Welcome to Chocolate Making Guide
Chocolate Making Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
A Brief Look at the Past of Making Chocolate
from:Everything has its origin. Did you know that even the process of making chocolate has a history? This may be your favorite thing to do now on your pastime. Or you may be even addicted to the taste of such treat. But this piece will not add up to that craving as it tries to give you a better view as to how it all started.
The Theobroma Cacao or the food from the Gods is what you all know as the cocoa tree. Its origin can be traced on America's rainforests, specifically in Central America. But historians are still debating about certain facts about this tree.
Xocolat, Anyone?
There are arguments that the Mayans first grew such tree in 300 AD. And the Aztecs had their turn in cultivating such in 1100 AD. The chocolate that you all know now used to be called Xocolat. This was a special beverage that was made out of chilies, anise seed, vanilla, cornmeal and some more spices. Only royalties get to be treated with such delight at the time. It was served using golden cups that were to be used only once.
Save the Chocolates
The cocoa tree is sensitive to its surroundings. It will most likely grow in the shades of the canopy of the rainforest. For this reason, chocolate lovers must unite in the goal of saving the environment, especially in saving the rainforests where the cacaos will most likely survive.
This tree is unique in the sense that its fruits grow on its branches and trunk. The reason for this is because of midges. These are the tiny insects that cause the pollination process during nighttime.
Did you know that the cacao tree can have approximately 10,000 blossoms but only about 10 to 50 of those will mature into fruits or the pod? This is because like an intelligent human being, the tree of cacao can regulate its blossoms to the amount that it can handle and grow.
The cacao tree self regulates in this process to be able to sustain its good health. It knows what it can contain and handle. It knows just how many is enough and too much. The tree does this to preserve its internal systems and to prevent its branches from breaking or falling apart.
The cocoa beans come from the fruit or the pod from the intelligent tree. Harvesters wait for the pod to ripen. They will handpick the trees and crack up the pods until they see white pulpy elements that surround the seeds. The pulps are then trashed while the seeds are kept because those are your cocoa beans, the source of your chocolate treats.
These seeds are actually bitter during such time. For this reason, these will go through the fermentation process for about three to seven days. This method will cause the seeds to go through some chemical as well as physical changes. The result of this will then be used for the royalties' treat, the Xocolat.
The beans need to go through several procedures after which before it can be used for the traditional making chocolate purposes. Now that you know where it came from, you'll never look at your favorite chocolate the same way ever again. Or probably not. Whatever it has been through, chocolates will remain a favorite among children and child at heart.
Chocolate Making News
Le Whif - The Future of Chocolate is Calorie-Free - Luxist (blog)
Le Whif - The Future of Chocolate is Calorie-Free Luxist (blog) There's different ways of making powdered chocolate and coffee, but what's really important is the particle size. It needs to be small enough that it gets ... |
Survivor: Heroes vs Villains: Wily Wankers and the Chocolate Factory. - Huffington Post (blog)
Survivor: Heroes vs Villains: Wily Wankers and the Chocolate Factory. Huffington Post (blog) Said Colby, making no sense: "I'm not annoyed with you. I'm ready to get to the challenge." He doesn't think a bit of chocolate might just deliver a teensy ... |
'Survivor: Heroes vs Villains' Recap: One's Injured, Another Goes Home - BuddyTV
 Digital Spy | 'Survivor: Heroes vs Villains' Recap: One's Injured, Another Goes Home BuddyTV And it is a rough challenge: there's a lot of grappling for three balls, two points and a chocolate getaway. Yes, kids, what is perhaps the oddest reward on ... Uncommon Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains - Week 5 Survivor Heroes vs Villains: Recap March 11, 2010 Survivor Panel: Heroes vs Villains, Week Five |
Treasures: Chocolate pot has a rich history - Seattle Times
Treasures: Chocolate pot has a rich history Seattle Times Treasures in Your Attic: A chocolate pot has a long history extending back to the time of Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph I, according to Joe Rosson and ... |
Chocolatiers for a day - Hudson Star Observer
Chocolatiers for a day Hudson Star Observer For five lucky individuals, Saturday brought chocolate making to life. Knoke's Chocolates offered a contest tied in with the recent Phipps Children's ... |
A night of delicious dishes at Mahogany - Mmegi Online
A night of delicious dishes at Mahogany Mmegi Online One of the new-look Mahogany dishes that the Gaborone Sun GM is so upbeat about is the not so familiar but enjoyable desert only known as Mahogany Chocolate ... |
Daytime is right time for kid-friendly entertainment in Vegas - San Jose Mercury News
Daytime is right time for kid-friendly entertainment in Vegas San Jose Mercury News M&M World, at the Showcase Mall in Las Vegas, is a 28000 square foot, four-story store dedicated to the chocolate candy, M&Ms. ... |