When
selecting any chocolate it must only contain the bare
essentials. Anything else is simply a crime.
- Cocoa
- Cocoa Butter,
- Sugar,
- Vanilla,
- Lecithin
Believe it or not, 90%+ of the chocolate that is readily
available to consumers has been meddled with in some
form or another. Many of the confectionary industry's
leading producers use fat and flavor substitutes to
lower costs and improve shelf life.
If you dig deep enough into the world of chocolate,
you'll find some old world chocolatiers who make chocolate
with only cocoa and just a minute amount of added sugar.
If you have not tried it, its a must. See our list
of gourmet chocolatiers for
details on where to find it.
When choosing a gourmet chocolate for cooking or otherwise,
be on the lookout for these culprits:
- Vanillin
- Palm Kernel Oil (hydrogenated fat)
- Coconut Oil (hydrogenated fat)
- Rape seed Oil (hydrogenated fat)
Vanillin is a substitute for real
vanilla from the vanilla bean found in such places
as Madagascar, Indonesia & Mexico. Vanillin is a chemically
produced synthetic flavor made from a byproduct of
the vanilla
bean combined
with wood pulp from pine trees. That's right you may
as well be eating pine cones instead of gourmet chocolate.
If it is not directly stated in the ingredients, look
for the statement "imitation vanilla flavoring" that
is a tell tale indicator that the chocolate you are
buying may contain tree sap.
Hydrogenated Fats - Real gourmet
chocolate contains cocoa butter,
a naturally produced fat from the cocoa pod which grows
on the
cocoa tree. In today's market, cocoa butter substitutes
such
as palm kernel oil, coconut oil, & rape seed oil
have all been introduced to increase stability and
reduce costs. These fat substitutes are referred to
as hydrogenated fats. "No No's" if
you are watching your LDL and HDL cholesterol levels.
Hydrogenated fats
are derived from taking plant oils and squeezing in
an extra couple of hydrogen molecules. Sounds yummy
doesn't it? Make sure the ingredients list only cocoa
butter as the main source of fat.
Cocoa Concentration - Cocoa solids
are the powdered and processed contents of the cocoa
bean.
The more cocoa solids the less sugar and the more chocolate
you
will
taste.
Refer to the following table as a general rule of thumb:
| CHOCOLATE
VARIETIES : |
| Name: |
AVG.
% Cocoa Solids |
| White |
0% |
| Milk |
30% to 40% |
| Semi-sweet |
<60% |
| Bitter |
60% |
| Extra Bitter |
>60% |
|
The concentration you seek in your gourmet chocolate
is truly a matter of individual preference. When browsing
the
shelves,
you will notice that manufactures are starting to place
a higher emphasis on Cocoa solid concentration. It
is not uncommon to find 65% to 85% cocoa solids listed
on many of today's gourmet chocolate bars. Milk chocolate
does not usually carry the concentration notation so
it
really
may be
a guessing
game for this
variety.
Origin - Origin plays an important
role as it does with a fine wine or cheese. The big
todo nowadays is "Single Origin" or ""single
cru" varietal gourmet chocolate. This
indicates that the lineage of the bean used in its
production
can be traced back to a single solitary location. Again
as with a fine wine, every location bundles with it
unique tastes and quality characteristics that give
the chocolate its individuality. Cocoa plantations
can be laden with flora, fauna, soil conditions, or
climactic differneces that directly effect the flavor
of the final product.
Most gourmet chocolate is a blend of several beans
from several origins possibly, several countries.
According to industry leaders, some of the very best
beans come from a handful of preferred countries including
Venezuela, Ecuedor, , beans being the most sought
after.
Good beans and good chocolate are two distinctly diferent
things. Good beans are curcial for good chocolate but,
the art of bean selection and processing are the ....
So
remember when choosing a gourmet chocolate, that
origen or "cru" is not everything. Base your choice
more
on the reputation of the chocolatier and then where
the beans originate. You can't go wrong with anyone
of the following:
 Click
here for
the 2004
cocoa bean production chart.
|
