Tag: Chocolate

The Not So Sweet History of Belgian Chocolate

How It All Began

It all started with Leopold II of Belgium in the year 1885 when he colonized Congo. It was a territory eighty-six times bigger than his country. Leopold II was the very first one to commit genocide during the 20th Century.

The chocolate industry first took off during the 1880s, supported by getting hold of the Belgian Congo that has aided an easy way in to Africas cocoa grounds. The truth is that it is very hard to imagine that the Belgian Chocolates history may be that far from being sweet.

There was an estimated 10 million Africans that passed away under the orders of Leopold II. Despite of the war that was happening, Belgians were able to maintain the cocoa importing connections. On the other hand, the Belgian contribution in the chocolate industry is the introduction of their chocolate product which is the praline. It was created and expanded by a Swiss family in Brussels, the Neuhaus family in 1912. The praline was the very first butter cream-filled bite sized chocolate. It was either filled with nuts or cream or coated with milk or milk chocolate or filled also with a very good quality of dark chocolate.

In the year 1912, chocolate started as a gift in Belgium. A Belgian chocolatier created the very first praline, a chocolate that absolutely complied to the gift career it was building. Not later on, a packaging called Ballotin was developed and patented for praline. At that moment the pralines in Ballotin were the most desired gift in every chance somebody has to give someone something as a present.

The Making

Chocolates start with the seeds of a cacao tree. A fruit bearing tree that has large football-shaped like pods, in which the seeds are contained. The cacao tree was first discovered in the United States but now can be grown in many countries near the Equator. These pods are gathered and the seeds are then dried in the sun. After drying, they undergo roasting. When the beans are roasted, they will now be crushed to produce cocoa powder, and then squeezed to get the cocoa butter.

When the powder is ready, it will be mixed with butter. Adding the milk powder and sugar creates chocolate. Each component of the mixture determines the color of the chocolate. Therefore creating different kinds of chocolate like black or the dark chocolate that can be made with up to seventy percent of cocoa in the mixture; milk chocolate containing more milk powder than the others, and of course the white chocolate that does not contain cocoa but cocoa butter only mixed with milk and sugar only.

Trivia

Did you know that if not most, all the pralines during those times were hand made? Presently chocolates are considered as an energy giving food because of its very high content of sugar and calorie. Another fact about chocolate is that it is also considered as one of the many sexual stimulant foods. In fact, aside from being an exceptional energy booster, one of the Aztec emperors drank chocolate to have access to women. It is also known to be use as an anti-depressant. It is known to contain a substance called pheryletylanine that has a positive effect in the event of a nervous depression but not only that, there is something in chocolates that gives anyone a lighter mood every time it is drank.

The Wonderful Tools of Cooking

Far too often people overlook the importance of using the proper tools when cooking fine meals. While there is nothing in the world that can quite compare to cooking with the finest and freshest of ingredients, these things can only be enhanced by making use of the perfect tools for the job at hand.

When it comes to pots and pans and skillets you should keep in mind that conductivity is of extreme importance. You should also select pots and pans that are made of a heavier gauge. This allows your pans to heat evenly avoiding hot spots, which can lead to food that may ‘stick’ to your pan or scorch during the cooking process. This means that simply stopping in at your local mass market retailer and purchasing any old set of pots and pans is probably not the best course of action for the best possible quality in your kitchen.

Kitchen knives are also important ingredients in the kitchens of today. If you plan to prepare many meals in your kitchen, then the quality of your knives is of the utmost importance. Your knives are an investment you shouldn’t have to make too often in your lifetime. For this reason, select a really good set and be prepared to make a sizeable investment in your knives. You will never understand, unless you’ve tried to prepare foods with knives of inferior quality, just how important it is to purchase good quality and well-balanced knives for your kitchen. You should also try the handles in your hand to see how comfortable they feel before purchasing a set of knives. If you do a lot of chopping and cutting during your meal preparation and cooking you will want to make sure that the knives you are using feel comfortable in your hands.

If you are like me and plan on cooking a great deal of meat then you should also invest in a jacquard. This useful tool helps not only when it comes to tenderizing rather rough and tumble cuts of meat but also pierces the surface so that rubs and marinades can penetrate for a more flavorful experience. This is by far one of my favorite kitchen gadgets and it isn’t a sizeable investment for the added value it provides to meals.

A good quality grater is another tool that no kitchen should be complete without. There are many who feel that with all the pre shredded cheese products on the market today this tool is obsolete but nothing could be further from the truth. First of all, pre grated and pre packaged cheese simply doesn’t touch the quality of flavor that freshly grated cheese provides. Second, cheese isn’t the only thing that these graters are useful for grating. Graters are excellent tools for grating citrus fruits, spices, garlic, chocolate, and even onions. If you do a good deal of baking in addition to your cooking you should not overlook the value of having a quality grater in your kitchen.

