We love chocolate in all its many forms, so why do we need to know more about it? It tastes good, and it makes us feel good, and it’s made by Oompa Loompas in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory – let’s just leave it at that. Well, that’s what we thought, until we stumbled across some interesting facts that actually justify our love for the creamy confection.
It all began thousands of years ago in Mexico, where cacao powder was mixed with chilli and cornmeal for medicine and, curiously, served as an alcoholic beverage while preparing for war. So highly prized was the cocoa bean that it was even used as currency by the Aztecs. Then the Conquistadors snuck it to Spain, who hid it from Europe for a hundred years or so, until the secret got out in 1615. For a while, chocolate as a confection was luxuriously handmade and became a status symbol of the rich and famous. That lasted until the civilisation-changing event of the Industrial Revolution produced, among other items, the chocolate press. This was the Model T – or should we say C – of taste – delivering delectable delights and transporting the masses with ease into culinary heaven. The rest, as they say, is history.
Strangely enough though, chocolate in its raw state is intrinsically bitter, with an acidic pH of 5.8. Remember tasting cocoa power as a child and being horribly surprised? That’s why. The taste is largely defined by the amount of sugar added in production. On one end of the spectrum, white chocolate is made from cocoa butter, which is the residue left over when the chocolate press has extracted the cocoa powder from the roasted cocoa beans. Hence, it’s really a waste product of dark chocolate and only just makes it into the chocolate line-up. Our apologies to all the Cadbury Dream lovers out there! Dark chocolate has high cocoa levels and is indeed the preferred choice of 35% of the world’s chocolate lovers. Milk chocolate has lower levels of cocoa and contains milk solids which give it a smooth, creamy texture. Think Whittaker’s Creamy Milk or Dove. There are multitudes of semi-sweet varieties in between, but the best type is the superb couverture, which demands a minimum of 35% cocoa solids and 31% cocoa butter. Specialty ruby cocoa beans provide a unique colour and a fruity flavour, and this is the chocolate to use if you’re looking for high gloss coatings or glazing.
Now for the justification. Science has proven that chocolate increases our happiness, and here’s why: The four neurotransmitters (endorphins [induced by laughter], dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin) form the quartet responsible for the joyfulness which is released when we eat chocolate. Scientists also tell us that the feeling you get when you eat chocolate is akin to the dizzy sensation when you fall in love – it is the same chemical reaction!
So that’s it – the more you know, the more you love, even if there are no Oompa Loompas involved!
Recipe Inspirations
