Title: Class Glossary
Course: Grades Instructor - DO NOT MODIFY > Section: History of Chocolate and Industry Overview

Truffle

The word truffle has several meanings in the world of candy because of different countries of origin. It was invented in France as a small, rich chocolate made of ganache, often flavored and usually shaped into a ball. The original recipe, rolled in cocoa, was named after the black truffle fungus because of its physical resemblance.

Tempering

Chocolate is not shiny on its own: it needs to go through a process called tempering to achieve its glossy appearance and a pleasant mouthfeel. This involves an alternating process of heating, cooling, and heating again to specific temperatures to stabilize the mixture to obtain the smooth, shiny texture and a good “snap” when broken. Well-tempered chocolate melts better in the mouth and ages better. The word “temper” refers to the way chocolate solidifies. Only the cocoa butter particles become melted: sugar and cocoa powder remain solids suspended in the fluid cocoa butter. When the melted chocolate cools and becomes solid again, the cocoa butter particles form a crystalline structure. The evenness of distribution of cocoa butter, and the type of crystals they form, comprise the temper. Chocolate is in good temper if the cocoa butter is mixed thoroughly and evenly throughout and the particles have cooled uniformly and completely. If not tempered properly the finished chocolate will be dull and streaky with a tendency to bloom. The classic tempering method is to melt the chocolate until it is lump-free. Then 1/3 of the chocolate is poured onto a marble slab, spread and worked back and forth with a metal spatula until it becomes thick and reaches a temperature of about 80°F. This chocolate is then added back to the remaining 2/3 of the melted chocolate and stirred. The process is repeated until the entire mixture reaches 88° to 92° for semi-sweet chocolate, 84° to 87° for milk or white chocolate. Care must be taken not to over-temper chocolate, which returns it to its original state—grainy and susceptible to bloom.

Snap

The clear, crisp sound made from breaking a piece of chocolate from a bar. A good, clean snap is indicative of high cacao content and well-tempered chocolate.  Milk chocolate which has lower levels of cocoa solids, and white chocolate which has no cocoa solids and is softer, don’t have the same clean snap (the higher the cacao content, the harder the chocolate). The opposite of snap is crumbly.

Praline Paste or Pralané

Praline paste, also called praliné (prah-lee-NAY) is a ground nut paste generally made from almonds or hazelnuts and sugar (the paste can be made from any nut; pistachio paste also is popular). It has been used in French patisserie since the 16th century to make pastries and to flavor mousse, buttercream and ice cream. Hazelnut praliné is a roasted and caramelized nut paste invented during a chocolate shortage in the 19th century in Turin, Italy. In Italy it is known as gianduja (jon-DOO-ya). It is popularly combined with chocolate and used in other confections.

Nib or Kernel

The interior meat of the cacao bean. The nib is retrieved after the beans are roasted and the husks are removed. The nibs themselves are more than 50% fat (cocoa butter): nibs from fine beans have 53% or more. While nibs are ground and conched to make chocolate, they are also roasted and sold as crunchy confections plain and chocolate covered; for use in desserts, for savory uses in salads and sauces, and as garnishes. A number of chocolatiers make bars with nibs.

Mouthfeel

The texture and other sensations of the chocolate in the mouth. In general, a good chocolate will be smooth and dissolve into liquid in the mouth.  A less good chocolate will be grainy, gritty, or waxy (the latter may indicate that cheaper vegetable fat has been substituted for the cocoa butter)

Mexican Chocolate or Chocolate Mexicano

This term has two definitions: (1) a chocolate beverage similar to cocoa, or (2) a semi-soft cinnamon-scented sweet chocolate, also called Oaxaca Chocolate. The cacao beans are ground and Ibarra Chocolatemixed with cinnamon, sugar and almonds and then pressed into tablets or bars. Other varieties may include almonds, nutmeg and clove in a mixture of eggs and cocoa beans. The chocolate is used primarily in making hot beverages. The Ibarra brand is most commonly found, in the form of 3-inch round tablets that are packaged in octagon-shaped, cylindrical, bright yellow and red cardboard boxes.

Maltitol

A natural sugar substitute that provides the most natural sweetness in sugar-free chocolate.  Made from malt extract, it is more expensive than other non-sugar sweeteners but used in the finer sugar-free chocolates.

