Types Of Chocolate

It’s a thing, the aroma of which can conjure up such an atmospheric state of make-belief fog that can wake you up from the most pleasurable dreams in which you were the king of your own country. What is it? Confused? Okay, one more clue - just a mere touch of this thing on your tongue can send your sensory receptors into a state of euphoria and can make you lose your appetite for every other thing that there is. Did you get it?  For those who didn’t get it until yet, it is the un-put-down-able chocolate that we are talking about. Extracted from cacao bean (indigenous to southern America) and mixed with cacao butter and sugar, chocolate then takes the form of the finished product that is celebrated around the world. However, not everyone has the same taste when it comes to chocolate. Some like it sweet and creamy, while others prefer the dark and bitter variant. And thankfully, it is not limited to just one taste but is available in many varieties to provide gratification to every taste bud type. What’s more interesting is, even each country has its own distinct culture when it comes to chocolates. While Americans like their chocolate on the sweeter side, Europeans on the other hand prefer the bitter side of it. And if you are a chocolate fanatic, this article would definitely be the best thing that has ever happened to you. Read further to know about different types of chocolates and give each one a try. Who knows, you might end up loving the new taste more than the traditional one.

 

It’s the bean from which chocolate is extracted. Available in the form of raw cacao, roasted, ground, and cacao nibs; it’s considered to be the healthiest form of chocolate devoid of any artificial sweeteners, which means it tastes quite bitter.

 

Also known as the bitter chocolate, plain or baking chocolate, it is nothing but pure chocolate liquor paste made up by grinding the cacao beans. It has quite a bitter taste and is almost inconsumable unless mixed with sugar, which is why it is used up in baking cakes, pastries, and cookies as it has more control over the flavor.  

Also known as the bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, it contains chocolate liquor, cacao butter, vanilla, and sugar. However, it’s the chocolate liquor that renders this variant of chocolate its distinct deep flavor, albeit bitter. It’s almost mandatory to have at least 35% of cacao liquor to make it count as a dark chocolate, but it’s left up to the manufacturers as to how much percentage they may prefer. While 50% is very common in dark chocolates around the world, some go as high as 70%.

 

As the name says it all, milk chocolate contains milk or milk solids (at least 12%), either in the form of milk powder or condensed milk. In addition to milk, it must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor, cacao butter and sugar in varying amounts. It is much lighter in taste as compared to the types mentioned above.

 

It is chocolate, minus the actual chocolate taste, as it does not contain cacao liquor or any other cacao products, but is primarily made up of cacao butter (at least 20%), vanilla, other vegetable oils, and sugar. Some countries don’t refer to it as chocolate at all, but is just about there, having made its way into the chocolate types.

 

Couverture is a term given to the chocolate that is rich in cacao butter and cacao liquor. It contains close to 35-45% of cacao butter and liquor content as high as 80% which gives this chocolate a distinct flavor and smoothness. This type of chocolate is generally used by the bakers and confectioners for coating up the candies and other eatables.

 

Made from hazelnut paste or almond paste, a Gianduja is a chocolate made from European style. It comes in both milk and dark chocolate varieties and can also be substituted for both of them.

 

It’s a chocolate haven out there with so many varieties of chocolates to choose from. Go and entice your taste buds like never before, with a chocolaty experience!