Chocolate liquor Essay Example for Free

Chocolate liquor EssayChocolate is a comfit made from cacao beans, the seeds of the cacao plant. There are a large routine of products made from it on the market, from powdered cocoa for making drinks to white chocolate, and most markets carry a cross-section of confections for their customers. In addition to existence available at general markets and grocery stores, chocolate can also be purchased from specialty companies which make luxury and distinctive confections. Making chocolate is a time consuming process. Cacao plants are grown on plantations in South America, where the plant is native, and in parts of Africa. There are actually some(prenominal) varieties of cacao plant, all of which produce chocolates with slightly different flavors, and the flavor is also impacted by where the plant it grown, how it is handled after harvest, and how it is processed. Companies invest a great jalopy of money in developing ideal immingles of cacao beans to create the flavors their c onsumers are used to. Cacao beans grow in large pods which are harvested once they get on and then let ined to ferment. Initially, the cacao beans are extremely bitter the fermentation process softens the bitterness, allowing producers to move on the next steps, roasting and hulling.Roasting helps to develop the flavor of the beans, part shelling exposes the cacao nibs, the portion of the bean which has all the flavor. Once cacao nibs are extracted, they must be ground into a substance known as chocolate liquor. This liquor isnt something youd want to eat it is extremely fatty, thanks to the cocoa butter it contains, and it is gritty and bitter. This liquid is then pressed to create what is known as press cake, a substance consisting primarily of cocoa solids, while the cocoa butter is allowed to drain away. Once press cake has been created, producers have a number of options.To make cocoa, they can squeeze the press cake even more to isolate the cocoa solids before allowing it t o dry and then pulverizing it. They can also blend some of the cocoa butter back in, along with sugar and other ingredients, to produce eating chocolate, which is subjected to a process called conching to create a smooth, creamy confection without any traces of grittiness. Eating varieties can also be adulterated with milk, creating milk chocolate, and the level of sweetness can vary widely. For white chocolate, cocoa butter is confused with vanilla and milk. The history of chocolate is almost as interesting as the confection itself.In its native South America, it was prepared in drinks reserved for royal house and high ranking members of society. When European explorers visited, they were introduced to chocolate, and upon bringing the food back to Europe, it became a big hit. Eventually, Europeans started experimenting, adding sugar and other ingredients and ultimately developing a process which would allow them to make bars in addition to drinks. With the development of bar choc olate, confectioners realized that it had a wide range of possibilities, from candy bar coating to truffles, and the once ancient luxury turned into an extremely profitable global industry.