chocolate education
Chocolate: Around the World
October 7, 2011
If you are a self-proclaimed true blue chocoholic and want to satisfy your need for anything chocolate, then why don’t you head to the Field Museum in Chicago?
“Chocolate: Around the World”, a smash hit exhibit which sold more than 360,000 tickets in its first Field run in the year 2002 is back not only to entertain you, but also give you juicy and interesting information.
In the past nine years, “Chocolate” has already been to 22 other American museums and will go international when its present Field run is done in January, said the Field president and chief executive officer, John McCarter.
“Chocolate” is a combination of both the Field’s focus on anthropology as well as natural history and its attention to the origins of cacao beans and the role chocolate played in the past centuries. “This is one of the great combination stories,” McCarter said.
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Chocolate and Wine Pairing
September 29, 2011
Although wine is pleasurable all its own, most people pair it with an array of different foods as it magnifies the tastes of those food. But did you know that wine and chocolate make a good pair? When the combination is created correctly, it gives a divine blast of taste in the mouth.
First and foremost, you need to make an appropriate choice of chocolate. Grabbing any chocolate bar available won't be enough as they don't hold distinctive flavors. Gourmet chocolates are your best bet, be it dark, white, or milk chocolate.
With regard to the wine you’ll be pairing the chocolate with, you need to find one that is at least as sweet as the chocolate, maybe even slightly sweeter. One of the main rules in pairing them is that the distance between wine and chocolate sweetness should always be short because if the wine isn't sweet enough, the sour notes of wine will make it appear hollow, which makes it a horrible combination.
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From Bean To Bar
September 27, 2011
While in search of nature’s medicines, the Medicine Hunter named Chris Kilham is famous for his venture which entails trying out peculiar food, but the most recent one made him lean towards the "sweeter" side.
Just recently, Kilham took a trip to Mast Brothers Chocolate in Brooklyn, N.Y. to witness the behind-the-scenes in chocolate making.
Time and again, research has revealed that chocolate is in point of fact beneficial for you, health-wise. The benefits involve protecting the heart and mind, even sex drive.
In 2007, brothers Mike and Rick Mast started manufacturing organic chocolate made from some of the best cocoa beans worldwide, and they make approximately 5,000 bars every week .
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A Brief History of Brownies
September 22, 2011
The brownie, one of the most loved baked treat, was believed to be "invented" in America. Some references imply that brownies were originally made in New England at the beginning of the 20th century. Albeit the facts that it is basically cake-like and baked in a cake pan, brownies are considered as bar cookies rather than a cake.
Brownies can either be "cake-style" or "fudge-style”. Cake-style is that with the consistency of a cake, only richer and denser. On the other hand, fudge-style is more like, er, fudge than cake. It is the richer, denser, and creamier version of the brownie. What determines the style of brownie is the ratio of flour to chocolate and/or cocoa.
I hate to state the obvious but it’s apparent brownie derived its name from its dark brown color. But just like almost any food, the origin of the "brownie" is covered in myth. One of the legends told is that a chef added melted chocolate to biscuits by mistake. Another one states that a cook was baking a cake but didn't have enough flour and baked it anyway, thus, making a brownie.
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The Different Types of Cacao Beans
September 15, 2011
Just because there’s only one species of Theobroma cacao doesn’t mean there are no different types of cacao beans. However, even experts themselves can’t seem to agree on how many types of cacao beans there actually are, but let’s stick with 4.
Why in the world would you even care about this mumbo jumbo? Well, for starters, one word, flavor. While most of us are happily content with any chocolate in hand just as long as it’s good, true blue chocolate lovers take pleasure in the subtle differences in aroma, taste, and texture between the different cacao bean varieties.
The first type of cacao beans is the Criollo. It was initially cultivated by the Mesoamericans and is generally considered to be the most excellent worldwide. It has a rich, intricate aroma, and a profound yet smooth flavor. Criollo beans require just a little fermentation and short roasting to draw out the flavors.
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Chocolate Categories and Pairings
August 30, 2011
Over the last couple of centuries, the cacao bean been has been used in many different ways such as medicine, as money, etc. But today, we eat it almost exclusively for pleasure.
There are different varieties of cacao beans and it has been said that each strain has been significantly changed due to its tree’s ability to naturally cross-pollinate, not to mention all the intended hybridization of the cacao bean for the past centuries.
Cacao beans go through a lot of processing to produce the chocolate we all love. They are harvested, fermented, dried, roasted, and ground to make chocolate liquor, which is then further processed into cocoa solids and cocoa butter.
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Science of Chocolate
August 23, 2011
Have you ever tried munching on chocolates and then think about its fragile crystal structure? Or do you even wonder about its milk protein contents as this melt-in-your-mouth goodness touches your palate? I bet no. The only thing you can think of is whether to get another bar or not, but there are people who take interest in this kind of scientific stuff.
Galit Segev, a chef and a biochemist in the pharmaceutical industry, enjoys her chocolates but is also enthralled by its physical properties. Having a background in such field, she is normally interested in why certain foods react variedly to certain cooking techniques.
She just recently had a part in the Ultimo Science Week talking about the science of chocolate such as how these treats are manufactured. From soil to your mouth, she gave a talk about what makes for a quality chocolate.
Chocolate Sunblock
August 19, 2011
Chocolate as a skin care product? Say what? It is being said that ingesting chocolate (not putting on the skin!) does not only satisfy sweet tooth cravings but also protects against sunburn now. Sounds wacky, doesn’t it? Gone are the days when chocolate was generally synonymous to bad skin. Imagine enjoying in this decadent treat and seeing your skin get better than ever!
Chocolate happens to have a significant amount of protective antioxidants known as Polyphenols (also found in coffee and wine) which makes it possible for you to indulge in its skin benefit due to its ability to reduce ongoing cellular damage. This certain compound, according to studies, does not only enrich the skin but it also offers protection from harmful UV light exposure making skin less sensitive to the sun. Polyphenols are said to increase blood flow close to the skin causing all these skin improvements.
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Fighting Cancer with Chocolate?
August 18, 2011
If that would be the case, who wouldn’t want to kick cancer’s butt? Here are some interesting tidbits of information to help you realize how good chocolate can be for your health!
Cacao seeds contain Flavonoids (specifically Flavanols) that are chemicals found in plant-based foods that give major health benefits. Over 4,000 flavonoids have been known and almost all of it are found in fruits, vegetables and beverages such as tea, coffee, beer, wine and fruit drinks. Good thing our beloved chocolate is part of the list!
When we eat foods that have flavonoids, it just means that we also take advantage of the antioxidants in it which are believed to help the body fight cell damage. In addition to that, studies say that flavonoids have other helpful influences on vascular health, such as lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow to the brain and heart, making blood platelets less viscous. Thus, keeping cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels. It also slows down the immune responses that lead to clogged arteries.
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Chocolate and Red Wine: Intelligent
May 19, 2011
Chocolates are one of the most popular sweets, definitely loved by a lot of people. Research has shown that chocolates tend to stimulate mental attentiveness, and it also helps in regulating good mood. As a chocolate lover you probably know this.
But have you thought about wine? It has a lot in common with chocolate.
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