Sweet History: Dorchester and the Chocolate ... - Bostonian Society

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SWEET HISTORY: Dorchester and the Chocolate Factorywww.bostonhistory.org/bakerschocolate/use of powered machinery began, not in Europe, but in the American colonies, after NewEngland began trading cacao from the West Indies in the 1750s. The earliest knownmachine-powered chocolate producers were Obadiah Brown of Providence, Rhode Island,in 1752 and John Hannon of Milton, Massachusetts, in 1765. Water-powered mills wereable to mass-produce chocolate at a much faster pace and in greater quantities. Thisearly industrialization dramatically reduced the cost of the final product and chocolatebecame affordable to the general public. 122The world continues to consume great quantities of chocolate. Statistics calculated in2002 average the world’s yearly chocolate intake of approximately 1.2 pounds per person.The average European consumes just over four pounds per year. The Americas come insecond at 2.6 pounds per person, with Africa at a third of a pound, then Asia and thePacific islands at just under a quarter pound per year. 123Today’s Cacao Producing RegionsToday cacao is grown in the Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Indonesia, with Nigeria and Brazilrounding out the top five countries. Many of the cacao regions established centuries agostill grow the beans today, along with dozens of new regions located along the equator.The Netherlands, the United States, Ivory Coast, Brazil, and Germany are the top fiveimporters of cacao beans. 124Harvesting CacaoWhen the cacao pods are ready for harvest, they are taken from the trees, opened,washed, and collected for fermentation. This process turns the beans a rich, brown colorand gives the beans their chocolate flavor. After fermentation, the beans must dry toremove moisture for shipping. 125Preparing CacaoWhen the manufacturer receives the cacao beans, they must be cleaned before roastingbegins. In modern chocolate production, machines help to remove dust and debris thatmay have attached to the beans during fermentation or shipping. This is also the time122The Field Museum, “Chocolate: A Contemporary Confection-1750-1910,” Chocolate: The Exhibition,2002 [online]; available from http://www.fieldmuseum.org/chocolate/history_contemp2.html; Internet, accessed 25October 2005; Hedges, The Browns of Providence, 8-9.123International Cocoa Organization, ”World Cocoa Consumption,” International Cocoa Organization,September 2003 [online]; available from http://www.icco.org/questions/world.htm; Internet, accessed 1 November2005.124International Cocoa Organization, ”Main Cocoa Producing Countries and Their Cocoa Bean Production,”International Cocoa Organization, September 2003 [online]; available from http://www.icco.org/questions/production.htm; Internet, accessed 25 October 2005; International Cocoa Organization, ”Main Cocoa Grinding Countries andTheir Grindings of Cocoa Beans,” International Cocoa Organization, September 2003 [online]; available fromhttp://www.icco.org/questions/grindings.htm; Internet, accessed 25 October 2005;125The Field Museum, “Harvesting Cacao,” Chocolate: The Exhibition, 2002 [online]; available fromhttp://www. fieldmuseum.org/chocolate/making_harvest.html; Internet, accessed 10 June 2005; Charles S. Telly,“Chocolate–Its Quality and Flavor (Which is the World’s Best Chocolate?),” Chocolate: Food of the Gods, ed. AlexSzogyi (Westport, Conn.: Greewood Press, 1997) 168-168.38 of 76© 2005 The Bostonian Society. Nothing from the site can be reproduced without specific written permission issued by:The Bostonian Society • 206 Washington Street • Boston, MA 02109-1773. Any questions, call 617-720-1713.
SWEET HISTORY: Dorchester and the Chocolate Factorywww.bostonhistory.org/bakerschocolate/when the different types of cacao are sorted and weighed to be mixed into specialformulas. 126The cleaned beans are then roasted. Roasting is a very critical stage in chocolate making.Much care is taken because the flavor of the chocolate ultimately depends on how thebeans are roasted. The flavor will not develop properly if the beans are under-roasted, andif too much time is spent in the roaster, they can taste bitter. 127After the roasted beans cool, they are cracked to remove the tough, outer shells for easywinnowing. Winnowing separates any shells and husks mixed in with the cacao fragments,or “nibs.” 128Making ChocolateCacao nibs are made up of nearly half cocoa butter and half cocoa solids. The nibs areground, which creates enough heat from the pressure and friction to thoroughly melt thecocoa. The result is a finely-textured, thick, liquid mass called “chocolate liquor.” 129Depending on the final product, the chocolate liquor is either poured directly into moldsto make baking chocolate, pressed to remove the cocoa butter to make cocoa powder, ormixed with other flavors and sweeteners to make eating chocolate. 130If the chocolate becomes a sweet, eating chocolate, steel rollers grind the mixture furtherto create a smooth, even texture.The next step is “conching.” This process continually agitates and aerates the mixture tocreate a mellower flavor and smoother texture. 131Tempering is the final stage. This cycle of heating and cooling reduces surface dulling andcracking, and creates a more stable product with heat resistance and a longer shelf-life. 132126The Field Museum, “Manufacturing Chocolate,” Chocolate: The Exhibition, 2002 [online]; availablefrom http://www. fieldmuseum.org/chocolate/making_manuf2.html; Internet, accessed 10 June 2005; James M.Bugbee, Cocoa and Chocolate: A Short History of Their Production and Use (Dorchester, Mass.: Walter Baker &Co. Ltd., 1899) 49-50.127Bugbee, Cocoa and Chocolate, 50.128The Field Museum, “Manufacturing Chocolate,” Chocolate: The Exhibition; Bugbee, Cocoa andChocolate, 50.129Telly, “Chocolate–Its Quality and Flavor,” 172.130The Field Museum, “Manufacturing Chocolate,” Chocolate: The Exhibition; Telly, “Chocolate–ItsQuality and Flavor,” 172.131The Field Museum, “Manufacturing Chocolate,” Chocolate: The Exhibition.132International Cocoa Organization, “Crystallization of Cocoa Butter,” International Cocoa OrganizationDec 1999 [online]; available from http://www.icco.org/questions/crystal.htm; Internet, accessed 25 Oct 2005.39 of 76© 2005 The Bostonian Society. Nothing from the site can be reproduced without specific written permission issued by:The Bostonian Society • 206 Washington Street • Boston, MA 02109-1773. Any questions, call 617-720-1713.
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