Lecithin

Lecithin can be extracted from egg yolks or soybeans (when it is called soya lecithin, and is generally the type of lecithin used by most chocolate makers). It is a natural product used as a thinner in chocolate. As an emulsifier, it helps maintain an emulsion (attachment) between the cocoa butter and the sugar. It also increases the chocolate’s fluidity (pliability) through the reduction of viscosity. (Cocoa butter is also added to for this purpose.) When no lecithin is added, the chocolate is dense and thick and tends to keep air inside the bar, which can create a rough surface texture including air bubbles. However, some of the finest chocolatiers, including Domori and Michel Cluizel, elect not to emulsify their chocolate, as they believe it interferes with nuances of taste in the cacao. Their chocolate is outstanding because of the overall care and quality of their production process.

Ganache

A velvety smooth blend of chocolate and cream, often with butter added, that is usually dipped in chocolate and rolled in cocoa powder and sugar or other coatings to make a truffle.  It is often used as a center for bonbons. Ganache can be made from dark, milk, or white chocolate and flavored with chocolate, coffee, liqueurs, extracts—virtually any flavor that inspires the chocolatier. Using more chocolate than cream yields a firmer ganache, whereas more cream than chocolate yields a softer more velvety mixture. Ganache can be beaten with butter and used as to fill and frost cakes and pastries (ganache beurre or ganache soufflé), and in its liquid state can be poured over cakes and pastries as a glaze.

Fondant

There are several definitions for fondant: (1) The creamy, white crystalline filling for bonbons. Made of a sugar and water base, it can be flavored with anything that complements the chocolate bonbon shell—fruits, liqueurs, spices. e.g. The “liquid” of a chocolate-covered cherry is actually fondant. It is firm when wrapped around the cherry, but the juice from the cherry, when encased in the chocolate shell, causes the sugar in the fondant to liquefy. (2) Rolled fondant is a smooth covering paste for fine cakes that serves as both an elegant decor and seals in freshness. (3) A chocolate spread for bread and crackers is called fondant. (4) In France, fondant means dark or “pure” chocolate (milk chocolate is lait). When the smooth, velvety chocolate we know today was made possible by the invention of the conching machine in 1879, it was called fondant chocolate to distinguish it from what was then the norm.

Cocoa Butter

The natural vegetable fat present in the cacao bean (beans contain approximately 52% cocoa butter by weight). Cocoa butter is a yellowish-white fat, solid at room temperature. It is squeezed from the hot chocolate liquor by high pressure (hydraulic press). After the beans are roasted and finely ground, they are hot from grinding and liquid due to their natural high fat content. Cocoa butter is not a dairy product and does not contain cholesterol. Cocoa butter is to cocoa beans what olive oil is to olives.

Bloom

There are two kinds of bloom that form on the surface of chocolate: both are temperature-related and both make the chocolate look suspect and unappetizing.  With fat bloom, the chocolate loses its gloss: a powdery grayish-white or tan film forms on the surface. This is due to improper storage, poorly tempering, lack of tempering, or changes in temperature. Heating chocolate above 70°F, as well as repetitive heating and cooling, will cause microscopic cocoa butter particles to join together, leaving particles of sugar and cocoa uncoated. The bloom is the cocoa butter that has separated and risen to the surface. In some cases the chocolate may become soft or crumbly. While bloom diminishes the appearance of the chocolate, it does not alter the taste and is not harmful. Chocolate with fat bloom can be eaten although it may taste drier. Fat bloom can be avoided by storing chocolate a constant temperature. Sugar bloom is caused by condensation, due to excessive moisture. The moisture combines with the sugar in the chocolate to create a syrup. Large sugar crystals remain on the surface of the chocolate when the moisture evaporates. See Sugar Bloom for more information.

Bain-Marie

A bain-marie, or “Mary’s bath,” is the French equivalent of a double boiler. It melts chocolate gently over warm water so the chocolate will not burn. The “bath” refers to the method of placing a pan of food in another pan with water in. The term was originally used in alchemy, and was named after Moses’s sister, who was an alchemist.

Alkalization

A process of neutralizing the acidity of cocoa with potassium carbonate. This also brings out more chocolate color, resulting in a darker cocoa. Also known as Dutch process or Dutching. Since the end of the 19th century, all commercial chocolate manufacturers have used this technique, which modifies the flavor and color of the cocoa. Cocoas and chocolates that are 100% natural will not be alkalized.

Blue Chocolate

This rare Scandinavian form, aka the Norwegian Blue, lies dormant on the tongue until one drinks a cup of milk.