- William S. Barry, President and Grandson of the founder of Bloomer Candy Company
Chocolate begins with a bean ... a cacao bean. It has been mashed and eaten for centuries. The history of chocolate spans from 200 B.C. to the present, encompassing many nations and peoples of our world.
The scientific name of the cacao tree's fruit is "Theobroma Cacao" which means "food of the gods." In fact, the cacao bean was worshipped as an idol by the Mayan Indians over 2,000 years ago. In 1519, Hernando Cortez tasted "Cacahuatt," a drink enjoyed by Montezuma II, the last Aztec emperor. Cortez observed that the Aztecs treated cacao beans, used to make the drink, as priceless treasures. He subsequently brought the beans back to Spain where the chocolate drink was made and then heated with added sweeteners. Its formula was kept a secret to be enjoyed by nobility. Eventually, the secret was revealed and the drink's fame spread to other lands.
By the mid-1600s, the chocolate drink had gained widespread popularity in France. One enterprising Frenchman opened the first hot chocolate shop in London. By the 1700's, chocolate houses were as prominent as coffee houses in England.
The New World's first chocolate factory opened in 1765 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Sixty years later, Conrad Van Houten, a Dutch chemist, invented a cocoa press that enabled confectioners to make chocolate candy by mixing cocoa butter with finely ground sugar.
In 1876, Daniel Peter, a Swiss candy maker, developed milk chocolate by adding condensed milk to chocolate liquor - the nonalcoholic by-product of the cocoa bean's inner meat. The Swiss also gave the chocolate a smoother texture through a process called "conching." The name was derived from a Greek term meaning "sea shell" and referred to the shape of old mixing vats where particles in the chocolate mixture were reduced to a fine texture.
Types of Chocolate
Chocolate Liquor - Produced by grinding the cocoa bean nib (center) to a smooth, liquid state. The chocolate liquor can then be cooled and molded into blocks also known as unsweetened baking chocolate. The liquor and blocks contain roughly 53 percent cocoa butter.
Semi-sweet (bittersweet) Chocolate - Chocolate liquor to which sweeteners and cocoa butter have been added. Also known as dark chocolate. According to government standards, it must contain at least 35 percent chocolate liquor. Its fat content averages 27 percent.
Milk Chocolate - Cocoa butter, milk, sweeteners and flavorings are added to chocolate liquor. Lends itself to good use for garnishes and candy coatings. All milk chocolate made in the U.S. contains at least 10 percent chocolate liquor and 12 percent whole milk.
Sweet Chocolate - Contains more sweeteners than semi-sweet chocolate and at least 15 percent chocolate liquor. Sweet chocolate is used mostly for decorating and garnishing. The fat content is similar to semi-sweet.
White Chocolate - Although there is not yet a formal definition, white chocolate contains cocoa butter but no non-fat cocoa solids. Mostly used as a coating, it contains sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids and flavorings.
