CHOCOLATE INDUSTRY

HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
The origins of chocolate can be traced back to the ancient Maya and Aztec civilisations in

Central America, who first enjoyed 'chocolatl'; a much-prized spicy drink made from roasted cocoa beans. Throughout its history, whether as cocoa or drinking chocolate beverage or confectionery treat, chocolate has been a much sought after food. Because cocoa beans were valuable, they were given as gifts on occasions such as a child coming of age and at religious ceremonies.

 word "chocolate" entered the English

language from Spanish. How the word came into Spanish is less certain, and there are multiple competing explanations. "chocolate" comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, from the word "chocolatl", which many sources derived from the Nahuatl word "xocolatl" made up from the words "xococ" meaning sour or bitter, and "atl" meaning water or drink.

 Chocolate comes from the fermented,

roasted, and ground beans of the Theobroma cacao, the cacao or cocoa tree. The word "Chocolate" comes from the [Nahuatl language of the Aztecs. The Nauhaul word xocolatl means "bitter water". The Precolumbian peoples of the Americas drank chocolate mixed with vanilla, chile pepper, and achiote

 Europeans sweetened it by adding sugar and

milk and removing the chile pepper. They later created a process to make solid chocolate creating the modern chocolate bar. Although cocoa is originally from the Americas. today Western Africa produces almost twothirds of the worlds cocoa.

 Today, it is one of the most popular and

recognizable flavors in the world. There are many foods that contain chocolate such as chocolate bars, candy, ice cream, cookies, cakes, pies, chocolate mousse, and other desserts.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE

Making chocolate from the bean isn't easy.

Chocolate companies invest millions of dollars into tools and machinery to turn bitter cacao beans into delicious chocolate bars. But with many hours -- or possibly days -- of hard work and dedication to detail, along with some equipment of your own, you can turn your kitchen into a miniature chocolate factory.

7-STEPS OF CHOCOLATE MAKING

STEP1 Roast the cocoa beans.

The process is similar to roasting coffee beans, except with gentler requirements:

5-35 minutes at temperatures between 120-160 degrees C(250-325 degrees F).

You must generally expose the beans to an initial high temperature, lower the temperature gradually, and stop roasting when the beans start to crack (but not burn).

The first image shows the cocoa beans before roasting, and the second image

shows the after-result.

You can accomplish this in your oven or by using a store-bought roaster.

 STEP2
Crack and winnow the beans. After roasting, the beans must be cracked

into nibs and winnowed, whereby the husks (chaff) are removed.

You can crack the beans with a hammer

and remove the husks (which should be loose after proper roasting) by hand if you are working with a small batch.

 For larger batches, you can use

a very coarse, Corona type mill or purchase a specialized mill (shown here, also see Citations below) to crack the beans into nibs. To winnow the nibs, stir them gently with your hands or a spoon as you blow on them with a hair dryer or small shop until the husks are blown away.

 STEP3 Grind the nibs into a cocoa liqueur. You will need equipment strong enough to liquefy the

nibs and separate the remaining husks. General food processors, Vita-Mix, coffee grinders , meat grinders, mortar and pestles, and most juicers will not work. You may need to experiment to find equipment that gets the job done. Feed the nibs into the juicer one handful at a time, being sure to push them in gently (not forcefully) or else the motor may overheat. Cocoa liqueur will come through the screen and a mixture of husks and liqueur will find its way through the spout. Feed this mixture through the juicer again until only the husk comes through the spout.

 STEP4 Conch and refine the chocolate. By definition, conching affects the characteristic

taste, smell and texture of the chocolate. while refining reduces the size of the cocoa solids and sugar crystals. Both processes can be applied at the same time with a powerful wet grinder (success has been reported with a Spectra 10 melanger, also called the "Stone Chocolate Melanger"

How you conch and refine the chocolate will depend on what equipment you use, but here are guidelines for the Spectra 10 melanger:

 Melt the chocolate and the cocoa butter in the oven

to about 120 degrees F. Combine with non-fat dry milk powder, sugar, lecithin and a vanilla pod (split and soaked in the cocoa butter 1 hour; this is an optional flavoring).
Pour the chocolate mixture in the grinder, periodically

pointing a hair dryer at it for 2-3 minutes to keep the chocolate melted during the first hour (until the friction created by grinding keeps the chocolate liquid without additional heat being needed).

 STEP4 contd
Continue refining for at least 10 hours and no more than 36 hours, until the chocolate tastes smooth and balanced, but be sure not to over-refine (or it will get gummy). To take a break from refining (e.g. at night while you're sleeping, see Warnings), turn off the grinder, put the covered bowl into an oven that's preheated to 150 degrees F but turned off, and leave it there over take the cover off and turn the oven on to about 150-175 degrees F until the chocolate melts.

 STEP5 Temper the chocolate This is likely the most difficult part of the process, but it ensures that the chocolate will be shiny and have a "snap" to it, rather than being matte and soft enough to melt in your hands. However, the great thing about tempering is you can do it as many times as you like and the chocolate won't be ruined. The most important thing is that you do not let

any moisture in the chocolate, or it will be ruined.

 Melt your chocolate carefully. You can

accomplish this in the oven if you are using larger quantities of chocolate, or you can use a double broiler on the stove. It's your choice, just make sure that the chocolate does not burn (keep stirring) and you melt more than 1.5 pounds of chocolate. Any less and tempering could prove difficult. When the chocolate is melted to a temperature of around 110 or 120 degrees F, transfer it to a dry, cool bowl and stir until the chocolate temperature drops to about 100 degrees F. Use a candy thermometer to gauge the temperature. The chocolate in the bowl should remain at the same temperature while you work with chocolate outside of the bowl.

 Pour about one third of the

contents of the bowl onto a hard, non-porous counter top or other surface (granite or marble works best). Spread the chocolate out with the spatula, and then bring it all back together

 Continue doing this (for

about 10-15 minutes) until the chocolate is about 85 degrees F. By the time the chocolate cools down to that point, the chocolate should be a thick, gooey mass.

 Add some of the 100 degree

F chocolate from the bowl to get the chocolate workable again. Gently work the chocolate around.

 Return the chocolate back into the bowl with the 100 degree chocolate. Stir it gently, and

try not to create bubbles. Check the chocolate's temperature. You want it around 90 degrees F, but never over 92 degrees F. Anything higher than this and you may need to temper the chocolate againbles.

 STEP6
Mold the chocolate while it is

still at about 90 degrees F. Pour the chocolate into the molds, careful not to spill. Some people find it effective to use a large syringe to place chocolate in the mold, but it is all about personal preference. When all of the chocolate has been added to the molds, you may either freeze, refrigerate, or let them harden at room temperature. Again, it's all about personal preference, and there is no right way to do it.

 STEP7
Remove the chocolate from

the molds when the chocolate is hardened. The molded chocolate should have a glossy appearance and should snap cleanly in two under pressure. If you are unsatisfied with your outcome, you may re-temper the chocolate as long as the chocolate remains dry and you haven't burned it.