PALET D’OR

Literally meaning “golden quoit,” it originally started as a regional specialty and has expanded to general usage referring to a pure ganache bon bon of dark chocolate. The original recipe, filled with coffee-flavored ganache, was created by confectioner Bernard Serardy in 1898. It was flat and irregular in shape with a fragment of gold leaf as decoration. Today, chocolatiers make Palets d’Or with chocolate ganache as well. You can click here to buy the chocolate version from Leonidas.

PARTICLE SIZE

The basis by which chocolate smoothness is measured. The particles of the cacao beans and sugars are broken to such a small-scale microscopic magnitude that the tongue is unable to detect individual particles. Generally, particles sizes of 14-18 microns are desirable.

PASTILLE

The word has evolved to mean many things over time. In candy and confections, it has two principal meanings: a small, hard, round or oval fruit candy, often used as a lozenge and a disk of chocolate. The pastille was popularized by Droste with a unique shape intended to fit into the soft palate: a rounded top intended for the roof of the mouth, and a smooth flat bottom on which the tongue could gently press the chocolate upwards. With this configuration, the pastille fits, and melts, perfectly in the mouth. Quality manufacturers such as Hachez make flat disks.
Shown: Hachez pastilles of 77% Ecuadorian Arriba cacao, among the finest pastilles made. Click here for more information.

PASTY

See Thick.

PÂTE DE CACAO

Same as chocolate liquor.

PERCENTAGE OF CACAO

(1) The amount of cacao solids in a bar compared to other ingredients (e.g. sugar). Cacao is a combination of cacao mass, cocoa butter and cocoa powder. The higher the percentage of cacao in a bar, the more depth of chocolate flavor, and the less sweet the chocolate. A recipe for chocolate includes cacao, sugar, vanilla and emulsifier, plus milk if it is milk chocolate. The higher amount of cacao replaces the corresponding amount of sugar in the recipe (an average milk chocolate has about 20% milk solids, and most chocolate contains 1% vanilla and emulsifier). Thus, 70% cacao chocolate has less sugar than 60% chocolate. Cacao percentages range from 30% cacao for some milk chocolates to 100% cacao, which has no sugar but is still enjoyable by some people for eating. Cacao percentage is only one factor in taste. Other variables include the type and quality of the bean, how the beans are roasted, how the chocolate is processed, the amount and type of sugar or other sweetener, added flavorings, extra cocoa butter, etc. A higher percentage of cacao solids is not a guarantee of a better product. Good chocolate depends on the quality and origin of the beans and the manufacturer’s production techniques and blend (recipe); as well as the freshness of the chocolate. (2) According to the Chocolate Manufacturers Association, “% cacao” refers to the total percentage of ingredients (by weight) which come from the cacao bean (or cocoa bean) such as chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder found in a chocolate product. (3) White chocolate has no cocoa solids (chocolate liquor): The “% cacao” refers to the cocoa butter. The higher the percentage, the creamier the white chocolate.

The use of the “% cacao” designation originated in Europe, where chocolates must be labeled to indicate the minimum total cocoa solids. “Cocoa solids” are often stated as “% Cacao” (France, Spain), “% Kakao” Germany) or “% Cocoa” (U.K.). In the U.S., chocolate manufacturers are not required to declare the percentage. However, due to the increased consumption of fine imported chocolate bars bearing the designation, and consumer interest in learning more about chocolate, a trend has begun among American producers of better chocolate to add the designation.

The inside of a pod reveals a pulpy
white fruit which is removed to get
to the seeds, a.k.a. the cacao beans.
Photograph courtesy of Amedei.

POD

The oblong fruit of the cacao tree. Pods measure six to 12 inches and ripen in five to six months. Inside are 30 to 40 half-inch-long, almond-shaped seeds, or beans, from which chocolate is made. Pods are harvested and cut open with a type of machete and are left as is to ferment. The beans are then scooped out and spread out in the sun to dry. Dried beans are graded and sold to chocolate producers.

