While talking about history we have two phases of chocolate discovery and use. One is several hundred years ago in the time to Mayans and Aztecs. Very little is known about those times. The second phase begins with Europeans visiting regions deep in the Amazonian jungles.

The Spanish Story

On 12 Oct 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on the shores of the New World. He mistakenly thought that he had reached India! The Portuguese empire was well entrenched in most of Asia. So the Spanish were looking for new lands to expand trade and market. With the first voyage successful, Columbus got more funding. During his fourth voyage in 1502 he came across a boat of Mayans with a cargo of cacao beans. As noted in his diary, Columbus thought the cargo is almonds and let it go. In 1519 the Spanish conquistador Castillo managed to consume the first chocolate drink as it was drunk by Aztecs. Mixed with hallucinogenic mushrooms, he recorded the taste in his diary. The Spanish also discovered that cacao beans were used as currency. In the coming years, Spanish conquered Mexico and introduced cultivation of plants and vegetables. Chocolate became more and more acceptable as Spanish settlers mixed with Aztec locals.

It was a mandatory practise to present the treasures of the New World to the Spanish Courts. However there is no evidence of any cocoa presented to the King of Spain. However the ships carrying cacao seeds were being looted by the English and the ships were reinforced to carry this valuable cargo. However the first documented use of chocolate was by Spanish friars and monks in 1544. Spanish even attempted to cultivate cacao in Europe, but without any success. Chocolate as a drink soon spread all across Spain among the royals and wealthy. The first hundred years chocolate preparation and consumption remained almost a secret in Spain. As Spanish and French started marrying among each other, the secret began to reveal to the rest of Europe.

How chocolate became a solid

Processing of cocoa beans was a complete manual process. This prevented mass production which restricted chocolate usage to the upper class while common people drank coffee. Europeans have a dark past by introducing slavery to boost production and processing of the beans. But once the beans were shipped they now tried to use mechanical means to speed up the second part of the processing. The first mechanical cocoa grinder was patented in England in 1729.

In 1761, Joseph Fry started a company, J. S. Fry & Sons and filed a patent for chocolate refining process. However it was Lombart who created the first chocolate company in 1760. The real progress however began only after the industrial revolution. True mass production of chocolates began only in the 1800s.

The Dutch chemist, Coenraad van Houten invented a process to alkalize cocoa to reduce the acidity and bitterness. He also introduced a press to remove cocoa butter from chocolate liquor. This made chocolate cheaper to make and more consistent. This invention is considered to be turning point in chocolate making since it was the precursor to making chocolate solid.

In 1847, J. S. Fry & Sons once again comes on the scene. They discover a way to make chocolate in the shape of bars by mixing cocoa powder with sugar and cocoa butter. Later they started mass producing these chocolate bars under the brand name Fry’s Chocolate Cream. These were the best selling chocolates of their time. Till this time, it was the British who had a firm grip over mechanical chocolate production. But they were soon going to be challenged by another country.

Dark chocolate becomes milky

There were many attempts to mix milk with chocolate but that was using liquid milk. Daniel Peter invented the milk chocolate by mixing powered milk with chocolate liquor. The milk powder was developed by Henri Nestle. All of a sudden the dark bitter chocolate suddenly tasted much creamier and sweeter. With the invention of the conching machine in 1879 by Rodolphe Lindt, the dominance of Swiss over chocolates was complete, which it hold even today. But the British were not far behind.

By 1868, Cadbury was already selling box chocolates. In 1875 they were able to mould chocolate into oval shapes by using pure cocoa butter. 1893 saw Milton Hershey purchase chocolate processing machines in Chicago and ship it to United State of America. There he setup the Hershey’s line of chocolate with a twist of caramel. But they were not the first ones in America. Almost a hundred years earlier, Baker’s Chocolate of The Baker Chocolate Company was already making chocolates with cocoa beans imported from the West Indies. Finally white chocolate came to America in 1946 when Frederick Hebert tasted the white candies for the first time while travelling across Europe.

