VOOR HET OVERIGE ZIJN ER WEL NOG WAT KEUZES TE MAKEN IN WINKEL
NIEUWJAAR OPENINGSURENDONDERDAG 31 DEC: 8 uur tot 18 uurVRIJDAG NIEUWJAAR : 8 uur tot 15 uurZATERDAG 2 JANUARI : 8 uur tot 17 uurZONDAG 3 JANUARI : 7 uur tot 15 uur
It is ambitious to develop a page on chocolate, cocoa beans, pods etc... However, nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I will develop this page and hope to provide food for thought.
VOOR HET OVERIGE ZIJN ER WEL NOG WAT KEUZES TE MAKEN IN WINKEL
NIEUWJAAR OPENINGSURENDONDERDAG 31 DEC: 8 uur tot 18 uurVRIJDAG NIEUWJAAR : 8 uur tot 15 uurZATERDAG 2 JANUARI : 8 uur tot 17 uurZONDAG 3 JANUARI : 7 uur tot 15 uur
Roasting is one of the crucial steps in the bean-to-bar process to develop chocolate as we know it. Whether it’s in a coffee roaster, an adapted commercial oven or a dedicated cocoa roaster, chocolate makers play around with timings and temperatures to get the best flavors out of their cocoa beans.
For each origin they use, chocolate makers elaborate a so-called “roasting profile”, which is a protocol that they can follow to get the same result every time. Temperatures usually range from 120°C (225°F) to 150°C (302°F), while times go from a minimum of 15 minutes to a maximum of 40 minutes. Makers can opt for a light, medium or dark roast for a shorter or longer period of time. You will be surprised by how the same cocoa beans can develop extremely different flavors when temperatures and times are changed!
Roasting doesn’t only develop cocoa beans’ natural flavors, but also kills microorganisms such as bacteria on the outer shell, effectively sterilizing the beans. It also helps to separate the outer shell from the inner nibs: cocoa beans have a papery outer shell that must be removed before they can be made into chocolate, and roasting helps to dry and loosen this shell so that it is easier to remove, and only the “meat” of the beans will be left to make the chocolate.
Some chocolate makers decide to skip this process entirely to keep their final product as “raw” as possible. By not exposing the cocoa beans to high temperatures, their intention is to preserve all the nutrients and the health benefits of cacao as much as possible.
When the cocoa beans finish the roasting process, makers crush them and then separate the nibs from the shells during the breaking and winnowing steps, to then proceed into other machines.
The ending aromatic profile will be hugely impacted by the roasting profile chosen by the craft chocolate maker.
thanks @DENNIS VAN ESSEN
As early as 500 BC, the Mayans were drinking chocolate made from ground-up cocoa seeds mixed with water, cornmeal, and chili peppers (as well as other ingredients)—a much different version from the hot chocolate we know today. They would mix the drink by pouring it back and forth from a cup to a pot until a thick foam developed, and then enjoy the beverage cold. Although the chocolate drink was available to all classes of people, the wealthy would drink it from large vessels with spouts, which later would be buried along with them.
In the early 1500s, the explorer Cortez brought cocoa beans and the chocolate drink-making tools to Europe. Although the drink still remained cold and bitter-tasting, it gained popularity and was adopted by the court of King Charles V as well as the Spanish upper class. After its introduction in Spain, the drink began to be served hot, sweetened, and without the chili peppers. The Spanish were very protective of their wonderful new beverage, and it was over a hundred years before news of it began to spread across Europe.
When it hit London in the 1700s, chocolate houses (similar to today’s coffee shops) became popular and very trendy, even though chocolate was very expensive. In the late 1700s, the president of the Royal College of Physicians, Hans Sloane, brought from Jamaica a recipe for mixing chocolate with milk, which made the drink more palatable in his opinion. Well, others agreed and the English started adding milk to their chocolate; it was then enjoyed as an after-dinner beverage.
Up until the 19th century, hot chocolate was used as a treatment for stomach and liver diseases as well as a special drink. Today, however, we simply treat this warm concoction as a beverage to sip and savor.
Now let us know: how do you like to drink your hot chocolate?