PORCELANA

One of the rarerst beans in the world, a genetically pure strain of the Criollo bean from the Andean region of Venezuela. It is named Porcelana for the pale, almost white-colored interior of the beans (although the nibs produce regular-colored cacao). It is believed that Porcelana cocoa was grown in the southwestern area of Venezuela as early as Pre-Colombian times. According to historical sources, it seems that at the time of the Spanish conquest (the early 1500s), this cacao was being grown in the same area where Porcelana grows today. In colonial times, Porcelana cacao was called Maracaibo, since it was primarily exported from the Venezuelan port of that name. Until the 1920s, Maracaibo cacao was classified as one of the world’s highest-quality cacaos, along with a few Mexican and Colombian strains. Unfortunately, Porcelana cocoa is not very resistant to disease and the Mexican and Colombian cacaos of this genetic quality have died out, leaving behind hybrids with inferior organoleptic qualities. The unmistakable toasted almond flavor of the pure Venezuelan variety makes it a prized bean, and this rare bean produces some of the finest (and most expensive) chocolate bars in the world.  Because of the limited supply of beans, only the finest chocolatiers have access and thus make a Porcelana bar: Amedei, Domori, Pierre Marcolini and Valrhona.  Flavors will vary by producer, but in addition to almonds, Porcelana typically yields strawberries, cream, butter, butterscotch and sometimes bread flavors. The bars tend to be a reddish-brown in color.

To purchase a limited edition, 70% cacao Porcelana bar from Amedei, (photo above), click here. 1.8 ounces, $12.00.

According to the story, the duc’s cook, Clément Lassagne, invented pralines in 1636 by dropping almonds into a cauldron of boiling sugar. After retiring from the duc’s service, Lassagne founded the Maison de la Praline, a confectioner’s shop that still exists in the town of Montargis in the same location, operated by a family named Mazet. They sell pralines made with the original recipe (you can find their products online). In the centuries since, the marketplace has taken the word praline and used it to describe multiple products. Whenever you see the word praline, nuts are involved; but the word often does not refer to the original caramelized almond.

Vosges Chocolate’s Gianduia, crunchy praline dipped in milk chocolate and sprinkled with roasted praline pieces.

In Germany and Belgium, a praline is any filled chocolate, many of which are filled with ground nuts (praline paste). While the French-speaking Belgians call a filled chocolate a praline, the French-speaking French, who invented the caramelized nut praline, can also buy chocolates filled with praline paste called...pralines. In general, though, the French refer to assorted chocolates as chocolates or bonbons. In Great Britain, the term praline can refer to either the filling for chocolates, or less commonly, to the original almond pralines.

• This new usage is attributed to Belgian chocolatier Jean Neuhaus, who in 1912 developed a process using couverture as a hard shell for what he called pralines, which he filled with ganache, creams, nougats, etc. Other Belgian chocolatiers followed suit: Godiva, Leonidas, Neuhaus and Nirvana.
• In Louisiana and Texas, a praline (pronounced PRAY-leen or PRAW-leen) is a flat, round, creamy candy patty dotted with crunchy pecans. Early Creoles began using local pecans as the nuts, instead of the almonds or hazelnuts used in the French confection. The product evolved into a candy made of brown sugar, butter and cream and cooked to a soft-ball stage like fudge, but filled with pecans and spooned onto wax paper to form patties. It is called a praline but has absolutely nothing in common with French—or any European—pralines, except for the use of sugar and nuts.
• Praline also can refer to French praline powder—caramelized almonds or hazelnuts that are pulverized and sprinkled onto desserts.
• To add to the confusion, the French today also refer to pralines as dragées (drah-ZHAY). Dragées are also sugar-coated almonds, but technically they are almonds encapsulated in a hard-shell coating, which we call Jordan almonds.

PRALINE PASTE or PRALINÉ

Praline paste, also called praliné (prah-lee-NAY) is a ground nut paste generally made from almonds or hazelnuts and sugar (the paste can be made from any nut; pistachio paste also is popular). It has been used in French patisserie since the 16th century to make pastries and to flavor mousse, buttercream and ice cream. Hazelnut praliné is a roasted and caramelized nut paste invented during a chocolate shortage in the 19th century in Turin, Italy. In Italy it is known as gianduja (jon-DOO-ya). It is popularly combined with chocolate and used in other confections.

PREMIER CRU CHOCOLATE

The term Chocolat Michel Cluizel and some other chocolatiers use for their estate-grown chocolate.

PRESS CAKE or PRESSED CAKE or TOURTEAU DE CACAO

An interim product in the production of chocolate, that remains after most of the cocoa butter has been pressed from the chocolate liquor by using massive hydraulic pressure. The resulting press cake is later pulverized into cocoa powder. The cocoa press was invented by Coenrad Johannes Van Houten, a Dutch chemist who took out a patent for it in Amsterdam on April 4, 1828. Van Houten also invented the alkalizing process known as Dutching.