For hundreds of years, chocolate was just a drink. It was due to the machines that it became a food with various types of chocolates being manufactured all over the world.

The post History of Chocolate appeared first on Jolly Brown.

Before we begin let us identify the types of chocolates. Dark chocolate usually comes with the marking of percentage. A 55% dark chocolate contains almost half of it as mix of cocoa solids and cocoa butter. If the label says so there is also less than 5% vegetable oil. Remaining is sugar and other ingredients. While choosing a dark chocolate it is important to know the sugar content. Sugar acts like a sand paper on the inside of your arteries. Lesser the better. Chocolate manufacturers also have sugar free versions in their product lineup. Sometimes chocolates can be 90% dark. These chocolates are strikingly bitter in taste, so you need to develop a taste for it.

If you include milk solids in a chocolate, it becomes creamy and soft. Dark chocolate breaks with a snap sound. Milk chocolate also contains sugar along with sugars which makes it very tasty and at the same time addictive. White chocolate contains no cocoa solids. However it can contain cocoa butter. Composite chocolate contains 60% chocolate and rest is other edible ingredients like dry fruits and nuts. Compound chocolate is a cheaper variety which has vegetable oils instead of cocoa butter. This is the most unhealthy kind of chocolate but is used in a variety of packed and processed foods because of its low cost.

Minerals

Copper – 25%
Iron – 19%
Magnesium – 16%
Potassium, phosphorous, selenium, zinc, manganese – in traces

Copper is the most potent anti inflammatory metal known to humans. It is no surprise that people drink water in copper vessels, some of them even use it for cooking. Copper was also the first element discovered by humans. It also find place in many ayurvedic remedies practised in India. It is used in all kinds of treatment including varicose veins. Chocolate contains large amount of copper. Copper needs to work along with zinc to be effective inside our body. Fortunately chocolate has both copper in large quantity and zinc in trace, exactly the kind of combination the body requires. It helps in digestion and increases brain efficiency. It controls hypertension and is also responsible for healthy arteries and blood flow. Its antioxidant properties also aid in boosting the immune system.

Iron deficiency in women is common across the world and across all age and income groups. Iron helps with blood oxygenation thereby helping with anemia. Iron aids in production of red blood cells. Lack of oxygen will lead to fatigue and tiredness.

Magnesium deficiency is caused due to excessive consumption of refined carbs and sugars. This deficiency can be taken care by the large amount of magnesium present in chocolate. Magnesium is used in the metabolism of energy, proteins and muscles. While dealing with muscles, it helps keep our heart healthy. It lowers stress and helps sleep better.

Excessive consumption of carbs also leads to zinc deficiency. Our muscles store zinc for muscle repairs. Lack of zinc leads to inflammation and rough skin. Zinc is also responsible for production of enzymes to carry out various processes in the body.

Phenylalanine

Phenylalanine helps produce three neurotransmitters for our nervous system, dopamine, endorphins and noradrenaline. Neurotransmitters travel between the brain and nervous system acting as signalling devices. Dopamine is as we all know creates the effect of pleasure in the brain. It is also responsible for movement in the body. Endorphins are the feel good chemicals and stress busters. They help you out when you are anxious. Noradrenaline takes care of outside threats by pumping your heart faster to make more blood reach the muscles. It keeps you alert. Noradrenaline can make you stay awake and alert.

Tryptophan

While phenylalanine produces dopamine, tryptophan creates serotonin which helps us keep calm. It helps regulate anxiety and keeps us away from depression.

Theobromine

If chocolate has been associated with love, this is the chemical which is responsible for it. Theobromine helps heart to beat faster. With the elevated heart beat, you can get more blood supply to all parts of the body including the brain. That means better health and mental clarity. Theobromine comes with side effects like you might urinate more.

Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a set of conditions which are caused by excessive consumption of carbs and sugars. It leads to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, increase in uric acid, high blood sugar and obesity finally leading to type 2 diabetes. Doctors estimate that more than 50% of the world population is suffering from either one or multiple conditions of metabolic syndrome. Dark chocolate contains lots of antioxidants, phytonutrients, polyphenols and flavonoids which increase insulin sensitivity thereby improving metabolic condition. Chocolate can be considered a safe food for consumption. But again here you need to choose your brand and type properly. If there is too much of sugar content or high percentage of vegetables oils, that might contribute to increasing metabolic syndrome.

Cocoa butter – the healthy fats

Cocoa butter contains both saturated and unsaturated fats. Though today we are being asked to stay away from fats, those are the bad fats or trans fats which we find in refined oils and commercially prepared fried food. Fat is an essential component of the body and is used in creating cell membrane. Fat is used for creating the entire brain and nervous system. Fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E & K) can only enter the body via fat and stored in the body with fat.

Cocoa butter contains a mix of stearic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid and a slight percentage of linoleic acid. These fatty acids are synthesised by the liver for essential functions within our body. Fats consumption also helps us stay full after a meal thereby making us less hungry for prolonged period. It helps with people who are on a diet plan with the aim to lose weight.

Summary

It is without doubt that dark chocolate is healthy. Always be careful of the amount of chocolate you consume in one session. Not all chocolates are dark and not every time you will find cocoa butter in chocolate. It would be good idea to stick to regular brands and while trying out a new one, do check the label.

The post Benefits of dark chocolate – the complete guide appeared first on Jolly Brown.

Use of cocoa butter

When chocolate making was invented in the modern world by the Swiss, it necessarily meant two things. Yummy milk and melt-in-the-mouth cocoa butter. But over a period of time due to commercial reasons, the quality of milk solids used in milk chocolates was degraded. The other cost-cutting involves the use of vegetable oils in place of cocoa butter. Vegetable oils or vegetable fats are not made from plants but rather seeds. The manufacturing process uses lots of chemicals. Examples of vegetable oils are canola, groundnut, safflower, cottonseed, and so on. They are unsaturated oils high in omega – 6 fatty acids and the main cause of inflammation leading to lifestyle diseases and metabolic syndrome.

Cocoa butter on the other hand is a saturated fat directly obtained from fermented cocoa beans. There is no chemical mixing in the extraction process. Most of it is made right at the farms and then shipped for processing. Other examples of healthy fats are avocado and olive. We do not mix or use any substitution for cocoa butter. For any clarification on how much unsaturated or saturated fats are used, just read the labels. Here is an example of one of our labels.

The absence of vegetable oils in our products also ensures dental hygiene by protecting your tooth enamel.

Cocoa butter has some visible health benefits like the fatty acids help hydrate the skin and Vitamin E helps with better vision and improves the health of brain, skin, and blood.

Carefully curated recipe with handpicked ingredients

We have lost count of the number of hours we spend perfecting the recipe not to mention the places we have visited to get the right quality raw material. Quality control matters for us and we do not believe mass production. Hygiene and sanitation are of utmost priority at our workshop.

Finally we have the right packaging so that the chocolate arrives in your hand the exact way we wished it would, a crisp and melt-in-the-mouth experience.

We also take adequate precautions to ensure that the dry fruits and nuts which we procure are free from harmful pesticides and aflatoxins. We care a lot about your health. Profit margins do not tempt us much.

Woman owned and Women led

So what if Jolly Premium Chocolate has been founded by a woman and completely managed along with the other responsibilities of a home maker? Yes, we do have a sense of pride in that because as per govt statistics, the participation of women measured in female Worker Population Ration is hardly 28%. The usual reason given to women are that while the men folk are working why do women need to work. Fathers tell their daughters that whatever amount she would earn money in a job, they will pay her as pocket money. Jolly Chocolate is owned and run by artist Jolly Sharma.

What more…

We have given you three reasons from our side. But what about taste and experience? For that we urge you to check out our product and find it for yourself. We guarantee you nothing short of a heavenly experience.