Of course there are many more cooking tools than I could possibly mention here. Those mentioned above simply happen to be among my personal favorites. There are all kinds of appliances that in my humble opinion no kitchen is truly complete without. In addition to these great appliances there are many tools that are simple matters of preference. Do you peel enough potatoes to warrant a special device for doing so or do you simply opt to purchase an ergonomically designed potato peeler and peel them by hand? There are no one size fits all answers when it comes to kitchen tools and many of us are often limited by serious budget constraints and restrictions. My best advice if this is the situation for you is to purchase the best possible quality you can afford and build from there. Even if it means replacing one pot or knife at a time until you can manage a complete set of superior quality cooking tools you will find it well worth the price you’ve paid in the long run.

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Gourmet Belgian Chocolates: A Taste of Heaven on Earth

When you think of gourmet food, you’d think of edibles that is expensive, heavenly delicious, and of very high quality. Gourmet Belgian chocolates are considered to be the best kind of chocolate in the world. It is so delicious that people from all over the world flock to Belgium just to experience the taste of the original Belgian chocolate because nobody in the world has successfully duplicated these sweet little things.

Belgian chocolates are the toast of the chocolate world. It is the gourmet of all chocolates that exist and nothing beats it for being in the number one list of all chocoholics. Even diabetics crave for it! The good thing is that there are now sugar-free Belgian chocolates that are now available in the market.

The special factor that makes Belgian chocolate standout among its contemporaries is the great respect for the chocolate manufacturing techniques that have been perfected by Europeans for centuries as well as the excellent quality of the ingredients used for making the chocolates.

In the age of mass production, everything seems to be just the standard to deliver the products to as many people as possible which sometimes have sacrificed a bit of quality of the products. Good thing that Belgian chocolatiers did not give in to the pressure of the global market and still stick with the old tradition of small production but with topnotch quality tastes of their chocolates.

The country of Belgium is populated with chocolate shops and manufacturers that up to now are still making chocolates by hand and/or with the original equipment from the olden days. The chocolate in Belgium is like wine to France. Like the French wineries, chocolatiers in Belgium provide chocolate tasting programs for the visitors to sample the gourmet chocolates.

Although Belgian chocolates has been around for a long time, the new way of making chocolates that is very popular nowadays only started in the early years of the 20th century. This new way of making chocolate is the placement of a filling inside a chocolate nugget. Fillings can range from fruits, creams, hazelnut, coffee, or other forms of chocolate. This kind of chocolate is called pralines, which refers to the chocolate covering.

Another factor that makes gourmet Belgian chocolates special is the technique of storing the chocolate nuggets before filling it up. The course of making the chocolates is quite interesting as the grounded cocoa beans are combined with the mixture of cocoa butter and sugar. It is then eventually spread out by tempering or gradual heat addition. A lot of chocolate houses in Belgium obtain their chocolate in forms of solid. These solid forms of chocolates are then heated again for it to be formed or structures into the desired shape and taste. Since the chocolates are not chilled, Belgian chocolates have the luck of preserving the cocoa essence much more than the other inferior chocolates.

A lot of Belgium’s old family owned chocolate houses have their own line of gourmet Belgian chocolates. They have been around for a long time and can be trusted of the high quality chocolates they manufacture. Through the years and generations of family owners, they have perfected the way of making the perfect gourmet Belgian chocolates.

These delicious sweets may come with a price but once you have tasted its palatable flavors you will realize that it is worth all your money. You can actually taste a part of heaven. And that is what makes gourmet Belgian chocolates tick.

Dark Chocolate: The Miracle Ingredients of Belgian Chocolates

Everybody loves chocolates. But because it is usually sweet, some people are banned from eating such delicious treats due to some diseases. In this way, they totally give up eating chocolates. However, most people are unaware of the health benefits provided by eating chocolates.

The scientific name of chocolate is thebroma cacao. When literally translated, it means “food of the gods”. Chocolate are composed of vitamins A, C, B1, E, and E, fluorine, iron, sodium, and potassium.

For the past centuries, chocolates are used for treating diseases and problems including depression. Mexican and European civilizations revealed the aphrodisiac characteristics of chocolates. The United States government formally recognized the virtues of chocolates during the Second World War.

Chocolate cravers do not have to be subjected to studies just to reveal the mood alteration power of chocolates. It is purely linked with feelings of comfort, safety and love. Some researchers said that confections of creamy chocolates can help people live longer.

One ingredient of Belgian chocolates is dark chocolate and is considered as a healthy chocolate. You don’t have to be afraid of eating chocolates because its side effects are not negative after all. In fact, this is the best news in the medical world today.

