractive appearance.
SWISS-STYLE CHOCOLATE
Swiss chocolates are the most creamy, smooth, soft and velvety and have a greater focus on milk chocolate. This is based on the Swiss heritage as in 1879, Daniel Peter, a Swiss chocolate manufacturer, successfully created milk chocolate by substituting powdered milk for the whole milk or cream that had been unsuccessfully used previously Also the quality of the milk used in Swiss chocolate, which comes from alpine cows, contributes its own creaminess.
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TEMPERING
The process employed to give chocolate its glossy appearance and a pleasant mouth feel. This involves an alternating process of heating, cooling, and heating again to specific temperatures to stabilize the mixture to obtain the smooth, shiny texture and a good snap when broken. Well-tempered chocolate melts better in the mouth and ages better.
THEOBROMA CACAO
The botanical name for cacao tree. It is native to the Amazon basin, but now grows worldwide in a tropical belt 20° above and below the equator. The name Theobroma means “food of the gods” and was bestowed in 1753 by Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus who was dissatisfied with the word cacao.
The three leading varietals are Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario. Their differences result from their pod structure, the color of their beans and the number of beans per pod.
TRUFFLE
The word truffle has several meanings in the world of chocolate depending on the country of origin. It was invented in France as a small, rich chocolate made of flavoured ganache and usually shaped into a ball. The original recipe, rolled in cocoa, was named after the black truffle fungus because of its physical resemblance. In 1912, the Belgian chocolatier Jean Neuhaus invented the first hard chocolate shell, enabling chocolates with soft fillings. While he called them pralines, other chocolatiers referred to them as truffles because early filled chocolates were filled with ganache. As words evolve, the term truffle is often used in America to describe any filled chocolate, and it taints the true meaning of the word. Unfortunately, there is no governing body to standardize terminology; so consumers need to read the fine print to understand what they are buying.
VANILLA
The flavor extract derived from the vanilla bean. Almost all fine chocolate is enhanced with vanilla to nullify foreign flavours and to highlight the cocoa taste.
VARIETAL
A biological variety; a chocolate made from one particular subspecies of beans: Criollo, Forastero, or Trinitario. Borrowed from wine terminology.
WHITE CHOCOLATE
Is a blend of cocoa butter, sugar, whole milk powder, vanilla, and lecithin. White chocolate contains no cocoa solids (chocolate liquor) and for many years, white chocolate was not classified as chocolate. Recent allowances have altered this for any product containing a minimum of 20% cocoa butter, a minimum of 15% milk powder and a maximum of 55% sweetener may be called white chocolate. When a white chocolate has a percentage on the label similar to a cacao bar, e.g. 33%, it is not referring to the percentage of cacao but to the percentage of cocoa butter. The higher the percentage of cocoa butter, the richer and creamier the bar.
White chocolate, though a member of the family, is not technically chocolate because it contains no cocoa solids. If it did, it wouldn't be white!
XOCOATL or XOCOLATL
Pronounced shock-WA-tel, the Mayan word for chocolate. It means bitter water as the original chocolate beverage was an unsweetened drink mixed with maize and flavored with pepper and other savory spices.
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