Hindi Script

Here is a transcript of the sales pitch in Hindi.

Jolly Chocolate ka har product packing ensure karta hai ki chocolate ka freshness and purity intact rahe aur best taste aur flavours aap tak pahuchata hai.

In chocolates ki manufacturing inke workshop mein hoti hai aur owner Jolly Sharma, jo ki quality controller aur curator bhi hain har step pe quality control ensure karte hai.

Chocolate mein hamesa best quality cocoa solids aur cocoa butter hai. Dark chocolate mein koi milk solids ya vegetable oil nahi hota hai. Isse health par koi asar nahi hota hai. Dark chocolate mein zinc aur manganese jaise aache minerals hote hai aur cocoa butter mein saturated fats hone sai body ko kafi health benefit milta hai.

Har ingredient aur raw material market se best quality ka procurement hota hai.

Ye chocolate manufacturing woman founded aur woman owned hai. Ye product Make in India ke principle pe manufacturing hota hai. Locally made and locally sourced, ye ek single woman owner brand hai.

48% dark chocolate best packing mein aata hai jo kissi bhi occasion ya festival ke liye gift kiya ja sakta hai.

The post Why buy Jolly Chocolate? appeared first on Jolly Brown.

Need for a wrapping – the aluminium foil

There are two types of foil we generally find on chocolate. One is the pure aluminium foil which mostly is golden on the outside and silver inside. The other type is a mix of two layers of paper and foil stuck to each other. Paper helps create better design and branding. There are lots of advantages of having a foil wrapped around the chocolate.

Chocolate takes the taste of the wrapping

One of the surprising facts about chocolate that it takes the smell and the taste of whatever you keep next to it. So paper is ruled out. The only material that can be acceptable to chocolate is the one which is completely odourless. Aluminium foil fits the bill.

Chocolate is best consumed fresh

After the long journey from the Amazonian forest, a chocolate finally lands in the hands of a chocolatier. Here begins the tempering, blending and moulding, true skills revealed. But there is a catch here for all that taste, fragrance and texture the chocolate starts the final journey in a state of decay. It is a fact that chocolate tastes best when fresh. Many chocolate shops prepare limited stocks lasting for a few days. Aluminium foil seals off the chocolate and retains the freshness and flavours.

Heat, Humidity and Light – Keep away

Too much of heat will cause the chocolate to melt. Too cold, the taste and texture starts getting changed. Same with light, it changes the texture and flavour. Exposing chocolates to humidity will lead to condensation which is visible when you take out chocolate from the refrigerator and expose it to air. The presence of a foil locks the chocolate in and protects it.

A bright wrapper is attractive

An aluminium foil without any design or colour is attractive in itself. Shinny and glittery, it looks good under the bight lights and clean glass shelves at the stores. A wrapper also gives a feeling of freshness and clean good food.

Light weight of aluminium foil

The weight of an aluminium foil is negligible. It does not add anything substantial to the weight of the chocolate and outer packing.

Consuming a part of the chocolate

If you are not able to finish off the whole chocolate, the remaining portion can be resealed in the foil and kept away. The aluminium foil folds well and easy.

Seal off the oils

Chocolate contains cocoa butter. Many blends of chocolates contain nuts as well. There is a chance that they may leak oil in minor amount. Any such leakage will immediately show on the outer paper packing. The foil helps keep these traces of oil at bay.

Aluminium is good conductor of heat

Rapid changes in outside temperature is not good for chocolate. Because aluminium foil is a good conductor, it helps heat dissipate easily and evenly.

Takes the shape of the chocolate

With the brand or name embossed right on the chocolate, a foil is the best way to wrap it. Many chocolatiers experiment with shapes. The foils helps brings out the art.

The post Aluminium Foil Chocolate wrappers – Why it is important appeared first on Jolly Brown.

