Does the very word chocolate get your mouth watering? What a delectable food item. Do you love chocolate? I do. I’ve often called myself a chocoholic. Why is it that chocolate is loved by so many? How is it made? Where does it come from? There is so much to learn about this rich dark substance that many of us love.
If you looked up the word chocolate in the dictionary, you would find something like: a food in the form of a block or a paste made from roasted and ground cacao seeds. Sounds so simple. However, the chocolate making process is nothing but simple. I did some digging about my favorite food and came up with the following. It is fascinating!
Pods, Pods with cocoa beans
First of all there’s the Cocoa Tree. Cocoa beans grow in pods that are about the size of a football. These pods can be found on the branches and also the trunk of cocoa trees. Cacao trees are typically found in countries that are 10 degrees north or south of the equator with abundant rain. A tropical rainforest is ideal. Due to their welcoming climate for the growth of cacao trees, these countries are some of the top growers in the world: Brazil, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, and Nigeria.
Chocolate has an ancient history. Over three thousand years ago the Maya, the Toltec, and the Aztec peoples prepared a beverage from the fruit of the cocoa bean. That beverage is what we know as chocolate. The Maya considered chocolate to be the food of the Gods and the tree to be sacred. Due to their belief in the after life they would leave bowls of chocolate buried with those of high-rank. The chocolate that Mayans consumed was quite different from what we eat today. It was somewhat bitter and might even contain chili peppers and other ingredients. That brings us to the modern-day chocolate making process.
Oh Chocolate, Bitter or Sweet
So how do we get this delicious food from those not so pretty pods? The process is time consuming. Even in this day and age of modern industrialization, machines cannot be used to harvest cacao. In order to not damage the trees, all harvesting is done by hand. Once the collected pods have been opened and the cocoa beans are removed, the beans need to be fermented. In order to do this heat is used. At times the beans are placed in warm, shallow, heated trays, or they may be placed in the Sun if the weather is cooperative. Moreover, in about five to eight days fermentation is complete and the resulting brown colored beans are dried and shipped to Chocolate manufacturers. This is where the refining process begins. This would include the winnowing process and the roasting process.
Chocolate Roasting and Winnowing
When the dried beans arrive at the manufacturer they will need to be roasted. In addition, the outer shell is removed. What remains is the meat of the cocoa bean which is then broken into bits called nibs. Next comes the winnowing process. Winnowing involves passing the dry roasted cocoa beans through a series of sieves. As these sieves strain the nibs the result is that they are sorted according to their size.
Grinding
Next is the grinding process which produces some heat. As a result, the cocoa nibs will turn into a liquid as the fat in them melts. Voila! You now have chocolate liquor. This liquor can be pressed further to reduce the cocoa butter content and then pulverize to make cocoa powder. Another option is just to simply mix it with sugar and cocoa butter. Then a chocolate bar is born. If milk is added to the liquor it then becomes milk chocolate.
Chocolate Means Variety
Yes it does! Perhaps it’s ice cream that is your favorite. It could be cakes, pies, cookies, Etc. Yes, even some very healthy cookies right here. There are so many ways to enjoy chocolate. For some people it might simply mean having a piece of their favorite dark chocolate bar. In contrast, for others chocolate can be the starter to an amazing dessert like fondue. Interestingly, fondue originated in the 1600s in Switzerland as a melted cheese and wine dish. Furthermore, it was in the 1960s that a Swiss restaurant owner in New York City invented Chocolate Fondue. It was to be part of the dessert menu.
Below you will find an amazing recipe for Red Wine Dark Chocolate Fondue. Moreover, you can even have the wine needed for the recipe and the pairing delivered right to your door. You’ll definitely want to know about that. Be sure to try this recipe below.
Red Wine Dark Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients
- 1 Cup 60- 72% bittersweet cacao (from chips or a bar broken into pieces)
- 1 Cup semi-sweet morsels
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
- Splash of Amaretto
- 1/2 Cup of Red Wine
- 1/2 Tsp. Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Add heavy whipping cream, chocolate and vanilla extract to a double boiler. Use medium/high heat;
- Stir continuously.
- Remove from heat, add in the splash of Amaretto, red wine, and kosher salt.
If you don’t have a fondue pot, you can keep the fondue in the double boiler, on low heat. Serve your guests in small bowls or cups. This recipe will give you about 3 cups of fondue. It’s so simple! There are so many foods that you can have ready for dipping. Fruit, cake, brownies, etc. Enjoy!
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