When you buy chocolate from the craft store, these are usually sold in blocks which is ready to be transformed into different shapes. To make that happen, you have to melt it.
Melting is not the same thing as tempering so never confuse the two. However, melting is part of the tempering process which can be done using a microwave or a hot water bath.
The nice thing about using a microwave to melt chocolate is that you get the results you want fast with little or no effort at all and mess. Naturally, before you put the chocolate in the microwave, you should put this in a microwave safe container that remains cool or only slightly warm after several minutes.
The ideal setting on the microwave should be at least 50% low power. This prevents scorching or burning. How long should you put these in on the microwave depends on how much you will be using. A good basis will be 1 minute for every ounce of chocolate so put this first on a weighing scale.
If by accident you overheated the chocolate, don’t panic. Pour this into a cool bowl and add chunks of unmelted chocolate and stir continuously.
If you prefer to use a double boiler, start by filling the sauce pan with hot water from the tap and then put the chocolate over into another bowl. Since the water is just warming up in the bottom, you should only put 1/3 of the chocolate and let it melt first before putting the rest in.
You must stir the bowl frequently so all the chocolate has melted. When this is done, this is the time you pour this into the mold.
Whichever you decide to choose, remember these tips.
• First, chop the chocolates into small pieces because it melts quicker.
• Never let chocolate get into contact with water because it will make the block of chocolate unworkable.
• When melting the chocolate, do this in low heat or temperature so you prevent it from overheating.
• To prevent bubbles, stir the chocolate frequently using a rubber spatula but only when the outer edges begin to melt.
• You have to remember that chocolate retains it shape when melted so again, you have to stir it constantly so there won’t be any problems getting some using a spoon and then pouring this into the mold.
You can also melt chocolate with other liquids aside from water. You can use cream, milk, cream and wine. But most people use water because it is faster and more convenient. But if you were to try other liquids, make sure that you use at least 1 tablespoon of liquid for very 2 ounces of water. This will prevent the chocolate from binding together and becoming lumpy. But if you are using dark chocolate, you may have to add more than 1 tablespoon per ounce.
Melting the chocolate is key in making your final product when you pour this into a mold. It does not matter whether you choose to use a microwave or a double boiler because you will be doing the same thing in the end which is to freeze it and then pack it up to give it as a gift or serve it as part of your dessert.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Making Chocolate Using Molds
These days, you don’t have to go to the grocery to buy chocolate. Just like cookies, these can be home made as long as you have the ingredients and the materials. They most important to make chocolate are the molds.
Molds are usually made of plastic and these can be purchased from craft stores. Most of these cost about a dollar up so if you want to make these in different shapes and sizes, you have to buy a bunch.
Now that you have your mold, you should also buy the raw chocolate which is also available from the craft store. This is available in different flavors and colors so you can mix them up later on.
There are two ways to melt chocolate. The first is to cut the chocolate block into small pieces and then put this in a microwave safe bowl before sticking it in the oven. Since it is quite hard to see if all the chocolate has finally melted, we now come to the second option which is to melt it using a double boiler.
A double boiler consists of two pans. The first one has water while a smaller one is placed on top which is where the chocolate will be placed. You then stir the chocolate until melts. Once everything is now in liquid form, you then get your mold and pour the chocolate.
You should tap the bottom to take out air bubbles out of the chocolate otherwise there will be holes later on when they come out of the freezer. If you decide to put in candy sprinkles or marshmallows with your chocolate, it is best to pour them into the boiler.
After ten minutes or so, the chocolate mold inside the freezer is ready to be taken out. A good indicator is to check the bottom of the mold and see if the chocolate is still holding on to the mold.
If it is ready, then it is time to flip it over and tap it gently so it can land on a soft surface like a napkin to prevent it from breaking. Another method is to carefully pour water on the mold. But if it is not, then you should put the mold back into the freezer.
The nice thing about working with chocolate is that if is should crack or break, you can recycle it which prevents wastage. If you make a mistake when you are painting it, don’t touch it and wait until it freezes so it is easy to remove and you can start over.
When it is ready, you can serve this as part of your dessert but if you are giving this away as a gift, make sure you find a nice box because it should look presentable to whoever will be receiving it.