Farming and harvesting

Cocoa fruit is the source of chocolate. It grown on the Theobroma Cacao tree as a pod with several seeds in it. Once the pod is ripe, it is cut open and the seeds removed for fermenting. the pulp surrounding the seeds melts away and changes the flavour of the inside of the seeds. Sun drying begins after fermenting to get rid of moisture. At the final step, the seeds are checked for quality, sorted and bagged for shipping. Jute bags is the preferred way for packing. They can also be carried by huge containers. Great care is taken so that the moisture does not spoil the seeds. Today the ships arrive much faster, however the care is still taken because any excess moisture can change the taste of the chocolate inside.

Enter the chocolate makers

Today chocolate makers have big processing plants which have automated the whole process. But even back in the 1800s, it was the chocolate makers which picked up the entire consignment of cocoa beans. Cleaning and roasting of the beans ensure the beans were fit for processing and it removed any traces of moisture. It also cracked open the outer shells for the chocolate nibs present inside.

Nibs are the purest form of chocolate. Till their journey from farms to roasting the beans are called cacao. The moment the shells are cracked open, it get a new name, cocoa nibs.

Nibs contain cocoa butter and cocoa solids roughly half of each. Nibs are grounded into cocoa mass. It is then pressed to extract cocoa butter. But why is it removed in the first place.

• Cocoa butter is used in skin care and cosmetic products. In fact the craze for cocoa butter is so high that there is a global shortage. Though cocoa butter apparently dies not have any noticeable effects on the skin, they are still a craze, maybe for the exotic sounding name.
• Cocoa butter and cocoa solids are mixed to create dark chocolate. This type of chocolate does not contain any milk content. But the addition of milk enhances the flavour of chocolate. Milk chocolates contain milk solids, sugar and cocoa solids. A large quantity of cocoa butter is replaced by milk. That makes it creamier and tastier. Countries which produce abundant milk like Switzerland will find it easy to use milk instead of the more costly cocoa butter.

Chocolate makers blend chocolates with milk or cocoa solids but they do not get creative. For that they leave it to trained professionals, the Chocolatiers.

Who is a Chocolatier

A chocolatier is a trained cook who makes chocolate products. A chocolatier starts out as an apprentice and rises to a master chocolatier. It is a term originated in Europe and there are culinary schools who train chocolatiers.

Chocolatiers being with tempering process to bring out the glossiness of chocolate and the snap when it breaks. It takes away the bitterness of dark chocolate. After creating their product, the molten chocolate is shaped by moulds, packed and ready to be sold.

The post Difference between chocolatier and chocolate maker? appeared first on Jolly Brown.

Harvesting

Cocoa beans grow on a tree called Theobroma cacao or simply called the cacao tree. Flowers grow on the trunk of the tree about 2 cm in diameter. The fruit also called pod grows to 30 cm in length. It changes colours from green, red or purple when raw to orange or yellow when ripe. Some variety remains green or yellow throughout. A way to check if the fruit is ripe is to shake it. If the seeds inside make a sound, the fruit is ripe. If you hear a liquid squishy sound, you need to throw away the fruit. Pods can ripen at different time, so there is always a multiple harvest. Pods are cut from trees using a long pole and curved knife at the end. Harvesting is a skilled job to cut just the pod at the right place so that the stem remains intact for growth of future flowers. Ripe pods are cut open in the middle to expose the seeds.

Fermenting

Seeds along with the pulp surrounding it are laid out in heaps for the fermenting to begin. It is carried out in wooden boxes with banana leaves. The boxes are perforated to allow the seeds to breathe as well as to drain the liquid generated during fermenting. Beans can take five to eight days to ferment. During this process they are turned and mixed at least once. The pulp surrounding the seed liquifies and starts disappearing. Once it is fully gone, fermenting is complete. This process is crucial for bringing the taste to the chocolate.