Cacao is a highly complex superfood that contains over 300 molecules that include antioxidants, minerals and other complex molecules that help enhance wellbeing naturally.
Cacao is a great source of minerals such as magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium, magnesium and manganese. Contains Vitamins, natural feel good chemicals and is high in antioxidants such as flavonoids. Listed below are some amazing health benefits of nutrients found in cacao.
• Magnesium : Essential for energy production, for a healthy brain and nervous system, for our muscles and for strong bones and teeth. Magnesium may also support a healthy blood pressure.
• Iron : Cacao is a source of iron which helps to transport oxygen around our body,
• Flavonoids : Cacao is high in flavonoids, which have antioxidant activity. Raw cacao including dark chocolate have been linked with cardiovascular health benefits including increasing the good form of cholesterol (HDL) in our blood, lowering blood pressure and even improving vascular function. These effects are thought to be primarily due to the antioxidants contained in the cacao.
• PEA : A compound called phenylethylamine (PEA for short!). PEA is thought to elevate mood and support energy, and is said to be one of the reasons that many people experience that on top of the world feeling.
Theobromine : Theobromine, found in the cacao may keep your blood pressure down and your mind active without the potential negatives of caffeine. It is in the same class of stimulants as caffeine, but theobromine is quite different from caffeine because it offers a longer lasting, more relaxed energy without the spike and crash.
Unlike caffeine, theobromine is not a central nervous system stimulant and therefore doesn’t typically make you feel as jittery.
Here are just some of the factors that influence the final flavor of your chocolate:
GENETICS. Cacao growers accurately select their favorite cacao varieties depending on their potential aromatic profile. They have a lot of different choices, as many cacao varieties are now often combined in hybrids. It’s not only Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario, but many, many more!
TERROIR. Also the place where the cacao grows has its own impact depending on the type of soil, weather conditions, altitude, intensity of the sun, rainfall and all the other natural elements. This is also what makes cacao from different farms/areas/regions/countries so particularly unique.
FARM PRACTICES. Pruning, fertilizing, monitoring, harvesting. No matter how unrelated these actions seem to the final flavors of the chocolate, even these choices at origin have big consequences. When farm practices are done right, they preserve the natural flavors in the cacao.
FERMENTATION & DRYING METHODS. These are often appointed as the steps that impact the flavors of the chocolate the most. Many cocoa producers have also demonstrated that by tweaking fermentation and drying methods even the same cacao can taste completely different.
THE BEAN-TO-BAR PROCESS. From roasting to conching, from winnowing to ageing, chocolate makers accurately select specific machines, times, temperatures and protocols to get the best flavors out of their raw material. It’s fascinating to see how different chocolate makers working with the same cacao can come up with chocolate bars with extremely different flavor profiles.
This is why we highly suggest you try different origins from different chocolate brands. Depending on genetics, terroir, farm practices, fermentation and drying techniques, and the bean-to-bar process, every chocolate has something extremely unique to offer to your palate!
Thanks to DENNIS VAN ESSEN
According to the history of chocolate, in 1875 the Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter invented milk chocolate, which became instantly popular thanks to its creamy texture and sweet flavor. Today, around 40% of all chocolate consumed globally contains dairy.
Compared to the 19th century, in 2020 we have many more options when it comes to milk chocolate than just a classic bar that contains milk powder, sugar and at least 25-25% cocoa. Chocolate companies from around the world are getting creative to give a twist to such a classic!
Here are all the alternatives currently available on the market:
Dark Milk – it contains a higher percentage of cocoa than classic milk chocolate, anywhere between 50 and 70%. It doesn’t have the intensity of dark chocolate, neither the extreme sweetness of milk chocolate. Dark milk is the perfect starting point for milk-chocolate lovers that want to explore more intense flavors.
Vegan Milk – from the classic coconut milk to the trendiest oat milk, there is now a large plethora of choices when it comes to milk chocolate made with plant-based milks, thanks to a rising global demand. From artisanal to industrial companies, now every brand seems to have a vegan milk chocolate option in its assortment.