Surely the molds you used to make chocolate will be used in the future. To maintain it, you must never wash this with soap as this removes its slickness. You should also carefully dry it after washing because it could cause spots to appear making it also difficult for the chocolate to be released from the mold.
But if your chocolate mold is sticky, perhaps you should coat it first lightly with some vegetable oil before you pour in the melted chocolate.
Making chocolate using molds is fun. You may not get it perfect the first time but as time goes by, you are sure to get better at it.
Molds are usually made of plastic and these can be purchased from craft stores. Most of these cost about a dollar up so if you want to make these in different shapes and sizes, you have to buy a bunch.
Now that you have your mold, you should also buy the raw chocolate which is also available from the craft store. This is available in different flavors and colors so you can mix them up later on.
There are two ways to melt chocolate. The first is to cut the chocolate block into small pieces and then put this in a microwave safe bowl before sticking it in the oven. Since it is quite hard to see if all the chocolate has finally melted, we now come to the second option which is to melt it using a double boiler.
A double boiler consists of two pans. The first one has water while a smaller one is placed on top which is where the chocolate will be placed. You then stir the chocolate until melts. Once everything is now in liquid form, you then get your mold and pour the chocolate.
You should tap the bottom to take out air bubbles out of the chocolate otherwise there will be holes later on when they come out of the freezer. If you decide to put in candy sprinkles or marshmallows with your chocolate, it is best to pour them into the boiler.
After ten minutes or so, the chocolate mold inside the freezer is ready to be taken out. A good indicator is to check the bottom of the mold and see if the chocolate is still holding on to the mold.
If it is ready, then it is time to flip it over and tap it gently so it can land on a soft surface like a napkin to prevent it from breaking. Another method is to carefully pour water on the mold. But if it is not, then you should put the mold back into the freezer.
The nice thing about working with chocolate is that if is should crack or break, you can recycle it which prevents wastage. If you make a mistake when you are painting it, don’t touch it and wait until it freezes so it is easy to remove and you can start over.
When it is ready, you can serve this as part of your dessert but if you are giving this away as a gift, make sure you find a nice box because it should look presentable to whoever will be receiving it.
Surely the molds you used to make chocolate will be used in the future. To maintain it, you must never wash this with soap as this removes its slickness. You should also carefully dry it after washing because it could cause spots to appear making it also difficult for the chocolate to be released from the mold.
But if your chocolate mold is sticky, perhaps you should coat it first lightly with some vegetable oil before you pour in the melted chocolate.
Making chocolate using molds is fun. You may not get it perfect the first time but as time goes by, you are sure to get better at it.
Making Chocolate from Molds
In the late 1800’s, chocolate makers already used molds made from metal. This made it possible to shape them either as flat or three dimensional. Plastic soon replaced that as these were expensive to produce making it possible for amateur chocolatiers to make these at home.
When you buy chocolate molds from the craft store, make sure that this is made from strong plastic that has intricate designs so the finished product will come out beautifully after it comes out of the freezer.
Remember that this must never be washed using soap as this can mare the taste of the chocolate. You should simply use hot water and then dry it thoroughly using a dry cloth.
Each time you use the plastic mold, make sure to wipe it clean. Greasing, spraying or dusting is not needed as this will ruin the appearance of the finished candy.
But there is an exception to that rule. If you will be mixing your chocolate with some marshmallows, candy sprinkles, jellies or cooked candies, then you must first grease or spray the chocolate mold with oiling spray. This will make the chocolate easy to remove from the mold and if you are going to make another batch, the good news is that you only have to oil spray it once.
Next thing you need to learn is how to properly put chocolate filling into the plastic sheet. For that, you use a regular teaspoon and fill each cavity with chocolate. Some of the chocolate might spill out but don’t worry because you can clean that up later on.
There may be some air bubbles trapped within the chocolate. To release it, tap the filled mold on the counter to settle the chocolate. Another way is to hold the mold horizontally then gently drop it on the counter. You will probably have to do this several times until there all the air bubbles have been removed.
When the chocolate is ready, this is the time that you put this in the freezer. This is because it is the coolest place in the house taking it less time for the chocolate to harden so you can reuse the mold if you are making another batch of chocolates.
