There are different types of chocolate. Chocolate is a food product made from cocoa beans. It is consumed as candy and used to make drinks, flavour, or coat various desserts and bakery products. Chocolate is an excellent source of quick energy as it contains large amounts of carbohydrates and caffeine.
Moreover, the Maya, Toltec, and Aztec people planted the cacao tree more than three thousand years ago. They prepared a drink from the cocoa fruit. These people also used the bean as a currency. The Maya believed that chocolate was the food of the gods. Thus, they considered the cocoa tree a sacred tree.
Spain was the first European country that introduces chocolate into its kitchen. Known, Christopher Columbus introduced cocoa beans to Spain after his fourth voyage in 1502. In 1519, Montezuma II, ruler of Mexico, served a bitter cocoa-bean drink to the Hernán Cortés, who introduced the drink to Spain.
In 1657, a Frenchman opened a shop in London, the shop sold solid chocolate for making drinks, and its price reached fifteen shillings. At that price, only the upper class could afford to drink it. Later, many fashionable chocolate house shops appeared in London, Amsterdam, and other European capitals and developed and became famous private clubs.
By 1700, the English people added milk to chocolate, which gave it a better taste. Factors made chocolate from the seeds of fermented and roasted cocoa beans. Farmers plant these seeds to form fluid chocolate, which may be poured into moulds to form chocolate bars. Moreover, factors can add dried or concentrated milk to sweet chocolate to produce milk chocolate.
Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Poland produce more than 40 % of the world’s chocolate. Furthermore, there around the top six largest chocolate companies in the world, including Mars Wrigley Confectionery (USA), Ferrero Group (Luxembourg / Italy), Mondelez International (USA), Meiji Co Ltd (Japan), Hershey Co (USA), and Nestlé SA (Switzerland).
There are many types of chocolate that all people admire. Thus, we will discuss some of these types:
We will introduce the first type of chocolate, dark chocolate. It is a highly treasured food that appeared in 2000 BC. At that time, the Maya people from Central America were the first experts on chocolate. They drank it as a bitter fermented beverage blended with some spices or wine.
Nowadays, the long rows of chocolate bars on the shelves of markets are considered the result of many steps that start from the cacao pod. Farmers extract the pod from the seeds, ferment them, dry them, and roast them into cocoa beans. The farmers separate the peels of seeds from the nuclei or cocoa grains. Chocolate factors ground the grains into a liquid called chocolate liquor and separate it from the fatty part or cocoa butter.
Dark chocolate contains fifty or ninety per cent of cocoa solids, sugar, and butter. On the other hand, milk chocolate contains from ten to fifty per cent of cocoa solids, milk, cocoa butter and sugar. Thus, Dark chocolate should not include milk, unlike milk chocolate. Lower quality chocolates may add butter fat, vegetable oils, or artificial colours or flavours. Although dark chocolate does not contain milk, there may be traces of milk from the process of making as the same machines are usually used to produce Milk and Dark chocolate.
Moreover, Dark chocolate has many benefits to health as it is rich in plant substances called Flavanols that may help to protect the heart. Additionally, dark chocolate contains up to two to three times more than the usual percentage in Cocoa. Flavanols can help to relax the blood vessels and improve blood flow, thus lowering blood pressure.
The second type of chocolate we will discuss in this article is White chocolate. Factors make white chocolate from the cocoa plant; though it is not chocolate because to be called by that name, a product must contain chocolate liquor, which gives it the sour intense chocolate flavour and dark colour.
Nestlé Company in Switzerland introduced White chocolate to the world as the first white chocolate bar produced in 1930. Additionally, in 1945, other companies developed their formulas, such as that of Kuno Baedeker for the Merckens Chocolate Company. Moreover, people celebrate National White Chocolate Day on 22 September, while people honour National White Chocolate Cheesecake Day on 5 March.
From 1948 until the 1990s, Nestlé produced a white chocolate bar with almond pieces for markets in the United States and Canada. During the nineties, Hershey began a massive production of white Hershey’s Kisses. This product became very popular during the early 21st century.