Drying

The excess moisture needs to be removed from the beans. Otherwise the seeds will get overdeveloped which will spoil them. Traditionally beans are dried in the open under the sun. Alternatively they can be burnt on fire which alters their taste. Either way this is the last step of the cacao farmers. After this the seeds are sorted and graded, packed in bags and shipped to chocolate maker around the world. The most important factor during transport is moisture control. Excess moisture enters storage spaces during shipping and increases levels of Free Fatty Acid. That can cause moulds to grow too. It can spoil the entire batch.

Cleaning

The next step moves from the cacao farms to chocolate makers kitchens or now factories. Beans are vacuum cleaned and separated from all farm impurities like pieces of wood, jute or dirt. The beans are graded weighed and stored for production. Cacao beans are purchased by chocolate makers, mostly across Europe and America. Historically chocolate maker would be picking up the stocks of cacao beans as soon as they were unloaded off the ships.

Roasting

Roasting kills off remaining moisture and bacteria which have formed during the shipping. Like in case of any bean or nut, roasting brings out the best flavour. Timing and temperature of roasting is important. Roasting changes the colour to dark brown and brings the special aroma.

Winnowing

During the roasting phase the external shells of beans becomes brittle. It can be cracked open to reveal the cocoa nibs inside. Nibs are edible and the purest form of chocolate. People have even begun consuming nibs directly to get the nutrition benefits. The shells are packed with anti oxidants and used to make herbal tea.

Cacao bean and cacao seeds are the same thing. Cacao pod is the one which grows on the tree. Once cut open it gives you the cocoa beans. Beans when cracked open gives you cacao nibs or nibs.

Grinding

The nibs are ground to a fine paste called cocoa mass. At this point the chocolate makers either extract all the cocoa butter from the cocoa mass to leave behind cocoa solids. Or some other ingredients like milk solids, sugar or vanilla are blended. Grinding also reduces the acid content further enhancing the flavour of chocolate. Pressing and heating releases the cocoa butter. Alternatively a chemical process can also do the same.

Conching

The word originates from the use of a stone shaped roller used as a mixer to evenly distribute cocoa particles among the other ingredients. Liquid chocolate blend is run through a roller grinder combo and is agitated with heated air. This process may go on till 96 hours. It helps remove final traces of moisture, further reduce the acidic content and greatly improves the texture of the chocolate making it smooth. Blended chocolates at this stage have their ingredients evenly distributed within the mass. In case of small chocolate crafters, modern machinery makes it possible to combine grinding and conching in a single machine called melangeur. As the blends are ready, they are poured into moulds or allowed to solidify and sold to chocolatiers.

Tempering

Enter the chocolatier – the first process. Tempering controls the size of the crystals to a uniform one so that the chocolate does not bloom. Untempered chocolate have t dull finish and crumble when broken like a cookie or biscuit. Tempering makes the chocolate shine like a glossy finish. It also makes the snap sound when broken. Tempering also contributes to the melt in the mouth experience at the same time retaining the shape of the chocolate bar throughout transportation. A tempered chocolate remains warmer at higher temperatures.

Moulding

It is a process of using a shaped container to designing your chocolate product in the various shapes you want. Chocolate moulds are made of rubber or hard plastic. It comes in various shapes and sizes, though the most common form is the bar chocolate. Molten chocolate is pour in the moulds either by hand or by machine. Moulds need to be cleaned, dried and polished each time before use. A slight tap is made to the mould to release any trapped air. Once the mass solidifies, it can pop out of the mould. A well tempered chocolate once solidified comes out of its mould easily.

Packaging

Packing up a chocolate is not just for its fancy market value. Chocolatiers go to great length to ensure the taste of their creation does not alter till it reaches into the hand of a chocolate lover. A hard case is used for bar chocolates to support it during transportation. Wrapping it in silver foil also ensure freshness. Finally the ingredients and usual nutrition values are printed on the box.

The post Bean to Bar – Terms explain in the chocolate story appeared first on Jolly Brown.

Where can Theobroma Cacao tree grow?