You will know when the chocolates are ready by looking at the back side of the mold. If the cavity appears to be graying, this means that the second you turn this over, the chocolate will easily fall off to the tray.
If it doesn’t fall off on its own, you can tap it firmly. If this does not work, perhaps it needs a little more cooling time in the freezer so put it back in for a few minutes and then try again.
If you happen to have some leftovers from filling the mold, don’t throw it away because you can use it again in the future. Just wait for the chocolate to harden so you can scrape it off and then wrap it in waxed paper.
You don’t always need to make chocolate creations from molds even if this is the conventional way of doing it. The other option is to dip it in with other things like cookies or fruits so you have your own chocolate fondue as part of your dessert.
When you buy chocolate molds from the craft store, make sure that this is made from strong plastic that has intricate designs so the finished product will come out beautifully after it comes out of the freezer.
Remember that this must never be washed using soap as this can mare the taste of the chocolate. You should simply use hot water and then dry it thoroughly using a dry cloth.
Each time you use the plastic mold, make sure to wipe it clean. Greasing, spraying or dusting is not needed as this will ruin the appearance of the finished candy.
But there is an exception to that rule. If you will be mixing your chocolate with some marshmallows, candy sprinkles, jellies or cooked candies, then you must first grease or spray the chocolate mold with oiling spray. This will make the chocolate easy to remove from the mold and if you are going to make another batch, the good news is that you only have to oil spray it once.
Next thing you need to learn is how to properly put chocolate filling into the plastic sheet. For that, you use a regular teaspoon and fill each cavity with chocolate. Some of the chocolate might spill out but don’t worry because you can clean that up later on.
There may be some air bubbles trapped within the chocolate. To release it, tap the filled mold on the counter to settle the chocolate. Another way is to hold the mold horizontally then gently drop it on the counter. You will probably have to do this several times until there all the air bubbles have been removed.
When the chocolate is ready, this is the time that you put this in the freezer. This is because it is the coolest place in the house taking it less time for the chocolate to harden so you can reuse the mold if you are making another batch of chocolates.
You will know when the chocolates are ready by looking at the back side of the mold. If the cavity appears to be graying, this means that the second you turn this over, the chocolate will easily fall off to the tray.
If it doesn’t fall off on its own, you can tap it firmly. If this does not work, perhaps it needs a little more cooling time in the freezer so put it back in for a few minutes and then try again.
If you happen to have some leftovers from filling the mold, don’t throw it away because you can use it again in the future. Just wait for the chocolate to harden so you can scrape it off and then wrap it in waxed paper.
You don’t always need to make chocolate creations from molds even if this is the conventional way of doing it. The other option is to dip it in with other things like cookies or fruits so you have your own chocolate fondue as part of your dessert.
Making Chocolate Candy that Lasts
Temperament of Chocolate Candy
The success of your chocolate candy lies on the ability to temper the chocolate. Even in other chocolate delicacies, the importance of tempering the chocolate mixture will never be understated. Chocolate, to begin with, must have a premium quality to it. You can have fun experimenting on different core chocolate materials that you can use for your chocolate candy.
Sometimes, you will find in the market some melted chocolates that are ready for making chocolate candy. You can make use of this or do chocolate the hard way and start from the cocoa beans. The good thing about melted chocolates is that you can focus on the making of chocolate candy itself. The making of chocolate from cocoa beans can be very difficult and tedious, and you may be robbed of your energy the moment you decide to do both. By the time that you reach the chocolate candy making aspect, you may have no more gusto or enthusiasm to complete it.
But when buying melted chocolate, make sure that it is not made of a processed candy bar. The courveture quality of chocolate is something you must look for since it makes for an ideal chocolate core for chocolate candy.
Other Ingredients and Steps
An electric frying pan is needed with ample space for your mixture. Have a temperature of about 60 degrees for mixing the chocolate and creating your candy. But don't melt the chocolates in your frying pan. It is still better to place them in the oven for melting. Introduce the chocolate by increments and not by instantly putting a large heap.
This way, the stirring part will be easier and you will not run the risk of losing control as you create your chocolate candy. Avoid moisture in the chocolate at all costs because it will affect the taste of your chocolate candy. After you have fixed your chocolate core, you can then dip it into the other components that create the chocolate candy.
