What are the Types of Chocolate

The chocolate It is a product that is obtained from the seed of the cocoa plant. With this seed, cocoa mass and butter are produced, which are the raw Materials and that, when mixed with sugar and other ingredients such as milk or fruit, a varied type of chocolate is obtained.

The use of chocolate dates back more than eighteen hundred years in the Mesoamerican region, specifically in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. In addition to being used as a drink, it was also a product that served as currency for the payment of tributes or commercial exchanges.

The path of the popularization of chocolate to become one of the most famous sweets in the world finds an important moment when it is brought to Spain at the time of the Conquest. Although at first it was not liked due to its appearance and its bitterness, over time forms of preparation in a liquid state that was consumed with spices were discovered. Then, when mixed with sweeter ingredients such as sugar or vanilla, new combinations that helped the popularization and expansion of the product as well as the professionalization of its way of being Elaborated.

• See also: Words that rhyme with “chocolate”

types of chocolate

There are various classifications of chocolate depending on its combination, its quality or its production process.

depending on your status

The most general classification, which does not take into account the composition, is the one that takes into account its chemical state, which varies with temperature and care conditions.

• chocolate in tablet. It is chocolate in solid state. It requires a cold temperature to maintain and is one of the most common forms on the market.
• chocolate powder. It is the one obtained by a process of reduction of cocoa butter to which solvents and other elements adhere, which are worked with hydraulic presses. The raw material is the ground cocoa seed. It is the base product for other forms of chocolate that are made by dissolving in milk, for spreads, among others. Its cocoa composition varies between 25 and 32%.
• Liquid chocolate. It is chocolate in a drinkable presentation that is obtained by dissolving cocoa in milk or water and which adhere various ingredients ranging from spices such as pepper to products such as cream of milk.

According to its composition

• Dark chocolate. It is made with paste and cocoa butter, to which sugar is added. It is the purest composition of the types of chocolates, also called "dark chocolate" or "bitter chocolate". Although the proportion of cocoa can vary depending on the manufacturer, it is estimated that dark chocolate should exceed 50% of cocoa paste because it is with this equivalence when the bitter tones of the cocoa can be appreciated. cocoa. You can even find chocolates with a very high level of cocoa, reaching more than 95%.
• couverture chocolate. It is mainly used in confectionery, where it is used as a raw material for decorations or as part of other more elaborate products. It can be either dark or milky, and has a cocoa butter proportion of about 30%. One of the characteristics of couverture chocolate is its shine and easy handling.
• Hot chocolate. It is a product that generally dissolves in milk and is thicker than other beverages, which gives it a very attractive consistency and aroma. The proportion of cocoa does not usually exceed 50% and starch is added. Depending on the amount of cocoa, the flavor can vary between bitter, semi-bitter and sweet.
• Milk chocolate. As its name indicates, it is the combination of cocoa with milk and sugar. The percentage of chocolate usually varies between 25 and 50%. It is the most common and accessible presentation of chocolate, as it is found in a large number of stores. of groceries and is usually combined with other ingredients such as peanuts, puffed rice, almonds or hazelnuts
• White chocolate. It is the type of chocolate that is made with cocoa butter, but without another derived ingredient, which causes its color to be white or yellowish. It is the chocolate that has the least amount of theobromine, the alkaloid that makes cocoa bitter. It is combined with milk, flavorings and flavorings. Some legal regulations require that white chocolate contain at least 20% cocoa butter.
• chocolate pink. It is the one from cocoa that is born from the seed called "ruby cocoa", which has a reddish color. It is also an artificial creation of the Barry Callebaut group, which launched it in 2017 in China. The way of making it remains a mystery and the formula to create it was developed over more than a decade. The company ensures that it is an entirely natural product and that it does not contain dyes or additives. The ruby ​​cocoa bean is produced mainly in the Ivory Coast, Brazil and Ecuador.
• filled chocolate. It is used in combination with other products such as fruits, sweets or liqueurs, its cocoa content must exceed 25% of the weight of the composition.

Types of chocolate according to FAO regulations

In 1981, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) developed regulations for chocolate and its derivative products, which have been updated in 2003 and 2016. This regulation classifies chocolate according to the amount of cocoa it must have.

According to its composition:

• Chocolate
  • Bittersweet, semisweet or dark chocolate.It must contain not less than 35% of total dry extract of cocoa. Of that total, it must have at least 18% cocoa butter and a minimum of 14% lean dry cocoa extract.
  • Hot chocolate. It must contain a minimum of 35% dry cocoa extract, of which at least 18% cocoa butter and 14% lean dry cocoa extract can be used. In addition, it must have less than 8% starch.
• Sweet or familiar chocolate
  • Sweet chocolate. It must contain not less than 30% total cocoa extract, of which at least 18% must be cocoa butter and 12% lean dry cocoa extract.
  • Family hot chocolate. It must contain the same amounts as sweet chocolate, and a maximum of 18% of the starch that adheres, be it flour, wheat starch, corn or rice.
• couverture chocolate. It must contain at least 25% dry cocoa extract, of which it must have at least 2.5% dry lean cocoa extract. In addition to between 12 and 14% of dry milk extract, of which between 2.4% and 3.5% must be milk fat.
• family milk chocolate. It must contain at least 20% cocoa dry extract and 20% milk dry extract, the latter being taken as any addition of dairy products.
• Milk chocolate coating. It must contain at least 25% cocoa dry extract and at least 14% milk dry extract. In addition, it is specified that it must have a minimum of 31% fat.
• White chocolate. It must contain at least 20% cocoa butter and 14% dry milk extract, the latter must have at least between 2.5 and 3.5% milk fat.
• gianduja chocolate. It must contain a minimum of 32% dry cocoa extract. Of that total, at least 8% must be defatted dry cocoa extract and must also maintain a proportion of between 20 and 40% hazelnuts.
• Gianduja milk chocolate. It must contain the same amounts as Gianduja chocolate and, in addition, with a minimum of 10% dry milk extract and between 15 and 40% hazelnuts. It is also allowed to contain other ingredients such as walnuts or almonds that, combined with the basic hazelnut, do not exceed 60% of the total.
• Chocolate for table. It must contain at least 20% dry cocoa extract, in that minimum percentage 11% cocoa butter and 9% lean dry cocoa extract.
  • Semi-sweet table chocolate. It must contain at least 30% dry cocoa extract, of which at least 15% must be cocoa butter and 14% dry lean cocoa extract.
  • Bitter table chocolate. It must contain at least 40% dry cocoa extract, of which at least 22% must be cocoa butter and 18% lean dry cocoa extract.

According to its shape:

• Chocolate in grain or flakes
  • Chocolate in grain or flakes. It must contain at least 32% total dry cocoa extract, of which at least 12% must be cocoa butter and 14% dry lean cocoa extract.
  • Chocolate with milk in grain or in flakes. It must contain not less than 20% cocoa dry extract and at least 12% milk dry extract.
• filled chocolate. Must contain filling of at least 25% of the total weight of the product, in which the chocolate is used to cover it and its composition will be any of those already mentioned in the classification according to the composition.
• chocolate bonbon. It must contain at least 25% of the total chocolate product and may be of any type of classification depending on the composition, except for cup chocolate, family cup chocolate or table chocolate. Its size represents a mouthful.

Interactive exercise to practice

Follow with:

• Analogies by product
• Food (and its nutrients)
• Consumer goods
• luxury goods

References

• "Chocolate" in Wikipedia.
• FAO. 2016. Standard for chocolate and chocolate products. CODEX STAN 87-1981.
• "Types of chocolate"in chocolate club.
• "Types of chocolate"in Chocolate's story.