Cacao tree need adequate rainfall, all year long. It needs a tree cover to allow 40 to 50% sunlight to pass through. Average temperature should range around 25 degrees C and upto 300 m height above sea level. It also requires a certain type of soil. Most important, all the rainfall has to drain away. Such a place is literally available all across the southern states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Due to the highly technical nature of cocoa beans harvesting it has taken a lot of convincing to local farmers to take to cacao farming. But due to the entry of big brands, this plan is working. Andhra Pradesh has come out to be the largest producer in India. Rough estimates put chocolate produced in India at 30,000 tonnes. The largest producer of cocoa is Ivory Coast with 16,00,000 tonnes. But countries like Ghana have their economy focussed on chocolate production.

The economic facts and figures

India imports around 50% of the chocolate which it consumes. Though the cultivation of cacao has been growing steadily, so is the consumption. As India continued developing, the storage and processing of chocolate facilities also got better. It is estimated that next ten years, the usage and consumption is going to increase mutlifold. We are still a long way to go as compared to the most chocolate crazy nation, United Kingdom.

For a long time, Cadbury and Nestle dominated the chocolate scene in India. Amul has done well in recent years, especially in the premium segment. One particular product named India Twilight Tryst is made exclusively from cocoa grown in the Karavali region of Karnataka. Cacao farming was introduced way back in 1960 in Kerala by Cadbury in an effort to reduce dependency on imports. Cocoa is mostly grown in coconut plantations.

Interestingly most of the chocolate produced in India is picked up by a local brand Campco. It began in 1973 as a co-operative movement in Manglore. In 1986 they opened their first chocolate making facility which was inaugurated by the then President of India. They have been ramping up production and expanding ever since breaking their own records. Along with the regular products like Eclairs and chocolate bars, they are mostly into industrial chocolate products like cocoa mass and couvertures.

Indian Government has a dedicated department of Directorate of Cashew nut and Cocoa Development. Efforts towards cocoa cultivation has let to India also being an exporter to other countries yielding precious foreign exchange in the process.

Chocolate factories in India – the big brand and the chocolatiers

Big chocolate brand in India used to import their machinery from Europe. But today we have such machines made in India in places like Coimbatore which has emerged as chocolate machinery hub.

Though in nascent stage, India has their own share of home grown chocolatiers. Strictly by definition a chocolatier is a person who makes chocolate confectionery from chocolate or chocolate liquor. They are mostly involved in Tempering and Moulding process of chocolate making. It provides with serious chocolate makers the ability to create fine chocolate products which are pure on taste as well as light on the wallet.

Presenting Jolly Premium Chocolate by Ms Jolly Sharma.

The post Are cocoa beans grown and harvested in India? appeared first on Jolly Brown.

History of nutella

Pastry chef Pietro Ferrero from Turin came up with the idea to sell something inexpensive for factory workers to eat along with their bread. Hazelnuts were abundant at that time in Piedmont and there was already a kind of preparation of chopped nuts with chocolate in his mind. He named it “Gianduja” after local mascot used at the carnival. Instead of the workers it was the children who started loving it. Somewhere around 1945, Pietro had moved to Alba where he created Pasta Gianduja. Instead of selling a solid block, he cut it into slices and sold them at prices cheaper than chocolate. The next year Ferrero company was founded encouraged by the rise in sales.

At that time it was still solid. Pietro died in 1949 and his son Michele took over the family business. One day he accidentally discovered that the melted form of Giandujot is softer and more ‘Spreadable’. Some believe that due to particularly hot summer, the entire batch melted. It was then sold as a spread in jars. It also got a new name “Supercrema”.

A new law in 1962 forced Ferrero to change the name. Nutella was registered in 1963 and consisted of two words. Nut which represents the hazelnut and ella is an Italian suffix which stands for sweet. The first Nutella jar came out of the factory at Alba on 20 April 1964.

Mixing of Hazelnuts with chocolate

Way back in 1806 every chocolatier in north Italy was experimenting to take care of the cocoa beans shortage. One of the more popular method was mixing hazelnuts with cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Ferrero just picked up the recipe and perfected it. But along with the apparently simple mix they had an innovative marketing campaign too. The old TV ads and the present campaigns on social media, everything is planned meticulously and made trendy.

