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Cacao:
The botanical name referring to the tree, pods and unfermented beans
from the pod.
Cocoa
Beans:
Seeds from the pod (fruit) of a cacao tree. Native to the tropical
Amazon forests. Commercially grown world-wide in tropical rainforests
within 20° latitude of the equator.
Cocoa
Butter:
The fat expelled from the cocoa bean.
Cocoa
Liquor:
Another name for cocoa mass (see cocoa mass)
Cocoa
Mass:
Is the ground up centre (nib) of the cocoa bean to give a smooth
liquid above 35°C.
Cocoa
Powder:
The cocoa solids in powder form resulting from pressing cocoa butter
out of cocoa mass.
Compound
or cooking chocolate:
A blend of sugar, vegetable oil, cocoa powder and other products.
Vegetable oil is substituted for cocoa butter to reduce the product
cost and to make the coating easier to work with. We at Belgian
Delights do not use compound chocolate.
Conche
& Conching:
A conche is the machine used to manufacture chocolate. The processing
step called 'conching' reduces the moistness of the cocoa mass and
removes the volatile acids. This is essential for the flavour, the
texture and the overall quality of the chocolate.
Couverture:
Couverture means that the chocolate is of premium quality. Chocolate
must contain a minimum 31% cocoa butter.
Dark
Chocolate:
Belgian Delights dark chocolate contains more than 50% cocoa liquor.
This is the chocolate most often used for premium chocolate confections.
Besides cocoa mass it contains added cocoa butter, sugar, vanilla
and lecithin.
Fat
Bloom:
The result of inadequate tempering or temperature abuse of a properly
tempered chocolate. Visible as a dull white film on the surface
of the chocolate. A visual and textural defect only, the product
is fine to eat.
Ganache
(chocolate):
Is a smooth chocolate base, mainly found in moulded chocolates.
It gives a distinctive and rich aftertaste.
Lecithin:
Lecithin is an emulsifier used to improve the flow properties of
chocolate.
Milk
Chocolate:
Chocolate with at least 10% cocoa mass to which powdered milk, cocoa
butter, sugar, vanilla, and lecithin has been added.
Moulding:
A great variety of shapes are produced by tempering chocolate, which
is then poured on to the inner surface of the moulds. After cooling
the final product is unmoulded to reveal a glossy chocolate figure.
Nib:
The centre (meat) of the cocoa bean. When ground, the nib becomes
cocoa mass.
Sugar
Bloom:
Visible as a dull white film on the surface of the chocolate. Sugar
bloom is the result of surface moisture dissolving sugar in the
chocolate and subsequent re-crystallization of the sugar on the
chocolate surface. Caused by cold chocolate being exposed to a warm
humid environment with resultant condensation forming on the product.
A visual and textural defect only, the product is fine to eat.
Tempering:
A process of preparing chocolate that involves cooling and heating
so that it will solidify with a stable cocoa butter crystal form.
This process is used to prepare chocolate for moulding and enrobing.
Proper tempering, followed by good cooling, is required for good
surface gloss and to prevent fat bloom.
White
Chocolate:
White chocolate is made from cocoa butter (at least 1/3), powdered
milk, sugar, and vanilla.
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