PRESSING

The stage of chocolate-making where the chocolate liquor is carried through hydraulic presses and the melted cocoa butter is extracted from the paste.

PRESTIGE CHOCOLATE

The most expensive category of chocolate. In the confectionary industry, chocolate is categorized by its price per pound at retail. The categories include Mass Market, less than $15 per pound; Mass Market Premium, from $15 to $25 per pound; Gourmet, from $25 to $40 per pound; and Prestige, at $40 per pound and higher.

PUGGING

The first rudimentary form of chocolate, after the mixture has been kneaded with the addition of vanilla, cocoa butter and (if milk chocolate) powdered milk.

PURE ORIGIN CHOCOLATE

Chocolate created with beans from one particular area or region. Also known as single origin chocolate.

RAW CACAO

The harvested, fermented and dried cacao beans, hand-sorted, graded, packed into jute bags and ready for processing. The bags weigh about 139 pounds (62.54 kg).

RIO CARIBE

A Trinitario bean grown near the Rio Caribe, in the Sucre State of Venezuela. This cacao has a slight dark tone and a refreshing bitterness. Common flavors are coffee, almonds, slight red fruits, and pure cocoa.

ROAST, LIGHT

Some brands opt to roast cacao beans for a shorter time. This light roast imparts a sharp, fruity tone to the finished chocolate.

ROAST, DARK

A dark roast indicates that the beans have been roasted longer to further mellow the cacao’s flavor. As a result, flavors tend to have “dark” tones with traces of caramel, woods, and coffee.

ROASTING

The first step in producing chocolate from cacao beans. Similar to roasting coffee, the heating process fully develops the chocolate flavors and aromas of the cacao beans. Roasting times vary by producer, but a typical roasting time is 30 minutes. After roasting, the nibs go to the grinding room to be ground.

ROCHER

In French, rocher is a rock. In chocolate, rochers are slivered almonds, coated in chocolate to create clusters that are poetic chocolate “rocks.”

RUSTIC

In positive terms, “rustic” chocolate refers to a pre-industrial style of chocolate, before conching was invented. Beans were minimally processed and less refined sugar was used. The texture was rougher and crunchier. Today artisans like Italy’s Claudio Corallo choose to make chocolate in the old style. However, chocolate that was not intended to be made in such fashion, but which has an inferior texture and mouthfeel, can be termed “rustic.”

SÃO TOMÉ

An island republic in the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa, that is a prime growing area for the Amelonado subspecies of high quality Forastero. São Tomé cacao can be bitter with flavors of pure cocoa, sharp red fruits, cinnamon, and vanilla. It is a good base for blended chocolate.

SEED

Another word for the cacao bean; also called grain.

SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE Semisweet chocolate is dark, sweetened eating chocolate made with at least 35% chocolate liquor plus cocoa butter. It is available in bars which may include added flavorings; and is also sold as morsels or chips. It may be used in recipes that call for bittersweet chocolate. In theory, there is more sugar in semisweet chocolate than in bittersweet, and a higher percentage of cacao in bittersweet, but the terms are sometimes used interchangeably.

Semisweet bar from Chocolove.

SHELF-LIFE

See Storage.

SINGLE ESTATE CHOCOLATE

Chocolate created with beans from one particular estate, plantation or hacienda (these terms are interchangeable). Single estate does not necessarily mean only a single variety of beans is used in the chocolate: it can be a blend (e.g. Criollo and Forastero) or a single variety of beans, as long as the beans come from the same estate.

SINGLE ORIGIN or ORIGIN CACAO or PURE ORIGIN CACAO or MONORIGIN CACAO

Beans grown in one particular area or region,or the chocolate made from these beans (which can be called called single origin chocolate).  This can either be a blend (e.g. Criollo and Forastero) or a single variety of beans. See also Grand Cru and 1er Cru.

SINGLE ORIGIN CHOCOLATE

See above.

SNAP

The clear, crisp sound made from breaking a piece of chocolate from a bar. A good, clean snap is indicative of high cacao content and well-tempered chocolate.  Milk chocolate which has lower levels of cocoa solids, and white chocolate which has no cocoa solids and is softer, don’t have the same clean snap (the higher the cacao content, the harder the chocolate). The opposite of snap is crumbly.

