Category Archives: Learning about chocolate
Is chocolade goed voor de hersenen?
Over de gezondheidseffecten van chocolade doen veel verhalen de ronde. Die verhalen worden door liefhebbers van chocolade duchtig gedeeld. Hoe zit dat precies? Word je een bolleboos als je regelmatig je tanden in een reep chocolade zet?
WAAR KOMT DIT NIEUWS VANDAAN?
Een Japans onderzoeksteam vormde twee groepen van telkens negen gezonden volwassen mannen tussen de 20 en 31 jaar. De ene groep at gedurende 30 dagen elke dag 24 gram zwarte chocolade met 70% cacao. De tweede groep kreeg dagelijks 24 gram witte chocolade.
De onderzoekers maten het concentratievermogen, de verwerkingssnelheid van de hersenen, de hersendoerbloeding en het gehalte van bepaalde stoffen die een invloed hebben op de hersencellen. Een van de stoffen die van belang is bij leerprocessen is BDNF, een eiwit dat in de hersenen de productie van nieuwe hersencellen stimuleert.
Ze bepaalden ook het gehalte aan theobromine, een actieve stof in donkere chocolade. Het gehalte aan theobromine in het bloed van de deelnemers die de donkere chocolade aten steeg spectaculair. De 70% chocolade bleek positief te werken op hun concentratievermogen. Dit effect was drie weken na de studie nog steeds merkbaar. Het BDNF-gehalte en de hersendoorbloeding stegen niet. De witte chocolade had geen enkel positief effect.
HOE MOETEN WE DIT NIEUWS INTERPRETEREN?
De deelnemers scoorden beter op concentratietesten nadat ze donkere chocolade aten. Ook uit andere studies blijkt dat cacao een positief effect heeft op de hersenwerking. Hoe dat komt is niet duidelijk en vergt verder onderzoek. Bij dit alles moeten we de vraag stellen of de verbeterde hersenwerking opweegt tegen de negatieve effecten van de vet- en suikerinname door het eten van chocolade.
CONCLUSIE
JA, donkere chocolade heeft een postief effect op de hersenwerking. Vooral je concentratievermogen zal stijgen.
MAAR, chocolade maakt geen deel uit van de voedingsdriehoek met gezonde en verantwoorde voeding, wel van de restgroep die er los van staat. Die restgroep bevat voedingmiddelen die veel energoe leveren, maar weinig of geen voedingsstoffen bevatten.
Van cacao tot chocolade
– De reis van cacao tot chocolade
De transformatie van cacao naar chocolade begint met een boom, de Theobroma Cacao. De boom groeit in vochtige, tropische klimaten en krijgt vruchten na ongeveer twee jaar.
Deze vruchten zijn de cacaovruchten die de kostbare cacaobonen bevatten. De vruchten worden manueel geoogst, natuurlijk gefermenteerd gedurende een week en gedroogd in de zon.
De reis gaat verder wanneer de bonen naar de chocoladeproducent gaan waar ze geroosterd en fijngemalen worden tot cacaomassa.
Deze massa wordt vervolgens gemengd met suiker en andere ingrediënten en verder verfijnd om de aroma’s te ontwikkelen waar chocoladeliefhebbers gek op zijn.
Elke stap van dit complexe proces is cruciaal om zeker te zijn van chocolade met een superieure smaak.
The debate about white chocolate
Do you know that there is a big debate in the fine chocolate industry on whether white chocolate is really chocolate?
White chocolate is made only with the fatty part of the cocoa bean (the cocoa butter) without the “brown” part that gives chocolate its characteristic color, flavor and nutrients. This is why some chocolate aficionados don’t even consider white chocolate to be real chocolate, demeaning its status to simply a sweet candy.
But whether you consider white chocolate “real” chocolate or not, it doesn’t really matter as long as you enjoy eating it. In our assortment, we like to carry many white chocolate bars made by expert craft makers with fine unprocessed cocoa butter and intriguing additions of fruits, nuts and many other delicious high-quality ingredients.
In his book “Chocolate – Indulge Your Inner Chocoholic”, chocolate expert Dom Ramsey from the United Kingdom explains that white chocolate was first made in the 1930s as a way to use up excess cocoa butter created during the production of cocoa powder, and that there are actually 4 types of white chocolate:
CLASSIC WHITE: a smooth combination of cocoa butter, sugar and milk powder. The core flavors are quite simple, so vanilla is often added to the mix.
CARAMELIZED WHITE: also called “blond” chocolate, it is made by heating the chocolate until the sugars caramelized, resulting in syrup-like sweetness and toasted flavor.
WHITE WITH INCLUSIONS: solid pieces of flavouring are added after tempering the chocolate. These could be fruits, nuts, edible flowers, or cocoa nibs.
FLAVORED WHITE: powdered flavorings or essential oils are added to the chocolate during grinding and conching, allowing the flavors to melt with the chocolate.
In the past two years, we have witnessed many craft chocolate makers expanding their assortment from an all-dark chocolate range to more fun and mouth-watering options, including white chocolate bars that soon became bestsellers and award winners.
So we are now curious to know: how do you like white chocolate?
