Chocolates

Chocolate: Universal Product of Pleasure, Love and Friendship

Chocolate transcends all the barriers of age, gender, race, color, religion, language and nationality. Show a person who does not enjoy eating chocolates. It's in true sense a boundaryless entity.

History

• First chocolate house opened in London in 1657.
• Physician and collector Hans Sloane developed milk chocolate drink in Jamaica in 1689, which was later sold to Cadbury brothers.
• In 1700, mechanical mills were used to squeeze out cocoa butter that was used to make hard durable chocolate.
• The modern process of making chocolates was developed after the industrial revolution.
• New machines were manufactured and the product chocolate was sold throughout the world as a much liked product.

Process

• Cocoa is produced from cacao trees.
• Trees grow the pods containing in it the cocoa beans.
• Once the pods are fully ripe, they are harvested by cutting them from the trees.
• Beans are removed from the pods.
• Beans are placed in bins to ferment which gives them the famous chocolate taste.
• The beans are then quickly dried.
• Beans are transported to chocolate manufacturing site.
• Beans are cleaned, roasted and graded.
• Shells are removed to extract the nib.
• Nibs are now ground that releases and melts the cocoa butter producing chocolate liquor.
• Chocolate liquor is processed to give cocoa solids and cocoa butter which are used to make chocolates by mixing milk powder or condensed milk and sugar.

Production of Cocoa Beans

• Around 70% of world's cocoa is produced in Western Africa.
• Around 50 million people in the world are employed around the production of cocoa.
• Three most dominant chocolate makers are: Barry Callebaut, Cargill and Archer Danilels Midland Company.

Types of Chocolates

• Dark chocolate.
• Milk chocolate.
• White chocolate.

Caution for Storing Chocolates

• Chocolates are sensitive to heat and moisture.
• Therefore, take care to store the chocolates.
• Keep them in refrigerator.
• Ideal temperature for storage: around 17 degrees centigrade.
• Ideal relative humidity: less than 50%.
• Do not store them near other food items. Chocolates may absorb the aroma of other food items.
• Keep the chocolates properly wrapped.

Advantages and Dis-advantages of Eating Chocolates

• Gives pleasure.
• Dark chocolate is good for circulatory system.
• Brain stimulator.
• Anticancer.
• Cough preventer.
• Antidiarrhoeal.
• Taken in large quantity, results in obesity.
• It may be addictive.
• Possibility of mild lead poisoning.

Information on Other Products

http://products-all.blogspot.com/ (Home Page for All Products)
http://cars-products.blogspot.com/ (Cars)
http://mobilephones-products.blogspot.com/ (Mobile Phones)
http://chocolates-products.blogspot.com/ (Chocolates)
http://flowers-products.blogspot.com/ (Flowers)

For General Knowledge on Other Aspects

http://home-tips-tricks.blogspot.com/ (Home Tips)
http://general-knowledge-gk.blogspot.com/ (General Knowledge- GK)
http://top-five-everything.blogspot.com/ (GK: Top 5/Top 10)