SOYA LECITHIN

Lecithin extracted from soybeans. Soy, not egg lecithin, is used in the manufacture of chocolate. It increases the pliability of the chocolate. See lecithin.

STORAGE

Top chocolatiers are concerned about the freshness of their product, and recommend that chocolate bars be consumed within three to six months after production. However, while they will not be as perfect as if consumed within six months, dark chocolate bars can be kept for two years or more if stored properly—well wrapped in foil in a cool, dark, dry place. A wine cellar is the ideal location because of its temperature and humidity. Milk and white chocolate have a more limited storage time, but will stay fresh for a year or more under these conditions. Filled chocolates, chocolates with nuts and other additives (including bars) have less of a shelf life because the additives will break down or go rancid. Commercial companies will use preservatives to extend the shelf-life, but most fine chocolates are made preservative-free. A box of fine filled chocolates or truffles should be consumed within two weeks, the sooner the better. The fillings, creams, and purées with which they are made deteriorate quickly: To enjoy them, they should be eaten soon after they are made. If you have a question about the shelf-life, call the chocolatier.

SUGAR BLOOM

Sugar bloom is generally the result of a temperature shock—most often, storing chocolate in the refrigerator (which should not be done) and removing it to serve. When the chocolate is taken out of the refrigerator and condensation collects, a rough irregular texture forms on top of the chocolate. This is the sugar bloom. The condensation dissolves the sugar in the chocolate; when the water evaporates, the sugar recrystallizes into rough, irregular crystals on the surface which gives the chocolate an unattractive appearance. If chocolate has been stored in a cold place, allow it to come to room temperature slowly before opening the package, thus minimizing the condensation. Bars with sugar bloom can be re-melted and re-tempered, or used in baking or in sauces where the texture is not a factor. Bonbons with sugar bloom cannot be restored.

SUR DEL LAGO

Sur Del Lago is one of the two distinct cacao growing regions of Venezuela (the other is Andean). It produces beans called Sur Del Lago Clasificado, a mixture of Criollo and Trinitario. This cacao is hearty and robust, and bears an extreme dark tone with flavors of butter, hazelnuts, and red fruits plus floral tones.

SWEET CHOCOLATE

Sweet chocolate is a cooking and baking chocolate. It is made by mixing chocolate liquor with sugar and extra cocoa butter.

SWEETENER

Fine chocolate is sweetened with cane sugar. Mass-produced chocolate can substitute high-fructose corn syrup.  Fine chocolates labeled “sugar free” generally use maltitol, where mass-distributed chocolates can use saccharine, sorbitol or other less expensive sweeteners.

SWISS-STYLE CHOCOLATE

Of the three styles of bonbons—Belgian, French and Swiss—Swiss chocolates are the most creamy, smooth, soft and velvety and have a greater focus on milk chocolate. This is based on the heritage of the Swiss chocolate. In 1879, Daniel Peter, a Swiss chocolate manufacturer, successfully created milk chocolate by substituting powdered milk for the whole milk or cream that had been unsuccessfully used previously. In that same year, another chocolate manufacturer, Rodolphe Lindt, invented conching, the process that makes chocolate smoother and more velvety. And, the quality of the milk used in Swiss chocolate, which comes from alpine cows, contributes its own creaminess.

TABLETTE or CHOCOLAT EN TABLETTE

The French word for a chocolate bar for eating. See also bâton.

TEMPERING

Chocolate is not shiny on its own: It needs to go through a process called tempering to achieve its glossy appearance and a pleasant mouthfeel. This involves an alternating process of heating, cooling, and heating again to specific temperatures to stabilize the mixture to obtain the smooth, shiny texture and a good “snap” when broken. Well-tempered chocolate melts better in the mouth and ages better. The word “temper” refers to the way chocolate solidifies. Only the cocoa butter particles become melted: Sugar and cocoa powder remain solids suspended in the fluid cocoa butter. When the melted chocolate cools and becomes solid again, the cocoa butter particles form a crystalline structure. The evenness of distribution of cocoa butter, and the type of crystals they form, comprise the temper. Chocolate is in good temper if the cocoa butter is mixed thoroughly and evenly throughout and the particles have cooled uniformly and completely. If not tempered properly the finished chocolate will be dull and streaky with a tendency to bloom. The classic tempering method is to melt the chocolate until it is lump-free. Then 1/3 of the chocolate is poured onto a marble slab, spread and worked back and forth with a metal spatula until it becomes thick and reaches a temperature of about 80°F. This chocolate is then added back to the remaining 2/3 of the melted chocolate and stirred. The process is repeated until the entire mixture reaches 88° to 92° for semi-sweet chocolate, 84° to 87° for milk or white chocolate. Care must be taken not to over-temper chocolate, which returns it to its original state—grainy and susceptible to bloom.