The Steps
Coat both sides of your material with chocolate. Make sure that your flip the center for balance of chocolate distribution. You can also use your fingers to have a swirly mark on your chocolate candy, but this must be mastered with constant practice before you can smoothly pull it off. Keep mixing the chocolate in such a way that it does not get too stiff. Chocolate candy usually results in a less shiny quality. If you find the chocolate candy too shiny, you may have overdone or underdone something from the previous steps.
What Next?
You can now store your chocolate in the fridge. With the use of wax paper or other similar material, you can make your chocolate candies appear more professionally made than when you leave them bare in the tray. The good thing about chocolate is that it lasts for a very long time.
The leftovers from your chocolate making may also be turned into other delicacies. Just use your imagination and you will be able to find delight in making other forms of chocolate delicacies. You can also save the leftovers for your next chocolate candy making sessions but gaining the right texture and temperature may prove to be a bit more challenging.
Either way, there are no wasteful moments when it comes making chocolate candy and other chocolate delicacies for that matter.
The success of your chocolate candy lies on the ability to temper the chocolate. Even in other chocolate delicacies, the importance of tempering the chocolate mixture will never be understated. Chocolate, to begin with, must have a premium quality to it. You can have fun experimenting on different core chocolate materials that you can use for your chocolate candy.
Sometimes, you will find in the market some melted chocolates that are ready for making chocolate candy. You can make use of this or do chocolate the hard way and start from the cocoa beans. The good thing about melted chocolates is that you can focus on the making of chocolate candy itself. The making of chocolate from cocoa beans can be very difficult and tedious, and you may be robbed of your energy the moment you decide to do both. By the time that you reach the chocolate candy making aspect, you may have no more gusto or enthusiasm to complete it.
But when buying melted chocolate, make sure that it is not made of a processed candy bar. The courveture quality of chocolate is something you must look for since it makes for an ideal chocolate core for chocolate candy.
Other Ingredients and Steps
An electric frying pan is needed with ample space for your mixture. Have a temperature of about 60 degrees for mixing the chocolate and creating your candy. But don't melt the chocolates in your frying pan. It is still better to place them in the oven for melting. Introduce the chocolate by increments and not by instantly putting a large heap.
This way, the stirring part will be easier and you will not run the risk of losing control as you create your chocolate candy. Avoid moisture in the chocolate at all costs because it will affect the taste of your chocolate candy. After you have fixed your chocolate core, you can then dip it into the other components that create the chocolate candy.
The Steps
Coat both sides of your material with chocolate. Make sure that your flip the center for balance of chocolate distribution. You can also use your fingers to have a swirly mark on your chocolate candy, but this must be mastered with constant practice before you can smoothly pull it off. Keep mixing the chocolate in such a way that it does not get too stiff. Chocolate candy usually results in a less shiny quality. If you find the chocolate candy too shiny, you may have overdone or underdone something from the previous steps.
What Next?
You can now store your chocolate in the fridge. With the use of wax paper or other similar material, you can make your chocolate candies appear more professionally made than when you leave them bare in the tray. The good thing about chocolate is that it lasts for a very long time.
The leftovers from your chocolate making may also be turned into other delicacies. Just use your imagination and you will be able to find delight in making other forms of chocolate delicacies. You can also save the leftovers for your next chocolate candy making sessions but gaining the right texture and temperature may prove to be a bit more challenging.
Either way, there are no wasteful moments when it comes making chocolate candy and other chocolate delicacies for that matter.
Making Chocolate Extra Special
Have you even been bitten by the love bug? For sure, you have. What is your fondest memory of being in love? Is it the hugs or kisses? Is it being with the person you are most fond of every day of your lives? Or is it the process of making chocolate and being given one from time to time?
Sign of Love
Chocolates have long been associated with the feeling of affection. Blame it on the fact that many people love the treat and many would be happy at the thought of getting one especially from someone who cares for them.
This idea has actually started of a trend in small time businesses. So if you are thinking about starting your own right now, you can also follow the craze. It will be a lot of help if you know your chocolates and you know where to avail the kinds at affordable prices.
