Important chocolate terminology!
Don’t worry we aren’t here to test your chocolate knowledge, we’re here to help grow it! Here at Choc on Choc we thought that we’d share with you some critical chocolate terminology. However, the chocolate terms and phrases in the chocolate world are, I’m afraid to say, endless. That is why we have condensed our list down to the more important and essential terms!
So, here is our list of helpful chocolate terms:
- Allergens: This means that the product contains no traces of something that cause allergic reactions such as peanuts and gluten!
- Bitter/unsweetened chocolate: Chocolate in the form of a liquid is cooled down and shaped into blocks.
- Bloom: This causes discolouration to a more whitish-grey colour. This is usually caused by temperature or humidity!
- Chocolate liquor: This is the raw material of chocolate.
- Cacao beans: This is where all chocolate comes from, these beans grown in the cacao pods that are on a cacao tree.
- Cocoa butter: This is the fat taken out of the chocolate liquor that leaves a yellowy butter.
- Cocoa powder: This is the remainder of the cocoa after all the liquor and butter has been removed.
- Cocoa nibs: Part of the cocoa bean and separated from the cocoa shell after roasting.
- Dark chocolate: A type of chocolate that combines chocolate liquor, cocoa butter and sweetener.
- Dutched cocoa: This is when the cocoa powder has been alkalized so that it loses its acidity and becomes darker and tastes more chocolatey.
- Ganache: This is a type of blended chocolate and cream with butter, often found in the centre of truffles.
- Gluten: Most commonly known as an allergy. A protein found in wheat, rye and barley mainly.
- Lecithin: Lecithin is a type of emulsifier, and decreases the viscosity of chocolate. It is generally used within mass-market chocolate to allow a reduction in the amount of necessary cocoa butter for a given formulation.
- Milk chocolate: A type of chocolate that combines chocolate liquid, cocoa butter, milk and sweetener.
- Pistoles: dark, milk and white chips for tempering.
- Praline: A very fine paste that is made from a mixture of grounded up hazelnuts and chocolate.
- Semisweet and sweet chocolate: This is made from mixing the chocolate liquid with sweetener and cocoa butter.
- Single-origin: Cacao is grown in a single region or country, whose distinctive flavours are directly influenced by that area.
- Temper: This is when chocolate looks like it has a high-gloss or sheen and makes a clear snap when broken, this is known as tempering.
- Truffles: These are often small chocolates that have a soft centre usually made from the ganache.
- Vegan: A dietary term that means free of any dairy or animal products – dark chocolate is often vegan.
- White chocolate: This is a type of chocolate that combines sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids. Often not considered as ‘real’ chocolate as it does not contain chocolate liquor.
Interested in learning more about chocolate, make sure you explore the rest of our blog Choc on Choc full of information, top tips and yummy recipes!