TERROIR

Terroir, pronounced tur-WAH, is the French word for soil, land or terrain. It can be loosely translated as “a sense of place,” the sum of the effects that the environment has on the creation of what is grown there. It has long been used in wine and coffee analysis to denote the special characteristics of soil, geology, aspect and altitude that give the grape or bean its individuality. The term is now being used, appropriately, to describe cacao beans.

THEOBROMA CACAO

The botanical name for cacao tree, a tropical evergreen in the family Byttneriaceae. It is native to the Amazon basin, but now grows worldwide in a tropical belt 20° above and below the equator. The genus name, Theobroma, means “food of the gods” in Greek (Theo = god, broma = food). The name was bestowed in 1753 by Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus (Carl von Linné), who was dissatisfied with the word cacao. The Theobroma gene probably dates back millions of years; the species Theobroma cacao is likely just be 10,000 to 15,000 years old. The International Germplasm Database of Cacao includes about 12,500 cacao clones; the three leading varietals are Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario. Their differences result from their pod structure, the color of their beans and the number of beans per pod.

• The Criollo varietal is the one grown by the Mesoamerican civilizations. The beans are thick and have white or pink cotyledons, low acid levels and low bitterness. The processed beans produce a smooth, very flavored cacao.
• The Forastero varietal come from the subspecies Theobroma cacao sphaerocarpum. They have flat, violet-colored beans with high astringency. They are divided into two species, growing in the Amazonian Highlands and Lowlands respectively. The latter is the most commonly grown cacao in the world, especially in Brazil and western Africa.
• The Trinitario is a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero beans that emerged after a hurricane destroyed the Criollo plantations in Trinidad in 1727. Thirty years later the Capuchin friars rebuilt their missions and planted some Forastero trees. Theobroma cacao hybridizes easily; soon the new Forastero trees hybridized with some remaining Criollo trees and the Trinitario varietal was born. The Trinitario combines some flavor and sensory features of the Criollo bean with the strength and high yield of the Forastero bean.

THEOBROMINE

A stimulant, one of the more than 400 compounds that comprise chocolate.

THICK

Also called pasty. Refers to texture. In order to achieve optimum smoothness and avoid being thick, some brands add extra cocoa butter. Thickness can be due to different factors: (1) The the lower fat content of the beans. Generally, higher grade beans do not require a great amount of added cocoa butter due to their already higher level of fat. (2) Some purist brands don’t use lecithin for added fluidity because it can mask some subtle aromas and flavors. As a result, the chocolate will not melt as smoothly in the mouth and will seem “thicker” in texture. (3) Chocolate of high cacao content, 80% and above, will have a thicker texture due to the higher amount of cocoa liquor. This feature is virtually unavoidable unless extra cocoa butter is added.

The Tonka bean tasty, but not exactly legal. Photo by Mecredis | Fred Benenson, courtesy of Wikipedia.

TONKA BEAN The tonka bean is the seed is the seed of Dipteryx odorata, a South American tree found in the region of French Guiana. It has the shape of an almond with the shriveled look of a raisin and is very fragrant. The flavor is reminiscent of vanilla, coffee and bitter almond, and it is popular with boutique chocolatiers and patissiers. The spice is actually illegal; Tonka beans contain a small amount of a substance called coumarin, which acts as a blood anticoagulant and is considered a drug. (The tonka bean is not an illegal food additive in the U.K. or France, among other countries.)

However, an insignificant amount of coumarin would be ingested from food, and experts say it is not considered a health risk. It is used in perfume, and prior to being banned by the FDA in 1985, it was used to make vanilla extract and to flavor cigarettes.

TORRONE

Pronounced toe-ROW-nay, the Italian word for nougat.

