
If you are like many people, chocolate is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Often considered the fifth group of foods, chocolate inspired one of the most common and passionate love relationships of people with food. Although the taste is nothing short of amazing, our passion for chocolate since its discovery more than 2,000 years ago includes other advantages. Chocolate is considered an aphrodisiac, a natural remedy for blues, a part of cardiovascular health (more recently) and even a form of currency. Having a rich history and special health and social significance, we in Recipe4Living considered it appropriate to include a guide to chocolate. Satisfy your curiosity about chocolate, how it is made, and how you can choose, store and prepare chocolate in your own home.
Brief history of chocolate
Beginning of Maya
Our chocolate cheekiness began many, many centuries ago with the Mayan civilization in Mexico and Central America (250-900 AD). But the shape of the Maya in chocolate was very similar to what we like today. Most Mayans grow cocoa wood, a source of chocolate, in the backyard, and collect the seeds, which they then ferment, fry, and grind. In combination with water and hot chilli seasonings, ground paste has become a savory frothy drink, regularly obtained as part of the life of the Maya.
Aztec and Sacred Wine
The Aztecs adapted this bitter drink and even considered it food of the gods. The word chocolate comes from the Aztec word "xocoatl", which means a bitter drink. While most of the Mayans could enjoy the drink, chocolate was reserved for royalty, victims and other members of the highest social class in the Aztec culture. Chocolate was such an important part of the Aztec society that cocoa seeds became a form of currency.
Travel to Europe
When the Spaniard, led by Hernando Cortes, conquered Mexico in 1521, they quickly picked up the importance of chocolate for the Aztecs and sent him home. The Spaniards added cinnamon, sugar and other spices to very expensive imports and kept their chocolate drink secret, which has been used only by the Spanish nobility for almost 300 years. When the Spanish royal family began to marry other Europeans, this word spread quickly, and soon it became popular throughout Europe, but only for the rich. Until the 18th and 19th centuries, when the sea trade expanded, and chocolate became widespread, most of them could get chocolate. By the end of the 18th century, chocolate houses were as popular as coffee shops in England.
Chocolate making
Unlike many cultures, the pods of a thin cocoa tree must be manually selected, which makes the process of making chocolate a laborious task. Cops open one by one, and the seeds are covered with cellulose. To reduce bitterness, cocoa seeds are fermented for several days (for example, grapes) and then dried. At the moment, farmers sell bags of cocoa seeds for corporate buyers, where they produce industrial machines. On the factory floor, big cars bake seeds to release taste and aroma. Roasted seeds are plowed open to reach the root or heart, which is then ground into a chocolate solution (not liquor). This thick liquid, consisting of cocoa butter and cocoa solids, is controlled to create different types of chocolate.
Cocoa - This chocolate powder form, often used in baking, is made from pulverized cocoa solids with cocoa butter removed.
Unsweetened chocolate (bitter / baking chocolate) - It is a pure, unchanged chocolate solution consisting of 45% cocoa solids and 55% cocoa butter.
Sweet chocolate (semi-sweet) - Sugar, cocoa butter, lecithin and vanilla are added to the chocolate solution for making such chocolate, which contains at least 35% chocolate solution. Sweet chocolate and sweet semi-sweet chocolate are used interchangeably when baking.
Couverture - this term refers to the highest quality sweet and semi-sweet chocolate varieties. Chocolate sweets contain a higher percentage of chocolate liquor (even 70%).
Dark chocolate (also known American chocolate) - In this form of chocolate, milk is not added, which contains from 15% to 35% chocolate solution. Dark chocolate is actually lighter in chocolate than sweet and semi-sweet, even if it is dark.
Milk chocolate - This popular form of chocolate contains milk or powdered milk and from 10% to 25% chocolate solution. Milk chocolate is smoother, sweeter and less bitter than darker varieties.
White chocolate - Since white chocolate does not contain cocoa solids, it is not chocolate at all. White "chocolate" made from cocoa butter, vanilla, milk and sugar. It may not be chocolate, but it is still tasty.
Chocolate is good for you! ........ Honestly!