White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, lecithin, milk solids and Flavourings, which usually include vanilla. It may also contain trace amounts of caffeine found in cocoa solids. Thus, White chocolate is more able to be rotten than milk or dark chocolate because it includes dairy products.
This type of chocolate is not famous in the United States, while most brands of white chocolate are in European countries. Many countries are notable for producing White chocolate, such as Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Poland. Although White chocolate is not well-known in the United States, it must have at least 20% of cocoa fat.
The third type of chocolate that we will talk about is milk chocolate. Chocolate factors make Milk chocolate from dark chocolate with low cocoa solid quota and a higher sugar quota plus a milk product. This milk product may be in the form of powdered milk, liquid milk, or condensed milk. The taste of milk chocolate is lighter and sweeter than the taste of dark chocolate. Besides, its texture is softer.
Confectioners use milk chocolate in many desserts, pastries, and confections. People also eat it as a whole bar. Additionally, if people stored it in suitable conditions, milk chocolate could be healthy for ten months to one year. Although many prefer dark chocolate, milk chocolate is still a best seller in the United States.
In 1875 a Swiss pastry cook called Daniel Peter developed milk chocolate using condensed milk, which Henri Nestlé had invented. Later, he worked with his friend Henri Nestlé, and they established the Nestle Company and introduced milk chocolate to the mass markets.
Moreover, the Hershey Company is the largest producer in the United States. In 1873, Milton S. Hershey established a candy shop in Philadelphia after a long time of practice. In 1896, Milton built a milk factory to create and refine a recipe for milk chocolate candies. In 1899, he developed his process, which was known as the Hershey process. It cared more about milk quality than traditional methods. In 1900, he started to produce Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars, also called Hershey’s Bars or Hershey Bars.
Cadbury is the most influential brand of milk chocolate in the United Kingdom. In 1905, the company’s founder established it in the United Kingdom. Currently, the company produces several products. Cadbury makes every product in its dairy Milk line of milk chocolate. Milka milk chocolate is widespread in Germany as it is the most famous German chocolate brand. The United States confectionery company Mondelēz International manufactured since 1990.
Furthermore, the most awesome milk chocolate bar reached a weight of 5,792.50 kg. It was made by Thorntons plc in the UK, on 7 October 2011. The ingredients of this bar were sugar, dried whole milk powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, and butter oil.
The fourth type of chocolate we will discuss in this article is unsweetened chocolate. This type is also known as baking chocolate, plain chocolate or bitter chocolate. Confectioners determine the quality of this type by the type of cocoa beans in it and how they are processed. The bar of unsweetened chocolate contains 50-55% of cocoa butter.
Unsweetened chocolate is considered the purest form of chocolate. It offers the depth of rich cocoa. Some people do not prefer unsweetened chocolate because it combines cocoa mass and butter. Moreover, it does not contain any sugar. Thus, it is called unsweetened chocolate.
Unsweetened chocolate is usually used in baking and pastries because a small amount of it gives a rich cocoa taste. Additionally, confectioners use it in cakes and bakes that already need lots of sugar as an ingredient.
In 1764, John Hannon and the American physician James Baker started to import chocolate beans and produce chocolate bars in the United States. The original brand name was Hannon’s Best Chocolate. This company continued to manufacture chocolate for almost fifteen years. In 1780, the name changed because Hannon’s wife, Elizabeth Gore Hannon, sold the company to the Baker.
The fifth type of chocolate that we will discuss is Semi-Sweet chocolate. It is a bar of dark chocolate that combines bitter chocolate flavour and sugar’s sweetness. Thus, it is considered a form of Dark chocolate. Chocolate factories make Semi-sweet chocolate from chocolate liquor, a small amount of sugar, cocoa butter, and often vanilla and lecithin. Moreover, the amount of ‘sweetness’ in Semi-Sweet chocolate varies from bar to bar.
Many people find milk chocolate too sweet for cakes and bakes. Thus, Semi-Sweet chocolate is considered a significant ingredient for baking because of its good balance of sweetness and bitterness. On the other hand, the richness of darker chocolate can dominate the other ingredients. Hence, Semi-Sweet chocolate is an essential kitchen ingredient for many great bakers.
