Types of Chocolates

Types of Chocolate

Chocolate is not a term used to refer to a single food item, entree or dessert, but a whole range of foods. Chocolates are made by combining cocoa, sugar and fats (commonly milk solids) in varying proportions. Sometimes (more often than not) some form of flavour is added to the chocolate as well. 

For the uninitiated, chocolate is made from the processed beans of Theobroma Cacao, or the cocoa tree. The Beans are processed to make three major compounds - the chocolate liqueur, cocoa solids and cocoa butter. The cocoa liqueur and cocoa solids usually have a bitter taste to it. The chocolate gets its sweetness from sweetening ingredients, most commonly cane sugar. 

The quantity of each ingredient determines the type or kind of chocolate made. The chocolate has been broadly classified as Dark, Milk and White.

The Base

Any type of chocolate has cocoa liqueur as the base. The cocoa liqueur is a thick, brown gooey paste that is obtained by grinding cocoa nibs, the core of a cocoa bean. This paste, when heated under pressure, produces cocoa butter and cocoa solids. All forms of chocolates use either cocoa liqueur, cocoa solids or cocoa butter in varying quantities. 

The chocolate or cocoa liqueur is bitter tasting. Bittersweet chocolate or extra dark chocolates are made with more than 50% cocoa liqueur. In recent times as more and more information is available to the public about chocolates, the bittersweet has risen in popularity. The increase is hugely attributed to the purported health benefits of the dark chocolates that contain more than 70% cocoa liqueur. 

Dark Chocolate

The nice ‘snap’ sound when a piece of chocolate is broken is a tell tale sign of the dark chocolate. Perfect as a non-dairy or vegan option, the dark chocolate typically consists of only cocoa liqueur and sugar. Though, by definition, chocolates need only 15% cocoa liqueur to be classified as dark, most dark chocolates consist of more than 50% cocoa liqueur. 

Dark chocolate is the oldest kind of chocolate, having existed for more than 3000 years. The South Americans made a drink, closely resembling today’s Hot cocoa, that was more than 50% cocoa liqueur that was bitter in taste and boasted to have possessed major health benefits. 

Today the dark chocolate is consumed in a variety of ways. It is most preferred for baking. The immense flavour makes it perfect for making brownies and pies. Also called semisweet chocolate, the alleged health benefits of dark chocolate has contributed to its recent surge in popularity. 

White Chocolate

The creamy ivory color gives the White Chocolate its name. While the dark chocolate can pass off as vegan, white chocolate is made up of sugar, cocoa butter and milk. Vanilla and lecithin, a combining agent are also used. The addition of milk gives the white chocolate a condensed milk flavour. The creamy texture of the white chocolate can be credited to cocoa butter. 

The white chocolate stands apart from the dark and milk chocolate in that it does not contain cocoa liqueur or cocoa solids, the main reason for the lack of brown color. The white chocolate also contains more sugar than any other kind, making it sweeter. The moldable texture of the white chocolate makes it perfect for decorating cakes and confectionaries. 

Cocoa butter is in high demand, given the use of cocoa butter in the cosmetic industry. Some chocolate producers have therefore started using a special compound made from vegetable fats in place of cocoa butter, although such confections cannot technically pass off as chocolates, they taste almost the same, but lack the subtle flavour of the milk and richness that is a staple of the white chocolates. 

The white chocolate doesn't use cocoa liqueur or cocoa solids, therefore its place as a chocolate has been often questioned, but since it contains cocoa butter, a derivative of cocoa bean, white chocolate has definitely earned its place among chocolates. 

Milk Chocolate

The most popular type of chocolate, the Milk Chocolate is probably synonymous to chocolate for the better part of the chocolate consumers. The Milk Chocolate, as the name indicates, is made from Milk, Cocoa Liqueur and sugar. Most milk chocolates contain at least 10% cocoa liqueur, while some contain upto 25% of cocoa liqueur. Widely eaten all around the world, the milk chocolate is used in confectionaries, baking and decoration.

The silky smooth texture of the milk chocolate is achieved by taking time in combining and mixing the ingredients. The mixing of the ingredients starts at low temperature and is gradually raised to achieve the perfect consistency.

The milk was first added to the drinking chocolate in the late 1600s before the currently popular solid form came to existence.

Whatever the type of chocolate, it is hard to resist a bar of the sweet confection.