Draft:Chocolate flavor pairings
Chocolate is frequently combined with other flavors.
Flavor of chocolate
[edit]Making chocolate is a complex process, and different cocoa bean fermentations and roasts produce cocoa beans with a range of flavors. These include sherry, fruity, nutty, and woody flavors.[1]
Pairing methods
[edit]Flavorings can be added to chocolate as essential oils or powders. These must not be lipophobic. Freeze dried spices, herbs and fruits can be mixed in after being blended.[2]
History
[edit]Pre-Columbian
[edit]Chocolate was consumed across Central and South America.
Chocolate in Mesoamerica was a bitter drink, flavored with additives such as vanilla, earflower and chili.[3] These drinks could be sweetened with honey or agave sap.[4]
In the Paria Peninsula of Venezuela, chocolate was flavored with ingredients such as tonka beans and the seeds of mamey sapote.[5]
Post-Columbian
[edit]Spain in the 17th century drank chocolate heavily spiced in line with Mesoamerican preparations. One such drink was hot chocolate "Agasajo", flavored with rosebuds, saffron and cinnamon. Occasionally it included achiote and chilies.[5]
Fruit
[edit]Berries
[edit]Efforts to market blackcurrant and chocolate products have repeatedly failed. In The Flavour Thesaurus, author Niki Segnit opines this is because dairy is needed to prevent the pairing being overwhelming, such as in a chocolate gateau with a blackcurrant filling, served with cream.[6]
Chilli
[edit]The sweet flavor chilis develop as they ripen that deepens with drying offsets the bitter flavor of chocolates. When the two are paired, such as in the Mexican sauce mole, the fattiness of chocolate provides a counterbalance for the spiciness.[7]
https://www.seriouseats.com/spice-hunting-pairing-chiles-chilis-and-chocolate-desserts-baking
Nuts
[edit]Almond
[edit]Almond is one of the most common flavors that are combined with chocolate worldwide.[8] When almonds are toasted, their flavor intensifies, preventing them from being overwhelmed by strong chocolate flavors. This phenomenon is similar to the way many nutty flavors develop as cocoa beans are roasted. The combination features in Toblerone bars.[1]
Herbs and spices
[edit]Allspice
[edit]Allspice is a popular flavoring for hot chocolate in the Americas and Spain.[9]
Mint
[edit]Mint has a strong flavor, leading to manufacturers making several adjustments to chocolate making. Some manufacturers conche chocolate for a shorter time, retaining some of the acidity of the cocoa beans; this prevents the chocolate flavor from being overpowered.[10] Others may use sugar alternatives that have greater cooling effects than sucrose to add to the mint's effect, such as erythritol or xylitol.[11]
Vanilla
[edit]Vanilla and chocolate are commonly understood to be "metaphorical opposites".[12]
Basic tastes
[edit]Sweet
[edit]Caramel is one of the most common flavors that are combined with chocolate worldwide.[8]
Savory
[edit]Some cooks combine chocolate with bacon. The unusual pairing relies on the bacon's smoky flavor adding complexity to a base contrast of sweet and savory.[13]
Salt
[edit]a
Regional
[edit]Central America
[edit]Flavor combinations from the pre-Columbian era persist in some cacao-growing regions of Central America, particularly southern Mexico and Guatemala.[14]
In the Suchitepéquez region of Guatemala, local chocolate beverages are prepared with both cacao and pataxte, a cacao relative. One example is tixte, which is made by blending rice and achiote into this base. Other beverages add cumin and toasted corn, served simply as a drink called pinol, or with cloves and earflower to make panecito.[15]
Europe
[edit]Chocolate is paired with venison and wild boar in Tuscany.[16]
See also
[edit]
- List of chocolate bar brands
- List of chocolate-covered foods
- List of chocolate bar brands
- Types of chocolate
References
[edit]- ^ a b Segnit (2010), p. 13.
- ^ Jewett (2017), pp. 462–463.
- ^ Coe & Coe (2013), Flavorings, Spices, and Other Additions.
- ^ Presilla (2012), pp. 329, 362.
- ^ a b Presilla (2012), p. 340.
- ^ Segnit (2010), p. 14.
- ^ Segnit (2010), p. 15.
- ^ a b Myers (2023).
- ^ Presilla (2012), p. 70.
- ^ Beckett, Paggios & Roberts (2017), p. 241.
- ^ Krüger (2017), p. 94.
- ^ Sampeck (2019), p. 240.
- ^ Segnit (2010), pp. 13, 14.
- ^ Presilla (2012), p. 329.
- ^ Presilla (2012), pp. 329–330.
- ^ Segan (2009).
Sources
[edit]Books
[edit]- Coe, Sophie D; Coe, Michael D (2013). The True History of Chocolate (3rd ed.). London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-77093-1. OCLC 1085907808.
- Beckett, Stephen T.; Paggios, Konstantinos; Roberts, Ian (2017). "Conching". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett's Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN 978-1-11878-014-5.
- Jewett, Sophie (2017). "Artisan chocolate making". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett's Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). Chichester, UK: Wiley. ISBN 978-1-11878-014-5.
- Krüger, Christof (2017). "Conching". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett's Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN 978-1-11878-014-5.
- Presilla, Maricel E. (2012). Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America. New York & London: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-05069-1.
- Sampeck, Kathryn E. (2019). McWilliams, Mark (ed.). Seeds: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2018. London: Prospect Books. ISBN 978-1-909-248-65-6.
- Segnit, Niki (2010). The Flavour Thesaurus. London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9780747599777.
Other
[edit]- Myers, Anthony (26 September 2023). "The flavour trends redefining chocolate indulgence". Confectionery News. William Reed Ltd. Archived from the original on 26 January 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- Segan, Francine (2009). "Chocolate for Dinner, An Italian Tradition". Francine Segan: Food Historian. Tribune Media Syndicates. Retrieved September 15, 2024.