Gift of Love
This can be very well a start of your business venture that has something to do with your favorite addiction, chocolates. Have you ever been given a gift basket? What do you look forward to seeing the most in its contents?
While some of you might say wines, chips, cheese and the likes, most of you would likely to favor chocolates above everything else. This gift won't fail you because it doesn't matter how young or old the recipient of the basket would be. Everybody loves chocolates. This is a gift that will not be wasted and be left in the shelves for a long time only to be displayed.
Customize the Basket
For your business to take off, you need to be unique in some sense. You may only be thinking about this now. But you have to bear in mind that there are others before you that have been doing this and have established a group of their own followers.
So you have to mean business in dealing with your chocolate-filled gift baskets. Start with the basket itself. You must customize the tool to make it your own. You can color it with a theme of your choice. You can place ribbons and other design elements. You need not to spend a lot on this. You can maybe borrow some of the school materials of your kid who is in pre or grade school.
Fill the basket with different assortments of chocolate goodies. When you already have clients, you must adapt the purpose to the contents of your basket. Include some gifts that are suitable for the recipient of the basket. The idea here is to reach out to other people, make them feel the love that the gift giver wanted to share to them. And for you, it is to cultivate your passion for chocolates while earning in the process.
This idea is great for home based moms and even young entrepreneurs. Times get to be harder and harder. Such startup business will make it easier for you and sweeter for other people.
You don't really have to know the process of making chocolate. You just have to be equipped with the right materials. You have to know where to buy the goodies. And you've got to have enough people on your list to kick off your biz and start spreading the word out about your gift of love and sweets.
Sign of Love
Chocolates have long been associated with the feeling of affection. Blame it on the fact that many people love the treat and many would be happy at the thought of getting one especially from someone who cares for them.
This idea has actually started of a trend in small time businesses. So if you are thinking about starting your own right now, you can also follow the craze. It will be a lot of help if you know your chocolates and you know where to avail the kinds at affordable prices.
Gift of Love
This can be very well a start of your business venture that has something to do with your favorite addiction, chocolates. Have you ever been given a gift basket? What do you look forward to seeing the most in its contents?
While some of you might say wines, chips, cheese and the likes, most of you would likely to favor chocolates above everything else. This gift won't fail you because it doesn't matter how young or old the recipient of the basket would be. Everybody loves chocolates. This is a gift that will not be wasted and be left in the shelves for a long time only to be displayed.
Customize the Basket
For your business to take off, you need to be unique in some sense. You may only be thinking about this now. But you have to bear in mind that there are others before you that have been doing this and have established a group of their own followers.
So you have to mean business in dealing with your chocolate-filled gift baskets. Start with the basket itself. You must customize the tool to make it your own. You can color it with a theme of your choice. You can place ribbons and other design elements. You need not to spend a lot on this. You can maybe borrow some of the school materials of your kid who is in pre or grade school.
Fill the basket with different assortments of chocolate goodies. When you already have clients, you must adapt the purpose to the contents of your basket. Include some gifts that are suitable for the recipient of the basket. The idea here is to reach out to other people, make them feel the love that the gift giver wanted to share to them. And for you, it is to cultivate your passion for chocolates while earning in the process.
This idea is great for home based moms and even young entrepreneurs. Times get to be harder and harder. Such startup business will make it easier for you and sweeter for other people.
You don't really have to know the process of making chocolate. You just have to be equipped with the right materials. You have to know where to buy the goodies. And you've got to have enough people on your list to kick off your biz and start spreading the word out about your gift of love and sweets.
Making Chocolate
Ever wonder how chocolate is made? The short story is that these are made from bitter cacao beans and then molded into chocolate bars. If you were a chocolate company like Hershey’s, you would need a lot of them and to give you an idea how it is made, here is a guide in the production process.
The first thing that needs to be done is to harvest the cacao beans. Large companies buy these from farmers or buy the farm and harvest these themselves. They then put these in an oven at a temperature between 120 to 163 degrees Celsius that is about 250 to 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 to 35 minutes.
Naturally, you will gradually lower the temperature and stop roasting them when the beans start to crack.
There are two reasons why cacao beans stay in an oven at varying times.
