Chocolate FAQs
- Who invented chocolate as we know it?
- Where does chocolate come from?
- What types of Chocolate are there?
- Why do some chocolates that I've tasted had a funny texture, or taste?
- Is Chocolate an Aphrodisiac?
- Can My Pets eat Chocolate?
- Is there much Caffeine in Chocolate?
- Does Chocolate Cause Acne?
- How should I store the Chocolate I buy at Uncle Sam's?
- How do we get the Chocolate that we know and love at Uncle Sam's?
- How do they make Chocolate from Cocoa Beans?
Who invented chocolate as we know it?
The story of chocolate began in the New World with the Mayans, who drank a dark brew called cacahuaquchtl. Later, the Aztecs consumed chacahoua and used the cocoa bean for currency. In 1523, they offered cocoa beans to Cortez, who introduced chocolate to the Old World, where it swiftly became a favorite food among the rich and noble of Europe.
From the beginning, turning raw, bitter cocoa beans into what one 17th century writer called "the only true food of the gods" has been a fine art, a delicate mixture of alchemy and science. Centuries ago it was discovered that by fermenting and roasting the beans, an almost otherworldly flavor could be created. In 1875, after years of trying, a 31-year-old candy maker in Vevey named Daniel Peter figured out how to combine milk and cocoa powder. The result — milk chocolate. Peter, a friend and neighbor of Henri Nestlé, started a company that would quickly become the world's leading maker of chocolate. For three decades the company called Peter, Cailler, Kohler relied on Nestlé for milk and marketing expertise. In 1929, the almost inevitable merger took place as Nestlé acquired Peter, Cailler, and Kohler.
Where does chocolate come from?
Chocolate starts with a tree called the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao). This tree grows in equatorial regions, especially in places like South America, Africa and Indonesia. The cacao tree produces a fruit about the size of a small pineapple Inside the fruit are the tree's seeds, also known as cocoa beans.
What types of Chocolate are there?
Baking Chocolate - Pure cocoa liquor with nothing added.
Cocoa Powder - Cocoa bean solids. Cocoa liquor pressed to remove the cocoa butter.
Semi-sweet Chocolate - Pure cocoa liquor with extra cocoa butter and some sugar.
Milk Chocolate - Pure cocoa liquor with extra cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids. There is more milk than chocolate liquor in milk chocolate.
White Chocolate - Cocoa butter plus sugar and milk. There are no cocoa bean solids in white chocolate.
Why do some chocolates that I've tasted had a funny texture, or taste?
Because they are not real chocolate! They are what is know as "Chocolate flavored Candy",Confectionery Coating", or "Summer Coating".
They are a blend of cocoa powder and coconut oil and are like other chocolate products using sugar, milk and flavorings. The substitution of other fats for cocoa butter can make these products less expensive or easier to use than real chocolate. They are notorious for being high in saturated fat and leaving a greasy coating on the roof of the mouth. Individuals who purvey these products as real chocolate are violating FDA Federal and State Food Laws. At Uncle Sam's we like to give you the example of an individual who buys a cubic ziconia and thinks he is getting a diamond! It is out and out illegal to do this, yet it happens all the time. Be aware! Look for the ingredients "Chocolate LIQUOR" and "Cocoa BUTTER".
Chocolate is the traditional gift of love, ranking right up there with roses as the most romantic gift one can give.
But is it really an aphrodisiac? There is some evidence that the answer might be yes. Chocolate contains three substances, caffeine, theobromine and
phenyethylamine that might be related to this myth. Caffeine acts as a stimulant. Theobromine stimulates the heart muscle and the nervous system. And
phenyethylamine is reputed
Unequivocally, no. The theobromine in chocolate that stimulates the cardiac and nervous systems is too much for dogs, especially smaller pups. A chocolate bar is poisonous to dogs and can even be lethal. The same holds true for cats, and other household pets.
Is there much Caffeine in Chocolate?
