Tuesday, February 1, 2011

DARK AND ARTISAN CHOCOLATES

Chocolate is one of the most common and favorite products used nowadays. Chocolate comprises of raw or processed foods produced from the seed of tropical "Theobroma Cacao" Tree. The greater share of the world cocoa growth is produced in Western Africa( mainly Côte d'Ivoire ), Mexico, Central and South America. The seeds of cacao or cocoa tree has an intense bitter taste and must be fermented in order to give it a flavor. After the fermentation the cacao beans are cleaned and roasted and the shell is removed. This cocoa mass is usually liquified, so its also called liquor chocolate which can be further processed into two components; Cocoa Butter and Cocoa solids.The three main varieties of cacao beans used in chocolate are criollo, forastero and trinitario. Majority of chocolate consumption nowadays is of sweet chocolate, mostly in the form of chocolate bars, that contains cocoa butter, cocoa beans, sugar and condensed milk. The use of this chocolate is common in many beverages, cakes, and several other dishes as well.

They are many chocolate products; from chocolate bars to fudge. Some of the biggest chocolate manufacturers from around the world, include the biggest US manufacturer of chocolate; "The Hershey Company" and "Mars" from the United states, Cadbury from the United Kingdom, and Nestle SA. All of the manufactures produce a variety of different chocolate products, hoping to attract the customers with every creation.

Unsweetened chocolate is pure chocolate liquor, also known as bitter, baking or dark chocolate. The pure, ground, roasted chocolate beans impart a strong, deep chocolate flavor. It is mainly used in baking purposes having a strong and bitter taste and may not be eaten directly as a bar. "Amano" is distinguished as being the first American company at the Academy of Chocolate Awards to claim a Gold award, for bean-to-bar dark chocolate. And when it comes to health, there is nothing sinister with dark chocolate. Because, it doesn't contains additional emulsifiers and sugars which are harmful for health. It is loaded with flavonols, strong antioxidants that promote normal blood pressure and healthy blood flow. Its amazing that it has an anti-aging factor as well. It keeps the cells elastic and elastic cells easily transports the nutrients needed by the body organs and when the cells are healthy, they keep the skin supple and younger looking.

One of the most frequent terms used for types of chocolate is "Artisan Chocolate". Artisan means one who professes and practices some liberal art; an artist. Artisan is someone who creatively conceives, designs and executes a product. In case of chocolate, the term refers to the exceptional quality, traditional hand-made chocolate, which every company out there promises to offer. And these traditional methods of producing chocolate includes Batch Roasting, Winnowing, Refining, Tempering and Depositing Chocolate. These types are chocolates are very rarely produced at it takes a lot of time and effort to complete.

Chocolate have gained remarkable popularity in the past decade. And with its increasing demand, it will continue to be cultivated on larger and larger scales.
















DARK AND ARTISAN CHOCOLATES