Chocolate

• Understanding Chocolate

Chocolate Glossary

Learn more about chocolate definitions with our chocolate glossary.

Alkalinisation

The Dutchman Coenraad Johannes van Houten discovered (in the early 19th century) that by adding alkali-potash to the nibs before roasting, the acid taste of cocoa was neutralized. Pretty much all industrial chocolate makers have been practicing this alkalization process since, to change the flavour and colour of the chocolate. This is also called "Dutch Process" or "Dutching"

Bittersweet

Bittersweet chocolate is mainly used for baking. Slightly sweetened, it is a dark chocolate that is used for making garnishes or rich dense cakes. It must be contain at least 35% chocolate liquor to be considered bittersweet chocolate.

Brut (Bitter)

This chocolate contains no sugar, (but may contain natural or artificial flavouring). It is used only for baking, it is way too bitter to be enjoyed pure, with a solid cocoa content over 85%.

Cacao

Cacao can refer to the cacao plant but also the unprocessed pods of the cacao plant.

Carraque

Carrague is chocolate made with milk or dark pieces, occasionally topped with nuts such as almond, walnut, hazelnuts, and raisins.

Chocolate Liquor

Finely grinding the nib of the cocoa bean produces chocolate liquor. It is not yet chocolate, and is also known as unsweetened chocolate or cocoa mass / cocoa liquor.

Cocoa Beans

Cocoa beans grow in pods on the cocoa tree. They are the source of chocolate and cocoa. The trees grow mainly in the twenty degrees north / south of the equator.

Cocoa Butter

This is a hard fat made up mainly of triglycerides. It is firm at room temperature, contracting as it solidifies / cools. It is great for molding.

Cocoa Mass

See Chocolate Liquor.

Cocoa Pods

Cocoa Pods grow on cocoa trees, and contain cocoa beans. They are egg shaped, roughly 15 - 30 centimeters in size and contain about 30 - 40 beans each.

Cocoa Powder

Removing cocoa butter from cocoa paste will result in cocoa powder. Cocoa powder is used to make chocolate milk and other drinks, in baking, or to dust desserts and truffles.

Compound Coatings

Compound coatings replace part of the cocoa butter with vegetable fat. Other ingredients such as whey powders, dairy blends, and derivatives may be used as substitutes or additives in the chocolate making process.

Dark Chocolate

Containing a minimum of 43% cocoa, dark chocolate contains no milk. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the more bitter and intense the chocolate taste. 70% cocoa chocolate is quite dark, while higher percentages have become popular. A higher percentage of cocoa does not necessarily mean the chocolate will taste better.

Dutch Process Cocoa

Cocoa powder that has been treated with alkali is known as dutch process cocoa. It's natural acids have been neutralized, and the colour is slightly darker from natural cocoa.

Dutching

See Alkalinisation.

Enrobing

Taking a chocolate center or praline and covering it with a layer of chocolate (either by pouring it on or dipping it) is known as enrobing.

Fondant

French for dark or "pure" chocolate. (milk chocolate is known as "lait")

Ganache

A mixture made by combining semisweet chocolate pieces and boiling cream, stirring until smooth. Ganache is a wonderful balance of intense chocolate flavour and smooth creamy texture.

Gianduja

An Italian specialty, Gianduja is a mix of hazelnuts and cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar.

Lecithin

Lecithin is extracted from the soy bean to be used as a thinner in chocolate.

Low Fat Cocoa

Cocoa powder that contains less than 10% cocoa butter.

Malitol

This is a natural sugar substiture. It is derived from a Malt-extract, and allows chocolate to taste sweet without containing sugar. It is pretty popular with chocolate makers, especially Belgian sugar free products.

Marzipan

A thick almond / sugar paste. Some marzipan is then covered with white / milk / dark chocolate.

Medium Fat Cocoa

Contains 10 - 22% percent cocoa butter.

Milk Chocolate

Everyone knows milk choclate - it is the most popular and best known eating chocolate. It's made by combining chocolate liquid, additional cocoa butter, milk / cream, sugar, and flavourings.

Moulding

A technique for making chocolates that involves placing chocolate into molds to create shaped chocolates. A shell can be created by filling the mould with a thin layer of chocolate, then adding a filling, then covering it with a final layer of chocolate. Belgian pralines in those sea shell shapes are a good example of these.

Nibs

The kernels of the cocoa beans which are then ground are called nibs. Sometimes nibs are added to chocolate to add texture.

Nougat

Nougat is used as the filling in some chocolates / chocolate bars. It is a mix of caramelized sugar and crushed, roasted almonds or hazelnuts.

Organic Chocolate

Organic chocolate comes from cocoa plants that are grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers. The chocolate is produced without artificial ingredients, irradiation, or preservatives. Milk chocolate is produced with milk that comes from cows that have not received any artificial chemicals, growth hormones, or antibodies, and have been fed organic feed.

Pods

Pods grow on the cocoa tree, between the flower blossoms. The tree is permanently flowering, so the pods grow year round and can be found at various stages of development. The pods are egg shaped and are 15 to 30 centimeters in length, each containing between 30 and 40 cocoa beans.

Praline

Richly flavoured chocolate to which hot caramel, roasted and ground hazelnuts or almonds, and vanilla has been added.

Semisweet and Sweet Chocolate

This chocolate is created by blending the chocolate liquid with sweetening and cocoa butter. The amount added varies, making it semisweet or sweet. Semi-sweet chocolate is used most often in baking, while sweet chocolate is meant to be eaten straight.