Chocolate

Cacao Tree

Chocolate is a food made from the seeds of a tropical tree called the cacao. These trees flourish in warm, moist climates. Most of the world's cacao beans come from West Africa, where Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Nigeria are the largest producers. Because of a spelling error, probably by English traders long ago, these beans became known as cocoa beans.

 There are some types of chocolate :

• Unsweetened Chocolate



Unsweetened Chocolate

•  Unsweetened chocolate is chocolate in its rawest form. This unadulterated chocolate is also known as baking, plain or bitter chocolate and popularly used as the base for cakes, brownies, confections, and cookies. Unsweetened chocolate is made from pure chocolate liquor that has been refined and contains 50-55% of cocoa butter. Since no sugar has been added to the chocolate it has a strong, bitter taste that is used in cooking and baking but is never eaten out of hand. Unsweetened chocolate, if well wrapped and stored in a cool, dry place with good air circulation, could be kept for several years.
• White Chocolate

•  In fact, white chocolate cannot be called “chocolate” because it does not contain chocolate liquor. White chocolate is the combination of cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids, vanilla, and lecithin, and is able to be kept from 6-10 months if stored in a cool, dry place. Generally, white chocolate is ivory-colored, but white chocolate which is made with vegetable fat is white-colored.
• Dark Chocolate

•  Also known as “plain chocolate”, Dark chocolate is chocolate without milk as an additive. The U.S. Government calls this “sweet chocolate” and determines a 15% concentration of chocolate liquor as its ingredient, different from Europeans who requires a minimum of 35% of chocolate liquor. Dark chocolate is considered as healthy chocolate. According to studies of two prestigious scientific journals, it states that eating more dark chocolate can help lower your blood pressure, but you have to balance the extra calories by eating less of other things.
• Milk Chocolate

•  Milk chocolate is the combination of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, vanilla, milk solids, and lecithin. This type of chocolate could be kept up to a year if stored in a cool, dry place. Milk chocolate must contain at least 10% of chocolate liquor, 3.7% milk fats, and 12% milk solids. The U.S. Government requires a 10% concentration of chocolate liquor while EU regulations specify a minimum of 25% chocolate liquor. This makes European milk chocolate better than American milk chocolate, because the more chocolate liquor added the more delicious it gets. Generally, milk chocolate is popularly used in decorating cake and cookies.
• Semi-sweet Chocolate and Bittersweet Chocolate 



Semi-sweet Chocolate chips

• Semi-sweet and Bittersweet chocolate are the same kind of chocolate, both refer to dark chocolate. In America, dark chocolate refers to Semi-sweet chocolate while in Europe dark chocolate refers to Bittersweet chocolate. The two  types of chocolate are able to use interchangeably. Both Semi-sweet and Bittersweet chocolate contain cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla, and sometimes lecithin. Semi-sweet and Bittersweet chocolate, if well wrapped and stored in a cool, dry place with good air circulation, could be kept for several years.
• Couverture Chocolate

•  The word “couverture” translates to “covering” and refers to one of the finest quality of chocolate in the world. Couverture is produced with premium cacao beans and a high percentage of cocoa butter. Additionally, this type of chocolate also contain a total fat content of 30-40%. Couverture are often used by professional pastry chefs in many famous chocolate manufacturers such as Valrhona, Felchlin, Lindt & Sprüngli, Scharffen Berger, Cacao Barry, Callebaut, and Guittard.
• Ultra Couverture Chocolate

•  In fact, Ultra Couverture chocolate is equal in terms of quality to Couverture chocolate. Because because this type of chocolate contains a higher content of cocoa butter, the name “Ultra” is therefore added. Ultra Couverture chocolate is not easy to produce because it is difficult to balance higher cocoa butter content while retaining superb taste and texture. Therefore, a few chocolate manufacturers are able to successfully produce this type of chocolate.
• Compound Chocolate

• The term ”Compound Chocolate” refers to a type of chocolate which is made by a combination of cocoa an & vegetable fat, usually tropical fats and/or hydrogenated fats, as a replacement for cocoa butter. Compound Chocolate is primarily used for candy bar coatings, but because it doesn't contain cocoa butter, then it isn't called “chocolate” in the US. Compound Chocolate is sometime added with flavors such as mint, orange, or strawberry to increase its deliciousness.

