Chocolate Bits: Facts About Chocolate

All about chocolate, chocolate in the movies, how it's grown and made, and what not to buy.

Johnny Depp from the movie Have you seen the movie, "Chocolat" with Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche? If not, rent the dvd and indulge yourself in the sensuous world of chocolate. Forget about drinking prepackaged hot cocoa or using grocery store brand syrup ever again - this movie is about REAL CHOCOLATE. As for Johnny Depp -- eye candy if there ever was any.

Americans spend a vast amount -- roughly $13 billion -- on chocolate every year.

Chocolate is made from the seeds of the cacao tree which grows in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. Cacao trees are small, needing just the right amount of rain, shade, humidity, wind, and nutrients to survive and thrive. Some of the same practices that enable farmers to expand their plantations, such as clear cutting into the rainforest, spur rapid growth but threaten the longevity of the very trees they cultivate.

Domesticated cacao is more susceptible to pests than wild cacao, thanks to the close growing conditions and limited genetics, so to protect crops and keep cacao production high, many growers rely on pesticides to grow their beans.

"Fair Trade" exists in the world of chocolate. Sustainable farming includes concepts such as "intercropping", where smaller farms are planted on the edge of healthy, possible endangered rainforests, rather than clearcutting into these forests. This benefits the cacao plants due to proximity to the beneficial animals and insects of the forest. By planting the cacao with overstory plants such as Brazil nuts, rubber, and cashews, or other understory cash crops, the cacao is healthier because of the similarity to its natural, beneficial growing conditions. Farmers benefit as well because they have an economic buffer in case the cacao crop fails or the prices drop.

Manufacturers develop their own proprietary recipes for their chocolate. Details of particular blends of cacao varieties, temperatures, and proportions of ingredients are protected to keep trade secrets from leaking to competitors.

The key to success when dipping chocolates at home is to temper the chocolate and then keep it at the optimum temperature while coating your centers.

"Couverture" is top quality, confectionery chocolate, made expressly for coating centers, whether the centers are fruit, ganache, or coffee beans. It melts smoothly and has excellent working characteristics and flavor.

There are several companies making couverture chocolate. Callebaut is one of the best, and I just discovered today that Callebaut has several places of business right here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In fact, one of them is in a "castle" downtown.

Do not use baking chocolate from the super market or milk chocolate candy bars. You will be disappointed with both the appearance and flavor of your candies.

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