* Mood Elevator Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, which is a mild mood enhancer / antidepressant, and also turns out to be the same chemical that our brain produces when we feel love or happiness. Chocolate contains other stimulants to “boost” your mood, such as caffeine, in very small amounts. In fact, one ounce of milk chocolate contains about as much caffeine as a cup of decaffeinated coffee. Because these chemicals are so mild, chocolate is not considered physically dependent (despite how many people think about it).
o Want to make the final aphrodisiac? Like chocolate, chilli peppers are considered an aphrodisiac for their intensity of taste and their ability to increase heart rate. Maya and Aztecs understand this great pairing, and many chocolate today add different types of chili to their candy. Give it a try with your significant other. Try these great recipes:
Chocolate chili bite
Chocolate Chili Ice Cream
Spicy Chocolate Cake
Spicy Chocolate Truffles
Maya Hot Chocolate
Single Bowl Chocolate Cake
* Cardiovascular diseases. Like red wine, tea, fruits and vegetables, cocoa seeds contain important antioxidants, called flavonoids. Antioxidants help reduce certain damage to the body and body tissues over time. In recent studies, it was found that flavonoids in chocolate regulate certain hormones that are necessary for the health of the cardiovascular system, and may even have a further immunoregulatory effect. Dark chocolate, which contains the highest concentration of cocoa liquor, is considered the best for your health. Dark chocolate contains about twice as much antioxidants as an ingot of milk chocolate.
* Cholesterol. Just because it tastes good does not mean that it should be bad for you. Unlike many foods with comfort, eating chocolate will not increase cholesterol. Chocolate and cocoa butter contain both saturated and unsaturated fat. But unlike many saturated fats, stearic acid in chocolate is a neutral fat and does not raise the level of cholesterol in the blood (LDL). Unsaturated fat in chocolate, oleic acid, is the same type of fat as olive oil, which can actually help increase cholesterol (HDL).
Chocolate care
* Storage-Chocolate should be stored in a cool, dry place at about 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit. It can not be stored in the refrigerator, because moisture changes the texture and appearance of chocolate. High temperatures will cause a “bloom” or “cloud” on the surface of the chocolate. This color does not affect the taste or freshness of chocolate, only the appearance. This happens when cocoa butter crystals melt and migrate to the surface of the chocolate.
* Isolation-Chocolate tends to absorb the smells of any food around it, which is another reason not to keep chocolate in the refrigerator. Do not store chocolate in the same cupboard as onions, for example, because it will affect the taste of chocolate. Be careful that the storage container and all finished dishes are clean and odorless.
* Shelf life. Most chocolates will be stored for about a year if they are stored properly, and darker varieties will last longer. Filled candies should be kept for only about a month.
* Moisture - do not add water to chocolate, unless your recipe specifically requires it. The water will harden the texture and texture of the chocolate. Remember this principle when melting chocolate. Do not cover the melting chocolate with a lid, because steam will collect on the lid and get into the chocolate. If necessary, you can use a lightweight fabric.
* Melting chocolate. Since chocolate is very delicate, in order to heat up, you must slowly melt the chocolate, be well removed from the heat. Always heat the chocolate over low heat or it will quickly become an unappetizing mass. Use a double cauldron or place a pot of chocolate on another pan of boiling water on the stove. Keep in mind that chocolate will continue to melt even after removing it from the heat source, so be careful not to overcook it.
- Unsweetened chocolate will easily melt when melted, but sweetened chocolate must be constantly mixed.
- Chocolate flavored coating contains cocoa and vegetable oil, not cocoa butter. Coats are popular because they are easier to use for things like dipping, but the taste and quality are now close to true chocolate.
* Cooking with chocolate. Try to avoid thinning the chocolate with butter. Instead, look for chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa butter to maintain the quality of your product. When mixing different types of chocolate, such as milk and bitter-sweet, use the same brand. Ingredients and product can vary widely between companies, creating special flavors that many do not mix smoothly.
More wonderful chocolate recipes:
Chicken in pink sauce
Turkey Mole
Biscotti Chocolate
Chocolate and Orange Swirl Muffins
Non-alcoholic chocolate cake
Diabetic Chocolate Cheesecake
Ritz-Carlton Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Dreams
Top Chocolate Cakes
Chocolate Espresso Torte
Chocolate Dreams
Chocolate Lava Cake
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