Dark chocolates are potent antioxidants that contain similar antioxidants such as wine or phenols. In chocolate bars, phenols help in preserving fats while it prevents atherosclerosis in the body. It also gobbles up destructive molecules and free radicals which are the main contributors for developing heart diseases and other illnesses. However, some findings revealed that milk found in chocolates interferes in antioxidants absorption. Therefore moderate consumption of dark chocolates is still advised.

In general, Belgian chocolates are enriched with cocoa phenols compared with other chocolates made from other countries. It is a hint for consumers that a darker color is better. Dark chocolates can lower high blood pressures provided that some factors are met. Large amounts of dark chocolates are only advisable for people at the right age and mild high blood pressures. Moreover, balancing calorie levels is needed by reducing other food intakes containing calories. Healthy foods must not be replaced by chocolates.

Consume chocolates up to 150 calories and 50% fats only, probably one ounce of solid chocolate pack. Too much consumption of chocolates must be avoided. It contains high levels of sugars of saturated fats which can cause obesity and health damage. If possible, minimize consumption of fat alternatives including chocolate syrups and foods covered with chocolates.

Another known antioxidants found in dark chocolates are flavonoids, the potent compounds in plants which is also found in red wine, tea, vegetables, and some fruits. This helps in fighting factors connected with stroke, and heart attacks. It slows down bad cholesterol processing which clog the arteries and prevents blood platelets from clumping. However, flavonoids contents may also vary. Some foods are more flavonoids enriched and more active which include cocoa, the main ingredient of chocolates. Consuming the right amount of Belgian chocolate can also improve the condition of the artery.

Knowing these medical benefits of dark chocolates really helps. It is not only about eating but also learning its ingredients to know both the advantages and disadvantages. So, think twice before you give up chocolates in your diet. If chocolates are eaten in right amounts, it can be truly considered as a miracle food.

Southern Cooking Brings Soul to Food

I was born and raised in the heart of the Deep South. From as far back as I can remember I remember long summer afternoons spent drinking iced tea and shelling peas and butterbeans on my grandmother’s porch. I have moved on from my roots and have made my way into other regions of the world. One thing, however, that has remained constant in my life is my deep and abiding love for southern cooking and cuisine.

I was probably well into my teen years before I realized that tea could be served any other way than loaded with sugar and over ice. It was about that same time that I realized some folks would eat vegetables that hadn’t been soaked in batter, dredged in cornmeal, and deep fat fried. Southern cooking is not for the faint of heart though it can cause many hearts to grow faint. One thing that can be said is that you’ll never find anything else like it on earth.

People in the south learned to make do with little in many instances. Some of the poorest people in America live in the southern part of the country. Of course, you will find that many of these people despite their poverty are also among the most generous. The same can be said of food. It’s the one thing that seems to be in ample supply in most southern homes and very few will turn you away with an empty stomach.

Perhaps it’s the seasonings that are often used when cooking southern food. From the crab boil and gumbo file of Cajun Cuisine to the secret ingredient that almost every southern kitchen contains for their fried chicken recipes (and no one on earth can fry chicken like a born and bred southern grandma). Perhaps it’s the Sunday church dinners where everyone shares a little of what they have with others or the love that goes into preparing these meals that are shared with friends and family. Whatever the case may be, if you ever have the occasion to experience real southern cooking, do not pass it up. You might shave a day off your life, but a good southern fried chicken leg is really living and well worth the sacrifice if you ask me.

Of course it would be remiss to mention southern cooking without bringing up some of the more delicious desserts that seem to be perfection for the south. I mentioned banana pudding above but there are so many more. Pralines are a perfect for those living down around New Orleans as is bread pudding. A little to the east there are grandma’s who have taken their lemon icebox pie recipes to the grave with them so coveted were these delicious deserts and the same holds true for pecan pies as well. We should never forget the flavorful Mississippi Mud cake though, and so many other wonderfully delicious treats that southern cooking has introduced to the world at large.

Favorite vegetables in the heart of the south as I mentioned above included peas and butterbeans, snap beans, corn, summer squash (after all, it’s summer all year in the south), and okra (fried or boiled in many southern kitchens). Not all vegetables were deep fried though few were off limits. I remember eating my share of fried okra, fried squash, and yes, fried green tomatoes. Life was good back when calories weren’t counted and no one really worried about clogging arteries. While I wouldn’t make these a daily dish in any household, I certainly would recommend trying them out if you ever find the opportunity.

Another great thing about southern cooking is the wonderful fried seafood that seems to abound. From fried fish (almost any variety works well when it’s southern fried) to fried oysters, seafood just seems to taste so much better in the south. If you are hoping to learn some of the southern cooking and cuisine you will most likely need to order your spices and have them shipped unless your grocery store has a rather extensive ‘exotic’ foods selection. You can sometimes find great southern seasonings on the International food aisles in grocery stores as well. If you want to really treat your family to an outstanding meal, you should really try southern cooking for the night.

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