First is to prevent them from burning. Naturally, you will gradually lower the temperature and stop roasting them when the beans start to crack. Naturally, you will gradually lower the temperature and stop roasting them when the beans start to crack.
Second, the cooking time of cacao beans varies depending on the type of bean that is being used.
Since companies produce chocolates in vast quantities, the cacao beans are stored in drums and then rotated over a gas grill. After they are roasted, the beans must be cracked into small bits better known as nibs while those that can’t are removed.
The next step is to grind the nibs into a cacao liqueur. For that, you will need a machine to liquefy this and at the same time separate the remaining husks that were not removed after roasting.
You then conch and refine the chocolate so you are able to give the chocolate its distinct taste. This is what makes Hershey’s chocolates different than for example M&M which can be achieved by using a powerful wet grinder.
You first have to melt the chocolate and the cocoa butter in the over at about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. You should then mix non fat dry milk powder, sugar, lecithin and a vanilla pod for about an hour. This mixture is then poured into a grinder together with some heat to keep the chocolate in liquid form. This should be refined for at least 10 hours but not more than 36 hours.
When it is ready, you then temper the chocolate so it looks shiny and soft enough to easily melt in your hand.
The second to the last part in making chocolate is to mold this into whatever shape or form that you would like. To produce these in vast quantities, chocolate companies but custom made molds. The chocolate is then poured there and after this is cooled, this is then packaged and ready for delivery to stores.
Some companies even sell these in the form of blocks so people can buy them, melt it and mold this to whatever shape they desire.
Making chocolate is easy as long as you have the equipment and all the ingredients needed. It doesn’t matter if this is produced in large volumes or in small quantities because the principle behind it is the same. If you want to learn more about making chocolate, sign up for some classes.
The first thing that needs to be done is to harvest the cacao beans. Large companies buy these from farmers or buy the farm and harvest these themselves. They then put these in an oven at a temperature between 120 to 163 degrees Celsius that is about 250 to 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 to 35 minutes.
Naturally, you will gradually lower the temperature and stop roasting them when the beans start to crack.
There are two reasons why cacao beans stay in an oven at varying times.
First is to prevent them from burning. Naturally, you will gradually lower the temperature and stop roasting them when the beans start to crack. Naturally, you will gradually lower the temperature and stop roasting them when the beans start to crack.
Second, the cooking time of cacao beans varies depending on the type of bean that is being used.
Since companies produce chocolates in vast quantities, the cacao beans are stored in drums and then rotated over a gas grill. After they are roasted, the beans must be cracked into small bits better known as nibs while those that can’t are removed.
The next step is to grind the nibs into a cacao liqueur. For that, you will need a machine to liquefy this and at the same time separate the remaining husks that were not removed after roasting.
You then conch and refine the chocolate so you are able to give the chocolate its distinct taste. This is what makes Hershey’s chocolates different than for example M&M which can be achieved by using a powerful wet grinder.
You first have to melt the chocolate and the cocoa butter in the over at about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. You should then mix non fat dry milk powder, sugar, lecithin and a vanilla pod for about an hour. This mixture is then poured into a grinder together with some heat to keep the chocolate in liquid form. This should be refined for at least 10 hours but not more than 36 hours.
When it is ready, you then temper the chocolate so it looks shiny and soft enough to easily melt in your hand.
The second to the last part in making chocolate is to mold this into whatever shape or form that you would like. To produce these in vast quantities, chocolate companies but custom made molds. The chocolate is then poured there and after this is cooled, this is then packaged and ready for delivery to stores.
Some companies even sell these in the form of blocks so people can buy them, melt it and mold this to whatever shape they desire.
Making chocolate is easy as long as you have the equipment and all the ingredients needed. It doesn’t matter if this is produced in large volumes or in small quantities because the principle behind it is the same. If you want to learn more about making chocolate, sign up for some classes.
A Brief Look at the Past of Making Chocolate
Everything has its origin. Did you know that even the process of making chocolate has a history? This may be your favorite thing to do now on your pastime. Or you may be even addicted to the taste of such treat. But this piece will not add up to that craving as it tries to give you a better view as to how it all started.
The Theobroma Cacao or the food from the Gods is what you all know as the cocoa tree. Its origin can be traced on America's rainforests, specifically in Central America. But historians are still debating about certain facts about this tree.