The Taste of Chocolate
| Type | Description | Flavor | Used for... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baking Chocolate | Finely ground and roasted cocoa beans made with chocolate liquor.* Does not include any sugar but may be flavored with vanilla. Also known as bitter chocolate. | Also known as bitter chocolate liquor. | Dessert recipes in which sugar is also added. |
| Sweet or Dark Chocolate | A general term for chocolates containing 15% to 35% chocolate liquor and less than 12% milk solids. Straight from the grinding mill with ingredients like cocoa butter, sugar and vanilla added to make it palatable. Includes bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate | Deep to moderate chocolate flavor, ranging from fruity to earthy, with minimal dairy or milk flavor. Bean blend determines flavor more than milk ingredients. | Chocolate chips; candy bars; coatings for fondants, nuts or other sweet centers; bakery items such as cookies. |
| Bittersweet or Semi-Sweet Chocolate | The darkest of eating chocolate with the highest percentage of chocolate liquor that contains extra cocoa butter to make it melt easily. Contains at least 35% chocolate liquor. | Tastes rich and smooth. Strongest chocolate flavor with minimal dairy or milk flavor. Flavor depends on cocoa bean blend rather than dairy ingredients. | Chocolate chips; bakery coatings. |
| Milk Chocolate | The most common form of eating chocolate. Contains at least 12% milk solids and 10% chocolate liquor. | Low level of chocolate liquor and high amounts of dairy ingredients results in a mellow chocolate flavor with typically strong milk and/or caramelized flavor. | Candy bars - solid or enrobed; chocolate chips. |
| Cocoa | The powdery remains of chocolate liquor after most of the cocoa butter is removed. The least fatty form of chocolate. Includes dutched chocolate. | Strong to mild chocolate flavor without the texture characteristic of cocoa butter. Colors range from light tan to red to black. | Reduced fat and calorie recipes; chocolate milk; ice cream; chocolate flavored coatings; syrups. |
| Dutched Chocolate | Chocolate liquor or cocoa powder which has undergone treatment with approved alkalizing agent to modify color, flavor and dispersability in beverages. | Although used mainly to modify color, flavor is affected as well. Extreme treatments produce black cocoa powder. | Baked goods where deep color is desired; ice cream; beverages. |
| Chocolate Flavored Coating | A blend of cocoa powder and vegetable fats other than cocoa butter. Foundations are similar to 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. | Has flavor similar to the other chocolates but may have a waxy mouth feel. | Alternative to all chocolate uses where cost and ease of use are important. |
| White Chocolate | A blend of cocoa butter, milk, sugar and flavor. Not really "chocolate" since no chocolate solids other than cocoa butter are present. Similar to milk chocolate in composition. | Sweet, milky dairy flavor with a hint of chocolate from the cocoa butter. Color ranges from pure white to yellow-white. | Candy bars; baking chips; bakery coating. |
*Chocolate liquor is the paste that is produced when cocoa beans are roasted and ground.
Chocolate & Candy Quick
Facts
- Per capita, Americans eat an average of 26.2 pounds of candy each year, split almost equally between candy and chocolate.
- Chocolate is America's favorite flavor. A 1989 Gallup survey revealed that 48 percent of U.S. adults said they like chocolate best, compared to 15 percent who preferred berry flavors.
- Chocolate manufacturers currently use 40 percent of the world's almonds and 20 percent of the world's peanuts.
- CMA members use about 3.5 million pounds of whole milk every day to make chocolates.
- Seventy-one percent of American chocolate eaters prefer milk chocolate.
- The Midwest and the Northeast consume more candy per region than the South, Southwest, West or Mid-Atlantic states.
- The melting point of cocoa butter is just below the human body temperature -- which is why it literally melts in your mouth.
- Older children are significantly more likely to prefer chocolate than younger children (59 percent of 9-11 year-olds prefer chocolate vs. 46 percent of 6-8 year-olds), according to a recent NCA/CMA survey.
- Americans consume over 3.1 billion pounds of chocolate each year, or 11.7 pounds per person.
- Denmark has the highest per capita consumption of candy in the world at 29.5 pounds.
- Americans over 18 years of age consume 65 percent of the candy that's produced each year.
- According to a recent survey conducted by NCA/CMA, candy is the No. 1 choice among children for afternoon snacking.
- Younger children are more likely than older children to prefer hard candies.
- About 65 percent of American candy brands have been around for more than 50 years.
Source: National Confectioners Association/Chocolate Manufacturers Association
They're All Talking About Chocolate...
"The superiority of chocolate (hot chocolate), both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain..."
Thomas Jefferson, 1785 letter to John Adams
"If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you. But you have no chocolate! I think of that again and again! My dear, how will you ever manage? "
Marquise de Sevigne, February 11, 1677
"Caramels are only a fad. Chocolate is a permanent thing."
Milton Snavely Hershey
"What use are cartridges in battle? I always carry chocolate instead."
George Bernard Shaw, 1894
"What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate..."
Katharine Hepburn
"Once in a while I say,'Go for it' and I eat chocolate."
Claudia Schiffer
Chocolate Manufacturers Association
National Confectioners Association
7900 Westpark Blvd. Suite A 320, McLean, Virginia 22102
Email: info@candyusa.org URL: http://www.candyusa.org