Basket Nib

How is Chocolate Made?

Chocolate is one of the most favorite items among millions of people across the globe. The young, kids, the old, men and women all like chocolate. In fact, chocolate is irresistible, but how is chocolate made?

Johannes Van Houten, a Dutch chemist in 1828, invented the chocolate. He actually invented a method of extracting the fat or cocoa butter from ground cocoa beans. The result was a much less bitter tasting product. This is combined with honey or sugar and converted into a drink to suit to human taste buds. The process was named after this chemist and known as the Van Houten.

Some years later in 1875, Daniel Peters, a Swiss manufacturer used the same process and made a variation in the process via adding chocolate with powdered milk. This gave birth to the first ever milk chocolate.

How is chocolate made?

Preparing chocolate is no child’s play. It takes a lot of your time and is also quite a complex product. Here is a guide to simplify the whole process and let you understand in an easy way.

a) Step 1:

The basic step involves harvesting of cocoa pods. These pods are crushed. For the coming six days, the pulp surrounding the beans is fermented after being extracted.

b) Step 2:

Here the beans are graded and then roasted. The number of times roasting requires to be done actually depends on the size and type of the beans. This is what will affect the chocolate flavor.

c) Step 3:

This step involves light crushing in order to separate the ‘Nib’ or Kernel from the husk or shell. Thereafter, the husk is separated and discarded.

d) Step 4:

Some manufacturers prefer putting cocoa nibs through a process known as alkalization in order to come up with a distinct color and flavor. On the other hand, there are also some purists who prefer to produce the finest kind of chocolate, via relying on the quality of the beans as well as natural processing, in order to come up with the best of color as well as flavor.

e) Step 5:

The nibs are milled and then liquefied in the heat that is produced by the process of milling in order to produce cocoa liquor. This liquor is also known as cocoa mass. This is thereafter cooked and solidified.

f) Step 6:

The solid cocoa a mass is blended with chocolate butter and other ingredients towards the end in order to produce varied types of chocolate.

The process of making chocolate may also vary according to the individual’s interest and desire. Some manufacturers try to dry the pulp extracted from the pods in an accelerated or artificial manner. However, some are perfectionists and would not compromise on the quality of the chocolate. This is the reason natural drying process is preferred by putting the cocoa. Pulp extract under the sun for seven days in order to dry under the sun. this produces the finest quality chocolate as the product. There are different types of chocolate available on the market today such as plain dark chocolate, milk chocolate, whit chocolate, Aphrodite chocolate and a lot more! This is a brief explanation of how is chocolate made.

About the Author

Making chocolate has been around for hundreds of years. Many people want to know how is chocolate made, we have provided a wealth of information on all things chocolate. Visit our site today for more information. http://www.mymakingchocolatesite.com/

By M. Applebaum