People must always keep semi-sweet chocolate in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight, to keep it as fresh and delicious as possible. Keeping the chocolate in the fridge is not a perfect vision because the humidity can cause the chocolate to develop fat or sugar bud. It is a white, chalky layer usually found on its surface.
This type of chocolate has many benefits for the health as it contains a substance called Epicatechin, similar to the ones found in red wine and many sorts of berries. Thus, it can lower blood pressure, decrease cholesterol levels, and lower the possibility of heart disease. However, milk chocolate does not have this benefit because of the fat provided by milk solids in it. Hence, dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate are the best choices.
At first semi-sweet chocolate was used in making chocolate chips. In 1937, Chocolate chips were produced with the invention of chocolate chip cookies when Ruth Wakefield added cut-up chunks of a semi-sweet Nestlé chocolate bar to a cookie recipe. Chocolate companies make chocolate chips with other ingredients, such as peanut butter, bittersweet chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, and mint chocolate.
The sixth type of chocolate that we have is bittersweet chocolate. It is very dark, with high chocolate liquor content, but maintains a well-balanced flavour of solid chocolate and pleasant sweetness. Bittersweet is a blend of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, a tiny amount of sugar, and often vanilla and lecithin.
Confectioners use it in all sorts of chocolate confections and desserts, and it is also great to eat out of hand because of its high cocoa content. Furthermore, Bittersweet chocolate can be kept for years if stored in the proper and healthy conditions. Because of dark chocolate’s health benefits, people utilise it to treat various illnesses in the past.
Ancient Mesoamericans used roasted, crushed cacao beans to treat diseases and even kidney stones. Even before scientists understood the specific health benefits of chocolate, the wealthy in ancient times discovered them. The few who afford to eat chocolate daily had a better life than those who could not afford to eat the delicious cacao.
Additionally, on 10 January, people celebrate National Bittersweet Chocolate Day, while on 7 November, people celebrate National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day. This celebration shows how much people appreciate bittersweet chocolate.
Those bakers who are new to baking may not know there are many differences between bittersweet and semisweet chocolate. Thus, before they start baking with either of these types of chocolates, they must know some facts about both types.
Bittersweet chocolate contains 70% cacao and less sugar, while semisweet chocolate has 60% cacao. Nevertheless, confectioners use both of these chocolates in baking, but bittersweet chocolate has a deeper taste. Besides, When substituting bittersweet with semisweet and vice versa, there are some changes in the amounts the baker will add.
Bittersweet chocolate has some benefits for health because it is a good source of Flavonoids, which are reasonable for health. It also contains antioxidant compounds that play a vital role in lowering blood pressure. Although it has several pros for health, it has many cons as it contains Theobromine. This substance is responsible for sleeplessness and anxiety. It may also be poisonous sometimes.
Here are the Names of the Best Bittersweet Chocolate Bars Around the World:
The last type of chocolate we will introduce to you in this article is Sweet German chocolate. Sweet German chocolate is dark baking chocolate made by Walter Baker & a Company worker, Samuel German. Hence, the chocolate holds the name of the person who created it in 1852.
Samuel German thought this type of chocolate would be suitable for bakers as it already includes sugar. It is sweeter than semi-sweet chocolate and contains a mixture of chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, flavourings, and lecithin. People can buy this type of chocolate from bakeries more than from grocery stores.
The most famous recipe that contains Sweet German chocolate is German Chocolate Cake. This cake is very creamy and consists of three layers of moist chocolate cake with a rich and sweet caramel sauce, with coconut and pecans on the top.
This cake can be traced back to 1852 when an American baker called Samuel German developed a type of dark baking chocolate for the Baker’s Chocolate Company. On 3 June 1957, a recipe for “German’s Chocolate Cake” appeared as the “Recipe of the Day” in the News. A lady named George Clay, a homemaker from Texas, made it. This recipe used the Sweet German chocolate introduced hundred years ago and became rather popular.
The General Foods Company, which owned the Baker’s brand, published the cake recipe in other newspapers all over the country. Therefore, the sales of Sweet German chocolate increased by 73%, and the cake became a national staple.
Here are the Names of the Best Bittersweet Chocolate Bars Around the World:
Leave a Reply