Although there is less caffeine in chocolate that there is in a cup of coffee, people who are avoiding caffeine should unfortunately stay away from chocolate as well. There are about 30 milligrams of caffeine in your average chocolate bar, while a cup of coffee contains around 100 to 150 milligrams.
This is another myth about chocolate. While some people might be allergic to chocolate, or some of its ingredients, the belief that chocolate causes acne universally has been disproved by doctors for some time.
How should I store the Chocolate I buy at Uncle Sam's?
Chocolate is best kept at around 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of a nice pantry or dark cabinet. Kept at this temperature, chocolate (assuming it isn't covering fruit or other perishables) has a shelf life of about a year. Freezing chocolate isn't such a great idea; when you freeze it, then thaw it out, it will have a greater tendency to bloom(which means it turns gray and cloudy). It won't hurt it but will make it look funny. Also we recommend keeping it away from strong food odors or soaps and chemicals, as it will have a tendency to acquire a poor taste. Some have experienced "Soapy" tasting chocolate and this because it has been stored next to detergent or soap. We personally recommend a kitchen cabinet on the outside wall of a house, where there are only dishes or plates and utensils; no other foodstuffs. It will be cool, dry, and odor-free.
How do we get the Chocolate that we know and love at Uncle Sam's?
You can see that, so far, we haven't really done anything - we've taken the seeds of a tree, roasted them and ground them up. Now the process of making the chocolate we eat can begin, and it takes a lot of talent. There are three basic things that must be done by the chocolate maker to make a chocolate bar:
Adding ingredients - the chocolate that we eat contains sugar, other flavors (like vanilla) and often milk (in milk chocolate). The chocolate maker adds these ingredients according to his or her secret recipe.
Conching - a special machine is used to massage the chocolate in order to blend the ingredients together and smooth it out. Conching can take as long as 3 days in the finest chocolates.
Tempering - tempering is a carefully controlled heating process. Tempering is a process where the chocolate is slowly heated, then slowly cooled, allowing the cocoa butter molecules to solidify in an orderly fashion. Without tempering, the chocolate does not harden properly or the cocoa butter separates out (like cream separates from milk). Real Chocolate always requires tempering.
These three steps, along with the blend of cocoa beans chosen at the start and the way they are roasted, are the art of chocolate making. The steps control the quality, taste and texture of the chocolate produced.
How do they make Chocolate from Cocoa Beans?
The beans are fermented for about a week, dried in the sun and then shipped to the chocolate maker. The chocolate maker starts by roasting the beans to bring out the flavor. Different beans from different places have different qualities and flavors, so they are often sorted and blended to produce a distinctive mix.
Once roasted and blended, the beans are ground, and the ground beans form a viscous liquid called chocolate liquor (the word liquor has nothing to do with alcohol - that's just what it's called). All seeds contain some amount of fat, and cocoa beans are no different. However cocoa beans are half fat, which is why the ground beans form a liquid. If you have ever ground up peanuts to make real peanut butter, that is similar - real peanut butter is a thick liquid. The difference between peanut oil and cocoa oil is that peanut oil is liquid at room temperature while cocoa oil is a solid up to about 90 degrees F. Chocolate liquor is pure, unsweetened chocolate. Eaten in this state it is pretty nasty because it is bitter, but it is possible to acquire a taste for it.
You can do two different things with chocolate liquor. You can pour it into a mold and let it cool and solidify. This is unsweetened chocolate. Or you can press it in a hydraulic press to squeeze out the fat. When you do that, what you are left with is a dry cake of the ground cocoa bean solids and cocoa butter (useful in everything from tanning products to white chocolate). If you grind up the cake you have cocoa powder. You can buy both unsweetened chocolate (baking chocolate) and pure cocoa powder at the grocery store. Cocoa Powder is generally a byproduct, and is never contained in REAL CHOCOLATE. If you see Cocoa Powder on the ingredient label, then it is IMITATION CHOCOLATE!