ORIGINAL POSTED BY DENNIS VAN ESSEN
Time to savour the craft (and read the small print)
EFFICIENCY AND MASS PRODUCED CHOCOLATE
By contrast, mass produced chocolate can see a bean turned into a bar in a few hours. It uses a completely different approach. Time is – literally – money. The faster, and more efficient, the better. Flavour, taste and texture can all be added later. The machines have to be kept running and utilised. (Sidenote: this gives rise to the challenge of “mass balance fair trade” bars where the beans in these fair trade bars may not be themselves “fair trade” as this would require the machines to be stopped, cleaned, changed over, etc. So their is an exemption allowed and beans are “balanced out”)
Indeed the very roasting approach of mass produced bars is completely different to craft makers roasting. Instead of first roasting the beans, and then removing the shells, most mass produced chocolate bars reverse the process. Beans are steamed, shells removed and the nibs are roasted. This is more efficient (yields go up by 3-5%). But it doesn’t optimise flavour. Think freeze dried coffee versus freshly roasted, and then ground, coffee beans. Faster and more efficient. But not the same flavour.
Next mass produced chocolate uses high pressures and massive grinders to turn the roasted nibs into chocolate liquor. And then they temper and mould. It’s fast. It’s efficient. It’s MASSIVE. Craft chocolate is in batches of between 10-500kgs. Mass produced chocolate stars with batches of 2,500 kgs and goes to hundreds of thousand kilos / tonnes per batch. However, to put it mildly, this is not great for flavour. But that’s what additives are for!
And then very often mass produced chocolate will remove the cocoa butter and replace with other ingredients. Why? These other ingredients are far cheaper. Palm oil, vegetable fat and PGPR (don’t ask) are a lot cheaper than cocoa butter. And sugar is far, far cheaper than even cocoa powder (what’s left over when the cocoa butter is extracted). And sugar is VERY addictive.
TIME AND CRAFT CHOCOLATE
To craft chocolate, time and attention to detail (the small print) are key. You first have to sort the beans. Think a few hours per 50KG sack. Then you have to roast (and sometimes pre-roast).
Think 20-30 mins in most cases, but realise that different bean sizes and varieties need different heats for different times. Then the roasted beans have to be cracked and winnowed (removing the shells from the roasted beans).
Think 1-2 hours per batch, and depending on the winnower (it can be a hair dryer …) lots of broken nails. Then grinding and concheing – which can be anywhere from 10 to 200 hours.
Then many chocolate makers will let their chocolate “rest” before tempering and moulding into bars (some will rest for weeks if not months).
Time is required. It’s all about coaxing flavour from the beans. And that takes time.
Happy food
Happy food bestaat! Pure chocolade is rijk aan magnesium, dat helpt bij het verminderen van angst, stress!
Het bevat ook fenylethylamine (PEA), de chemische stof die door de hersenen wordt aangemaakt wanneer je verlieft bent. PEA bevordert de afgifte van endorfine in de hersenen, net zoals je gelukkig wordt van sporten.
Daarom voel je je gelukkiger als je CHOCOLADE eet!
It’s a long journey from cocoa tree to chocolate.
It’s a long journey from cocoa tree to chocolate, but one always worth taking! Here are all the most crucial steps that see raw cocoa beans turning into shining chocolate bars:
HARVESTING. When the cocoa trees that grow in tropical climates start showing the first ripe cocoa pods, these are picked by farmers with a machete and collected right on the field. The cocoa pods are opened and their inside (cocoa beans + white mucilage) is collected inside big buckets and brought to the fermentation center.
FERMENTING. Together with the white mucilage that surrounds them, the beans are placed into large wooden boxes, and they are turned regularly throughout the following 3-5 days. The temperature inside the box raises naturally to 40-50°, enabling all the bacterial and yeast activities to take place.
DRYING. After some days in the fermentation box, the cocoa beans still contain a high level of moisture that needs to be removed to avoid molding. The beans are moved to outdoor patios or movable carros to dry outside under the sun for a few more days. Once dried, the beans are sorted, bagged and shipped.
ROASTING. When they receive their precious cacao, chocolate makers roast it for two main reasons: flavor development and sanitization. Times and temperatures will vary depending on the bean type and specific goal of each chocolate maker.
CRACKING & WINNOWING. After roasting, the outer shell of the beans becomes thin and brittle. The beans can then be cracked and the shells be winnowed from the cocoa nibs that will be used for the production of chocolate.
GRINDING & CONCHING. These two processes are often combined in one single machine, the melangeur. First, the nibs are ground into a thick paste known as cocoa mass. While the cocoa mass keeps being refined inside the melangeur, chocolate makers add all the other ingredients like sugar, milk or vanilla. This step will be completed when the desired texture and flavor are achieved.
TEMPERING. During this process, the temperature of the chocolate is raised and lowered to achieve the right consistency and the stabilization of the crystals. This is what gives the chocolate its traditional shine and sharp snap.
MOULDING. Once tempered, the melted chocolate is poured into the stylish molds and either tapped against a hard surface or put on vibrating platforms to remove air bubbles.
WRAPPING. When the chocolate has completely cooled down, the final bar is carefully inspected to meet quality standards, and then wrapped in foil or paper packaging to keep it fresh.
The chocolate is finally ready to be savoured and enjoyed. What a journey!
Original post by DENNIS VAN ESSEN
WHY DO WE LOVE CHOCOLATE? 