TRINITARIO or TRINTARIO or TRINITARIOS Trinitario cacao, a flavor cacao, is a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero cacao trees. Colorful pods range from lemon yellow to red-violet. Some Trinitario species are as prized as the finest Criollos. named after its place of origin, Trinidad. Either a disease of pandemic proportions or a hurricane—reports cite “natural disaster”—wiped out nearly the entire Criollo crop of Trinidad in 1727. In an attempt to restore the crops, plantations were replanted with Forastero trees, which hybridized with the remaining Criollos. The resulting new variety of cacao retained the delicate flavors of Criollo and the heartiness and disease resistance of Forastero. The varietal was not introduced to the continental Americas until the 19th century, first in Venezuela and later in Ecuador. Today, Trinitario cocoa is grown in all the areas where Criollo is grown: the Caribbean, Colombia, Mexico, Trinidad, Venezuela and in southeast Asia.
	Above, Trinitario pods, photo courtesy of Chocovic. Below, clockwise from top, Forastero, Trinitario and Criollo pods. Photo courtesy of Chocolat Celeste.

Trinitario cacao accounts for about 10% to 15% of current world production. Bars such as El Rey’s Carenero Superior, Domori’s Rio Caribe and Pralus bars from Colombia, Ecuador, Jamaica and Venezuela are made exclusively from Trinitario beans. See Theobroma Cacao for more information.

Today’s truffles can be coated in nouvelle spices like peppercorns, sweet curry and paprika and can be enrobed in couverture. In 1912, the Belgian chocolatier Jean Neuhaus invented the first hard chocolate shell, enabling chocolates with soft fillings. While he called them pralines (see the dual meaning above), other chocolatiers referred to them as truffles because early filled chocolates were filled with ganache. As words evolve, the term truffle is often used to in America to describe any filled chocolate, and it becomes very confusing: chocolate cremes or assorted chocolates, e.g., would be more accurate. If the term is applied to a filled, hard-shell chocolate, the use should be limited to round shells filled with ganache, like the truffle from Vosges Chocolate shown above.

Among our favorite truffles are these, made in the classic French style by Belgian
chocolatier Pierre Marcolini.

UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE

Solid chocolate made from 100% chocolate liquor, with no sugar or emulsifiers added. Top quality 100% cacao bars are excellent for eating if one likes intense cacao flavor.  Note: some people in the trade refer to chocolate liquor as unsweetened chocolate.

VANILLA

The flavor extract derived from the vanilla bean, the pod of a tropical orchid. The pods are harvested green and cured, turning brown when heated in ovens. Each pod contains numerous seeds. Vanilla extract is made by chopping or macerating beans, then mixing them with ethyl alcohol and water, aging the solution, and filtering out the solids. Pure vanilla extract must be 35% alcohol by volume. Vanilla is native to southern Mexico, although the majority of today’s supply comes from Madagascar (known as bourbon vanilla); secondarily from Tahiti (the finest and rarest); Mexico is the third largest source. Almost all fine chocolate is enhanced with vanilla. Just as with cacao beans, vanilla from different parts of the world has different flavor complexities, and specific vanillas are paired with specific chocolates to achieve different results. The Madagascar bean (Bourbon bean) is very thin and very rich in sweetness. It has a thick oily skin that covers many small seeds that provide a strong vanilla aroma. The Mexican bean is not as thin and not quite as sweet as the Madagascar bean. The bean has a somewhat earthy aroma and is more mellow in flavor than the bourbon bean. The Tahiti bean is plumper in size, darker in color, and the least sweet of the beans. Its thin-skinned pod covers fewer seeds than the other varieties and they have a slightly fruity aroma. While the orchid family is the second largest family of flowering plants with approximately 20,000 species, the Vanilla genus is the only group that produces anything edible.

Bourbon or Madagascar Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia). The vanilla we are most familiar with (it flavors our desserts and is used to make vanilla extract) originated in Mexico. In the 1800s cuttings were taken by the French in large plantations on the island of Reunion, then known as the Ile de Bourbon. Click here to purchase 6 beans.	Mexican Vanilla (Vanilla mexicana). Mexican vanilla beans are some of the most expensive in the world. They are long glossy pods with strong vanilla aromas and provide rich chocolate tones. The Aztecs used it to flavor their cold, unsweetened chocolate drink. Click here to purchase 6 beans.	Tahitian Vanilla (Vanilla tahitensis). Earthy and fruity with a floral fragrance, the Tahitian bean is fatter and moister than the Bourbon (Madagascar) bean, and it contains less natural vanillin, giving it more complex, but less strong vanilla flavor. Click here to purchase 6 beans.

