chocolate

1. Worked by : Besa Azemi

2. The Cacao Tree
 Chocolate is a key ingredient in many foods. In fact,
it ranks as the favorite flavor of most Americans.
And yet, few of us know the unique origins of this
popular treat.The story of chocolate spans more
than 2,000 years and now circles the globe. The
tale began in the tropical rainforests of Central and
South America where cacao first grew. All the
chocolate we eat comes from one rather special
plant—the cacao tree.
 The cacao tree grows in the shade of tropical
rainforests near the equator. Its particular
adaptations and interdependence with other
rainforest dwellers have been a subject of
study for many years.

3. Turning cacao (kah KOW) seeds into chocolate requires time, effort, and
artistry. It’s a fascinating process that takes you from tropical
rainforests to gleaming factories.
Like most agricultural crops, cacao must be closely monitored by farmers.
They regularly walk their fields and check for pests, molds, and diseases
that can potentially wipe out a whole harvest.
In addition, a farmer must spend three to five years caring for young
cacao trees before they’ll produce their first yield.
Cacao harvesting is done by hand.
Unlike many contemporary crops, cacao can’t be harvested by machines.
Each thick pod growing off the trunk and branches of the cacao tree must
be plucked by hand.
Cacao farming has faced many labor issues.
Because it takes lots of backbreaking work from many people to care for
cacao, workers rights were often a major concern for cacao farmers. At
one time, European countries even resorted to slavery as a way of
supplying cheap labor for crops like cacao.

4. Fermented cacao
Raw cacao beans beans

6. Eating Chocolate
Most of us know chocolate as a
deliciously decadent sweet that
we eat in cookies, cakes, candy
bars, and other desserts. But
around the world, many people
have prepared chocolate as a
bitter, frothy drink—or even as
part of a main meal served at
dinnertime.
And, chocolate isn’t simply a
snack or key ingredient in
cooking. Over the centuries,
many cultures have used the
seeds from which chocolate is
made—cacao (kah KOW)—as a
sacred symbol in religious
ceremonies. Plus, medicinal
remedies featuring chocolate
have been used as household
curatives across the globe.

7. - Chocolate is available in many types. Different forms and
flavors of chocolate are produced by varying the quantities of
the different ingredients. Other flavors can be obtained by
varying the time and temperature when roasting the beans.
 Unsweetened chocolate", also known
as "bitter", "baking chocolate" or
"cooking chocolate" is pure chocolate
liquor mixed with some form of fat to
produce a solid substance. The pure,
ground, roasted cocoa beans impart a
strong, deep chocolate flavor. With the
addition of sugar, however, it is used as
the base for cakes, brownies,
confections, and cookies.

8.  "Dark chocolate", also called " "black chocolate", is produced by
adding fat and sugar to cocoa. It is chocolate with no or much less
milk than milk chocolate. The U.S. has no official definition for dark
chocolate but European rules specify a minimum of 35% cocoa
solids. Dark chocolate can be eaten as is, or used in cooking, for
which thicker, more expensive baking bars with higher cocoa
percentages ranging from 70% to 99% are sold. Dark is synonymous
with semisweet, and extra dark with bittersweet, although the ratio
of cocoa butter to solids may vary.

9.  "Semisweet chocolate" is frequently used for
cooking purposes. It is a dark chocolate with (by
definition in Swiss usage) half as much sugar as
cocoa, beyond which it is "sweet chocolate.“
"Bittersweet chocolate" is chocolate liquor (or
unsweetened chocolate) to which some sugar
(less than a third), more cocoa butter, vanilla and
sometimes lecithin has been added. It has less
sugar and more liquor than semisweet chocolate,
but the two are interchangeable when baking.
Bittersweet and semisweet chocolates are
sometimes referred to as 'couverture'. Many
brands now print on the package the percentage
of cocoa in the chocolate (as chocolate liquor and
added cocoa butter). The higher the percentage
of cocoa, the less sweet the chocolate is.
"Couverture" is a term used for chocolates rich
in cocoa butter. Popular brands of couverture
used by professional pastry chefs and often sold
in gourmet and specialty food stores
include:Valrhona, Felchlin, Lindt &
Sprüngli, Scharffen Berger, Cacao
Barry, Callebaut, and Guittard. These chocolates
contain a high percentage of cocoa.

10.  "Milk chocolate" is solid
chocolate made with milk in the
form of milk powder , liquid milk,
or condensed milk added. In the
1870s, Swiss confectioner Daniel
Peter had developed solid milk
chocolate using condensed milk;
hitherto it had only been
available as a drink. The U.S.
Government requires a 10%
concentration of chocolate
liquor. EU regulations specify a
minimum of 25% cocoa solids.
However, an agreement was
reached in 2000 that allowed
what by exception from these
regulations is called "milk
chocolate" in the UK, Ireland,
and Malta, containing only 20%
cocoa solids, to be traded as
"family milk chocolate"
elsewhere in the European Union.

12. Why do kids have a big appetite for chocolates

14. Chocolate Decreases Stroke Risk
A 2011 Swedish study found that women
who ate more than 45 grams of
chocolate a week had a20 percent lower
risk of stroke than women who treated
themselves to fewer than 9 grams of the
sweet stuff.
Chocolate Boosts Heart Health
Regular chocolate eaters welcome a host
of benefits for their hearts,
including lower blood pressure, lower
"bad" LDL cholesterol and a lower risk of
heart disease.
One of the reasons dark chocolate is
especially heart-healthy is its
inflammation-fighting properties,
which reduce cardiovascular risk.
Chocolate Protects Your Skin
Forget what you've heard about
chocolate causing breakouts: Dark
chocolate is actually good for your
skin. The type of antioxidants
called flavonoids found in dark
chocolate offer someprotection
from UV damage from the sun.
And no, that does not mean you
can skip the sunscreen!

15. Weight Migraines
Caffeine
.

17. "Make a list of important things to do today.
At the top of your list, put "eat chocolate“ ,
Now, you'll get at least one thing done today ;)
- Gina
Hayes