Xocolat, Anyone?
There are arguments that the Mayans first grew such tree in 300 AD. And the Aztecs had their turn in cultivating such in 1100 AD. The chocolate that you all know now used to be called Xocolat. This was a special beverage that was made out of chilies, anise seed, vanilla, cornmeal and some more spices. Only royalties get to be treated with such delight at the time. It was served using golden cups that were to be used only once.
Save the Chocolates
The cocoa tree is sensitive to its surroundings. It will most likely grow in the shades of the canopy of the rainforest. For this reason, chocolate lovers must unite in the goal of saving the environment, especially in saving the rainforests where the cacaos will most likely survive.
This tree is unique in the sense that its fruits grow on its branches and trunk. The reason for this is because of midges. These are the tiny insects that cause the pollination process during nighttime.
Did you know that the cacao tree can have approximately 10,000 blossoms but only about 10 to 50 of those will mature into fruits or the pod? This is because like an intelligent human being, the tree of cacao can regulate its blossoms to the amount that it can handle and grow.
The cacao tree self regulates in this process to be able to sustain its good health. It knows what it can contain and handle. It knows just how many is enough and too much. The tree does this to preserve its internal systems and to prevent its branches from breaking or falling apart.
The cocoa beans come from the fruit or the pod from the intelligent tree. Harvesters wait for the pod to ripen. They will handpick the trees and crack up the pods until they see white pulpy elements that surround the seeds. The pulps are then trashed while the seeds are kept because those are your cocoa beans, the source of your chocolate treats.
These seeds are actually bitter during such time. For this reason, these will go through the fermentation process for about three to seven days. This method will cause the seeds to go through some chemical as well as physical changes. The result of this will then be used for the royalties' treat, the Xocolat.
The beans need to go through several procedures after which before it can be used for the traditional making chocolate purposes. Now that you know where it came from, you'll never look at your favorite chocolate the same way ever again. Or probably not. Whatever it has been through, chocolates will remain a favorite among children and child at heart.
The Theobroma Cacao or the food from the Gods is what you all know as the cocoa tree. Its origin can be traced on America's rainforests, specifically in Central America. But historians are still debating about certain facts about this tree.
Xocolat, Anyone?
There are arguments that the Mayans first grew such tree in 300 AD. And the Aztecs had their turn in cultivating such in 1100 AD. The chocolate that you all know now used to be called Xocolat. This was a special beverage that was made out of chilies, anise seed, vanilla, cornmeal and some more spices. Only royalties get to be treated with such delight at the time. It was served using golden cups that were to be used only once.
Save the Chocolates
The cocoa tree is sensitive to its surroundings. It will most likely grow in the shades of the canopy of the rainforest. For this reason, chocolate lovers must unite in the goal of saving the environment, especially in saving the rainforests where the cacaos will most likely survive.
This tree is unique in the sense that its fruits grow on its branches and trunk. The reason for this is because of midges. These are the tiny insects that cause the pollination process during nighttime.
Did you know that the cacao tree can have approximately 10,000 blossoms but only about 10 to 50 of those will mature into fruits or the pod? This is because like an intelligent human being, the tree of cacao can regulate its blossoms to the amount that it can handle and grow.
The cacao tree self regulates in this process to be able to sustain its good health. It knows what it can contain and handle. It knows just how many is enough and too much. The tree does this to preserve its internal systems and to prevent its branches from breaking or falling apart.
The cocoa beans come from the fruit or the pod from the intelligent tree. Harvesters wait for the pod to ripen. They will handpick the trees and crack up the pods until they see white pulpy elements that surround the seeds. The pulps are then trashed while the seeds are kept because those are your cocoa beans, the source of your chocolate treats.
These seeds are actually bitter during such time. For this reason, these will go through the fermentation process for about three to seven days. This method will cause the seeds to go through some chemical as well as physical changes. The result of this will then be used for the royalties' treat, the Xocolat.
The beans need to go through several procedures after which before it can be used for the traditional making chocolate purposes. Now that you know where it came from, you'll never look at your favorite chocolate the same way ever again. Or probably not. Whatever it has been through, chocolates will remain a favorite among children and child at heart.
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