As the popularity of Nutella increased there were factories build all over Europe to cater for the every growing demand. What was basically hazelnut and chocolate became mostly sugar and palm oil replaced cocoa butter. There is a raging debate among the scientific community about the health aspect of palm oil. Sugar along with palm oil is about 50% and hazelnut with cocoa is hardly 20%. It was challenged in the US Courts on the misleading label being nutritious breakfast spread.

Health concerns

The popularity of nutella is partly because of the heavenly taste and also the carefully crafted advertising. It is touted as the tasty kids breakfast spread. Because of the taste, people tend to consume it way above the healthy limits.

Any food which is high in sugar content consumed in the morning spikes the blood sugar levels of the body. It contributes to lack of concentration and aggression. When people see the brown colour looking spread, they mistake it for chocolate. The visually appealing label does not help either.

Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil. It is heavily processed with chemicals at such heavy temperatures that any possibility of nutrients is destroyed by the heat.

Dark chocolate infused with hazelnut

The only healthy way to enjoy the 400 year old recipe is dark chocolate mixed with hazelnut paste and roasted hazelnuts. You get the goodness of the king of nuts and dark chocolate pure with cocoa butter. Custom handmade dark chocolates are more assured of purity than their commercial counterparts.

The post The story of nutella – should it be part of your kitchen appeared first on Jolly Brown.

Chocolate Liquor

Chocolate Liquor is 100% cocoa. It is in the form of a paste which can be separated into cocoa butter & cocoa powder (cocoa solids). Chocolate liquor is the purest form of chocolate and is the beginning at the chocolate making process. It does not contain any alcohol.

FSSAI definition of chocolates in India

As per a 2017 amendment, FSSAI allows the use of listed vegetable fats other than cocoa butter to be used in chocolate. It should not exceed 5% of the total weight. However as per US FDA definition, a chocolate cannot contain anything other than cocoa butter. Major chocolate manufacturers of the world are lobbing for change in this definition.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate has gained a lot of popularity due to its health benefits. It contains chocolate liquor and sugar. As per US FDA, dark chocolate needs to have at least 15% chocolate liquor. Sometimes this percentage can reach upto 50%. A variant of dark chocolate called bittersweet chocolate can contain as much as 66% cocoa powder. Dark chocolate does not have any milk solids. That is why it breaks in a snap like sound.

Plain Chocolate

As per FSSAI definition, a plain chocolate consists of at least 35% dark chocolate with rest being sugar and cocoa butter.

Milk Chocolate

This is the most famous and popular version of chocolate all over the world. It was first invented by the Swiss duo, Daniel Peter & Henri Nestle in 1875. Rodolphe Lindt further refined the process which gave the Swiss world dominance over chocolates. Milk Chocolate began as a health product. Milk chocolate contains cocoa butter, cocoa solids, sugar and milk. As per US FDA, milk chocolate has to contain at least 10% chocolate liquor and 12% milk. Vanilla is an important ingredient of milk chocolate.

White Chocolate

It has a smooth and creamy texture. it does not contain any cocoa solids. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, milk, vanilla and lecithin (emulsifier or binder). Because of the presence of cocoa butter, it is also a form of pure chocolate. US FDA defines white chocolate as containing at least 20% cocoa butter and 14% milk.

Blended Chocolate

Blended chocolate contains a mix of milk chocolate and plain chocolate in varied proportions.

Composite Chocolate

As per definition of FSSAI, a composite chocolate must contain at least 60% chocolate by weight and the rest can be edible substances like fruits, nuts and raisins.

Other definitions by FSSAI are milk covering chocolates and plain covering chocolates.

Chocolate has flooded the world market today. This brief article helps identifying correctly the right type of chocolate.

The post Dark, White & Milk chocolate – Identifying correctly appeared first on Jolly Brown.