Chocolate has many uses. Sometimes we use chocolate for culinary ingredients. Don't you know it has other uses? Here are some uses of chocolate that might surprise you.

1. As Currency . Cocoa beans were used as a monetary unit in Central America, used to pay taxes to the Aztecs in 1000AD
2. As a remedy. In 18th Century England, a chocolaty drink was used to prevent and cure stomach aches. In Central America it was used to build up resistance and fight fatigue. The Emperor Montezuma once declared that "the divine drink…”permits a man to walk for a whole day without food." For a natural face pack chockfull of antioxidants, melt a block of dark chocolate and apply it to your face. Leave it for 15 minutes to harden. It is said to aid skin complexion. 
3. Swirled into Cheese. It’s old news that putting something sweet in cheese (cranberries, for example) lifts the flavor through the roof. But chocolate is too sweet, surely? British supermarket chain Tesco didn’t think so, rolling out the chocolate whirl (59% white Stilton, 11% Belgian chocolate) in 2007. The Michigan State University’s chocolate cheese confection goes for a more fudgy, cheesecakey consistency.
4. Fighting Tooth Decay. An extract of cocoa has recently been found to be more effective than flouride in keeping your teeth healthy.
5. Keeping Your Ticker Healthy. Pick the dark chocolate and you have a dietary supplement that will improve your coronary circulation.
6. Keeping Your Skin Happy. Cocoa butter is marvelous stuff – rich, smooth and with an aroma that will have everyone fighting to get near you. And since it’s chocolate, it’s technically edible – the way all skincare products should be.
7. Stop Your Tension Going Hyper. A study from the University Hospital of Cologne found a link between polyphenol-rich (dark) chocolate and lowered blood pressure. A heavenly reason to eat chocolate when you’re stressed – as long as it’s the right kind, of course.
8. Feeding Your Car (or Airship)? Escherichia coli bacteria have a sweet tooth – and when they gorge on surplus chocolate, they produce hydrogen that can be used as a clean source of power. Speculating wildly, could waste chocolate power the zero-emissions vehicle of tomorrow? 
9. Making You Smarter. Dark chocolate is rich in flavanols that improve the circulation of blood around your body, including the brain – fighting mental fatigue, making you more alert and generally making you a more efficient thinker. For this reason, chocolate is one of the smartest foods we know.
10. As Spa Treatments. Chocolate contains antioxidants (the less processed the better) so used correctly, it’s good for the skin. Hershey – recent newcomer to the organic market – has a hotel where you can indulge in cocoa-rich treatments ranging from chocolate milk baths and a cocoa bean polish to the hour-long chocolate fondue wrap. Can you imagine a chocolate high?
11. As Perfume. Rather obvious when you think about it. Chocolate is one of those smells, like coffee and fresh-baked bread, that seems to weakens everyone’s knees even if they don’t like the product itself. However, this perfume claims the aroma is a male aphrodisiac that makes you thin. Riiight.
12. Lifting Your Mood. Reaching for the chocolate when you’re feeling glum has become a cultural cliché, and since eating chocolate appears to have similar physiological effects to kissing, it’s not hard to see why. (Dean Ornich, M.D. describes the sensation for Newsweek). Since it improves the circulation, is a mild stimulant and makes you euphoric, chocolate seems perfectly suited to lift you out the doldrums…but not everyone agrees.
13. Not Feeding Your Pets. Here’s why dog chocolates were invented. Human chocolate contains theobromine – harmless to us but highly toxic to our four-legged friends. So ignore even the most imploring look…in case your kindness kills.