Chocolate - How It's Made

It all starts from the fruit bearing tree (cocoa tree) and gathering its  large oval pods wich contain the seeds. Discovered first in the United States this tree is now grown in many countries near the Equator.

Pods are emptied from their seeds which are then dried in the sun. After the drying process the seeds undergo roasting. When the roasting phase is completed the seeds are crushed resultin in cocoa powder. The powder is kept as is or gets squeezed resulting in cocoa butter.

Mixing the powder with butter, milk powder and sugar ends up as chocolate. Proportions of each component in the mixture will determine whether the end result will be dark, milk or white chocolate. Dark chocolate can be made with up to ninety percent of cocoa in the mixture giving a bitter tasting chocolate; milk chocolate has usually seventy percent of cocoa along with more milk powder. White chocolate on the other hand is made of cocoa butter only mixed with milk powder and sugar.

Trivia

• Did you know that if not most, all the pralines during the pre 1950's were hand made?
• Presently chocolates are considered as an energy giving food because of its very high content of sugar and calorie
• Another fact about chocolate is that it is also considered as one of the many sexual stimulant foods. In fact, aside from being an exceptional energy booster, one of the Aztec emperors drank chocolate to seduce women
• It is also known to be use as an anti-depressant. It is known to contain a substance called "pheryletylanine" that has a positive effect in the event of a nervous depression but not only that, there is something in chocolates that gives anyone a lighter mood every time it is drank
• Aztec emperor Montezuma drank 50 golden goblets of hot chocolate every day. It was thick, dyed red and flavored with chili peppers. (Now that’s Hot Chocolate!)
• Columbus brought cacao (chocolate) beans back to Spain on his fourth voyage in 1502.
• Milton Stavely Hershey first became rich selling caramels. He sold his caramel business in 1900 for $1 million and started making milk chocolate.

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