Flavored Milk – milk chocolate is often a great base for additional flavors that enhance the tasting experience. Fruits, nuts, sea salt, flowers, teas, grains and more! The options are truly endless to give milk chocolate a crunchy texture or a more decisive taste, or both.
Unusual Milk – not only cow’s milk or plant-based milks. Some chocolate makers are experimenting also with sheep’s, goat’s, buffalo’s and camel’s milk that give distinctive nuances to their milk chocolates.
Sugar-Free Milk – by popular demand, now chocolate brands are manufacturing milk chocolate that has no sugar added to it. For those who want to enjoy the smoothness of milk chocolate that fits in their low-sugar lifestyle.
Niet alleen is het onmiskenbare vermogen van dit voedsel om ons beter te laten voelen, het is ook het product met de hoogste hoeveelheid antioxidanten per gram. Alsof dat nog niet genoeg is, is het ook nog eens een goed prebioticum
"Cacao die een chemisch alkalisatieproces heeft ondergaan, vermindert het polyfenolgehalte aanzienlijk", legt dr. Maria Izquierdo , hoogleraar Voeding en bromatologie aan de Universiteit van Barcelona, uit . Hoe groter de alkalisatie, hoe groter het verlies aan polyfenolen: volgens verschillende onderzoeken wordt bij een matige alkalisatie tot 78% van deze verbindingen vernietigd.
Ze onderscheiden lijkt een gecompliceerde taak, hoewel er enkele trucs zijn die erg handig kunnen zijn: donkerbruin is alkalisch , licht en bitter is het echte natuurlijke . Het is datgene waarnaar we koste wat het kost moeten zoeken als we willen profiteren van de eigenschappen ervan.
Waarom cacao?
Het antwoord is heel simpel: het is het voedsel met de hoogste hoeveelheid flavonoïden per gram dat er bestaat. " Ze helpen het lichaam te beschermen tegen vrije radicalen die verantwoordelijk worden geacht voor het verouderingsproces en het optreden van sommige ziekten ", zegt dr. Maria Izquierdo.
Talrijke wetenschappelijke studies hebben de voordelen van cacao op cardiovasculair niveau aangetoond. Onder andere is bekend dat het regelmatig drinken van natuurlijke cacao helpt bij het voorkomen van hoge bloeddruk. Volgens deze klinische onderzoeken draagt het dagelijks innemen van 200 mg natuurlijke cacaoflavonoïden bij aan het behoud van een goede endotheliale functie , het weefsel dat het binnengebied van de bloedvaten bekleedt. Deze hoeveelheid komt ongeveer overeen met de introductie van 6 gram natuurlijke cacao in de dagelijkse voeding.
Natuurlijke cacao kan ook de concentratie en het geheugen verbeteren , vooral die uitvoerende functies van onze hersenen. Maar dat is niet alles: op gastro-intestinaal niveau hebben recente studies aangetoond dat natuurlijke cacao een gunstige prebiotische werking heeft voor de darmflora . Het consumeren van natuurlijke cacao zou de verhouding tussen goede en schadelijke bacteriën in de darmflora kunnen helpen verhogen. Met andere woorden, de polyfenolen in cacao werken positief samen met de bacteriën in onze darmen.
Zoals we eerder in Alimente hebben besproken, is het in stand houden van een gezonde darmflora (de reeks nuttige bacteriën die in ons spijsverteringskanaal wonen) essentieel voor onze gezondheid, aangezien zij verantwoordelijk zijn voor het uitvoeren van vitale chemische processen voor ons die helaas niet we kunnen het alleen doen. Een van de belangrijkste is de afbraak en eliminatie van bilirubine (een bijproduct van de vernietiging door onze lever van rode bloedcellen die te 'oud' zijn om zijn taak van zuurstoftransport naar cellen te kunnen blijven vervullen).
Dit is de reden waarom, als we niet overtuigd zijn van de voordelen die cacao biedt voor onze gezondheid vanwege het hoge gehalte aan antioxidantmoleculen, we er zeker van kunnen zijn dat de functie ervan in onze darm een correcte symbiotische relatie heeft met de microbiota. Het is fundamenteel.
Door Alvaro Hermida 23-04-2020