VANILLA EXTRACT

Vanilla beans are expensive and time consuming to split open and work with to flavor dishes. To save time and money, an extract is produced by steeping vanilla beans in an alcohol and water solution; the alcohol and water cook out, leaving the essence. Pure vanilla is concentrated and only a small amount is needed for flavoring. However, it is an expensive flavoring to produce, which has led to the proliferation of synthetically produced vanilla—vanillin.  This is generally labeled Artificial Vanilla Extract at retail; but the word artificial is often in small letters: look closely to avoid purchasing the wrong product.

VANILLIN

Natural vanillin is a white crystalline compound found in the pulp of vanilla beans and is the largest component in vanilla. The flavoring ethyl vanillin is manufactured commercially, an artificial by-product of the wood pulp used in the paper industry. Ethyl vanillin is substituted for vanilla in lesser chocolate. It can often be identified by a strong vanilla smell: Natural vanilla is much more subtle.

VARIETAL

A biological variety; a chocolate made from one particular subspecies of beans: Criollo, Forastero, or Trinitario. Borrowed from wine terminology, where it refers to a wine made principally from one variety of grape and carrying the name of that grape, e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir. The term is also used to describe coffee beans and other fruits like peppercorns; another term, cultivar, is used for fruits like avocados and olives.

WHITE CHOCOLATE

White chocolate was introduced in the 1930s by the Nestlé Company. It is a blend of cocoa butter, sugar or other sweetener, vanilla, and soy lecithin as an emulsifier. White chocolate contains no cocoa solids (chocolate liquor). For many years, white chocolate was not classified as chocolate but as confectionary. The old U.S. Standards of Identity stated that in order to be called chocolate, a product must contain chocolate liquor. The Standards of Identity were amended in 2002 to allow white chocolate to be called chocolate if, among other requirements, it is made from a minimum of 20% cocoa butter. When it was not officially “chocolate,” many manufacturers, especially of mass-market white chocolate, used vegetable oil instead of cocoa butter, and the taste difference is significant. Some people who say they do not like “white chocolate” may never have tasted the real thing. Real white chocolate is rich and creamy and tastes like chocolate. In addition to the minimum 20% cocoa butter, to be called white chocolate, the product must have a minimum of 15% milk powder and a maximum of  55% sweetener. Any other formulation must still be called confectionary or summer coating. When a white chocolate bar has a percentage on the label similar to a cacao bar, e.g. 33%, it is not referring to the percentage of cacao in the bar (as there are no cocoa solids in white chocolate) but to the percentage of cocoa butter. The higher the percentage of cocoa butter, the richer and creamier the bar. Many experts feel that El Rey’s white chocolate, Icoa, is the finest in the world. Other manufacturers deodorize all of their cocoa butter (which is pressed from the cocoa bean), to remove all of the flavor. They do this because their purpose is to add this cocoa butter back into the chocolate liquor (also called cocoa solids and other names) to increase is fluidity (creaminess) without affecting flavor. To this end, a deodorized, flavorless, cocoa butter is perfect for milk chocolate and dark chocolate production. But, it makes white chocolate, which has no chocolate liquor, taste more bland. That’s why Icoa is considered the paragon of white chocolate among connoisseurs.

White chocolate, though a member of the family, is not technically chocolate because it contains no cocoa solids.  If it did, it wouldn't be white! Originally developed as a lighter summer confection, white chocolate is sometimes referred to as white milk chocolate because, like milk chocolate, it is made of cocoa butter, milk, and flavorings (though milk chocolate does contain cocoa solids). Photo of courtesy of CourtJester.com.

XOCOATL or XOCOLATL

Pronounced shock-WA-tel, the Mayan word for chocolate. It means bitter water. The original chocolate beverage was an unsweetened drink mixed with maize and flavored with pepper and other savory spices. The word “cacao” originated with the Olmec peoples who occupied the lowland regions of the eastern Mexican gulf coast; originally pronounced kakawa, “cacao” derived from the Mixe-Zoquean family of languages spoken by the Olmec, and was probably in use by 1000 B.C.* The Olmec shared their knowledge of cacao with the adjacent Mayans. The Nahuatl (Aztec language) term cacahuatl for cacao was concocted from the Mayan word. See chocolate for the etymology of the word.
*The True History of Chocolate, Sophie Coe and Michael Coe.