Hot chocolate

As cocoa (also drinking chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate milk or chocolate milk ) refers to a group of drinks that are prepared with cocoa-containing products based on water and / or milk. Depending on the preparation for this cocoa powder ( panel ) chocolate, a cocoa - or chocolate- containing instant powder or a kind of syrup used. The final product is consumed both hot and cold.

Etymology

The term cocoa is Aztec in origin and derived from cacahuetl or cacauatl. One of the most usual among the Mayas cocoa beverage was xocoatel or chocolatl and became the namesake of the chocolate. The terms cocoa, drinking chocolate and hot chocolate are regionally different and used today partly misleading. Originally standing drinking chocolate and hot chocolate for a drink based on cocoa and chocolate (or chocolate milk ) for a drink based on cocoa powder. With the introduction of instant drinks for restaurants and private households these names have however been blurred. The term hot chocolate or drinking chocolate drinks are now also available, which were, however, prepared on the basis of cocoa powder, not chocolate.

History

In pre-Columbian tropical America often unsweetened cocoa drinks were cold, cooked, with which we had little in common and familiar probably even contained alcohol. The Spanish brought the cocoa in 1519 after the conquest of the Aztec Empire to Europe. In the 17th century, it came as a medicine to Germany. First in German pharmacies, as a contemporary presentation describes: "It stärcket namely the Cacao the stomach, makes spirits and nimbly diluted juices and Bloomed, helps to Venus - like, stärcket the head, relieves pain and is his praise both for food as not enough to describe as Medicament almost. "

In European aristocratic circles he rapidly became the fashionable drink, the particular wholesomeness and all sorts of medicinal and aphrodisiac effects have been rumored. The decisive factor for the spread of cocoa as a beverage was the discovery that it is sweetened with cane sugar aromatic and will appeal to many Europeans. Cocoa was the favorite drink of Louis XIV and many large and small rulers wanted to emulate him. In the 18th century came the use of a trembleuse fashionable to drink the precious drink without losses.

At the time there was no distinction between cocoa powder and chocolate, as the technology of oil extraction was still unknown. Cocoa traded pressed into tablets, raw disks from which pieces were broken off and weighed and contained neither sugar nor milk and were not intended for immediate consumption. Was prepared the drink with water and sugar to taste and wallet, because cocoa was expensive.

From Anthelme Brillat -Savarin comes this description: " To prepare chocolate, that is to say to them for immediate enjoyment to render expedient, it takes about one and a half ounces to the cup, letting it gently in gradually heated water melt by placing them with a wooden spatula stir; then you let it cook a quarter of an hour, so that the solution will complete, and they served up hot. (...) My Lord told me more than 50 years ago, the Superior of the Convent of the Visitation at Belley, if you want to drink good chocolate, so let the night before, prepare the same in a Porzelankanne and stand in it. The standing overnight, it concentrates and gives her a fine taste, which makes it much more pleasant. The good God can not be angry about this little refinement, he himself is the highest excellence. " ( Quoted in Philippe Suchard, Neuchâtel 1885)

In the middle, the cocoa could not prevail, he was but a symbol of the ancien régime, of idleness and pleasure. The enlightened citizens drank coffee instead - at the breakfast table or in a café, not in the boudoir. Cocoa was in bourgeois society primarily to children drink that, after a large part of its nutritional value it was taken by the de-oiling, was increasingly prepared with milk instead of water to increase its nutritional value again and to mitigate its bitterness. The oiling of cocoa powder was patented in 1828 by van Houten and directed the separation of trading forms in cocoa powder for drinks and chocolate for direct consumption a.

Today, traditional chocolate can not be prepared practically, because neither cocoa powder or chocolate bars correspond to the original ingredient ( the best approximation is likely to be dark chocolate with a high cocoa content possible, some stores also offer pure cacao ). The preparation of cocoa powder, milk and sugar is on the decline, since there is instant cocoa drinks, which contain not only rather little cocoa and a lot of sugar various flavorings, emulsifiers and partly milk powder. One of the market leaders in this instant products in German-speaking Swiss company Nestlé Nesquik include the brand and strength with the brands Kaba and Suchard Express. Cocoa raw mass is common in industrial wholesale, as the manufacturing and Trading Standards have been little changed.

Traditional methods of preparation

For cocoa -containing beverages, there are different ways of cooking, but differ in ingredients in the preparation method. These are traditionally justified and marked regional:

Preparation based on whole cocoa beans

In Mexico and Jamaica whole, roasted cocoa beans are used for the preparation of drinking chocolate traditionally still used today, which are ground into a solid paste. These are on the ground in ball form ( Jamaica) or tablet form ( Mexico) are commercially available. Usually, the drinks will be foamy with water and additionally provided with spices. The flavor of these drinks is not comparable with the cocoa beverages known in Europe.

Preparation with chocolate

In many countries of Old Europe, such as France, Italy, Austria, Great Britain and Switzerland, preparations are usually based on chocolate. Is used bitter or milk chocolate. Depending on the region, the chocolate is prepared with water, milk or a mixture of both and pitched often frothy. It is also regionally common, drinking chocolate by adding starch ( Spain), egg yolk ( Austria ) or additional cocoa powder ( Italy) to alloy and thus to achieve a rather thick consistency. In intensity and sweetness, these preparation methods differ very significantly in part. The preparation with chocolate is a hot drink usually.

Preparation with cocoa powder

Beverages based on cocoa powder, which is weak or strong de-oiled in the trade, are prepared with milk, water or a mixture of both. Regional and cream ( cream ) of the liquid is added. Since cocoa powder ( in contrast to the conventional instant products such as cocoa granules) in a cold fluid is only sparingly soluble without additives, it is first mixed with a small amount in the preparation liquid to a slurry. This slurry can then be heated in hot liquid stirred (this method preserves the aroma best) or with the liquid.

As for all other preparations containing drinks (including the chocolate-based ) is that this merely heated but should not boil, as this would affect the flavor of the cocoa.

Flavored cocoa drinks

All of these cooking methods can also be flavored. Common are the traditional spices vanilla or cinnamon, more recently, in Europe ( again) came into fashion, the preparation of chili. In addition cocoa drinks are flavored with spirits. Frequently brandy, vodka or rum used. A well-known cocoa drink with rum is of Lumumba.

Trivia

The color of the cup seems proven to affect the taste experience of cocoa beverages: An investigation showed that hot chocolate tastes best if it is drunk from an orange cup, followed by the cream-colored cup. The identical chocolate, however, was perceived as less palatable when it was served in a white or red cup. The observation that the human sense of taste is greatly influenced by colors, in line with previous studies: so it could be shown that the color red can appear sharper spicy foods, beverages, however, are made ​​of blue containers perceived as refreshing as from red.