PDC Test - The Magic Ingredient

You can earn 0.25 PDC by passing the exam following this article, which has been approved for publication by NCRA's Council of the Academy of Professional Reporters.

The questions are based on the material in the article but some may require additional research. Send your answer sheet to NCRA's Continuing Education Office, 8224 Old Courthouse Road, Vienna, VA 22182, and enclose a check for $40 (member) or $50 (non-member) to cover the processing fee.

The Magic Ingredient

By:  Renee Cohen
February 2006 JCR

Sweet or bitter, dark or white, cold or hot, almost everyone has an affinity for some form of chocolate.  From the ancient Mayans to the large manufacturing facilities seen today, growing cacao trees and producing edible chocolate has always involved a lot of hard work.  The history of chocolate production is interesting and worth exploring further. 

The cacao tree grows in the tropical rainforests of the world, usually under a canopy of taller trees which provide a shelter of shade.  Its colorful blossoms are pollinated by gnat-like flies, called the midge, and bloom all year round.  The pods of the cacao tree actually sprout from all parts of the tree, including the trunk.  As the pods ripen, their colors change from green to yellow to purple and red, and they grow to be about the size of melons.  Inside the pods, a thick whitish pulp surrounds rows of pale seeds that are about the size of almonds.  It is these seeds, also called cocoa beans, which are later roasted, husked and ground, that create the many forms of chocolate most people so thoroughly enjoy.

Once the cacao pods are cracked open, the seeds and pulp are heaped into big piles and left to ferment, a process that naturally enhances the flavor of the seeds.  After fermentation, the seeds are left to dry. These steps in the process were followed by ancient civilizations and are still used today, with most cacao plantations currently existing on the Ivory Coast of West Africa. The average cacao tree only produces about two pounds of dried cocoa beans.  After the seeds are dried, they can be shipped to the various chocolate factories producing the tasty treats we find today.

Historically, the earliest known use of the cacao tree and its seeds date back over 3,000 years to the Olmecs, who inhabited an area of what is now Mexico from about 1200-200 BCE.  Many archeologists believe that they were the first people to crack open a pod and use the seeds from the cacao tree, still the sole source of all the chocolate in the world.  Hieroglyphics and remains of artwork suggest that the Mayans also cherished chocolate.  Traces of chocolate have been uncovered in pots and bowls found at burial and other religious ceremonial sites.  Most likely, the Mayans drank their chocolate, since it did not exist in a solid form at that point in time.

After the disappearance of the Mayans, the Aztecs followed in their footsteps in terms of chocolate cultivation.  At that time, the seeds of the cacao tree became a form of money that was traded for other commodities.  Perhaps that is where the notion of money growing on trees originated.  It is said that Montezuma II, the last emperor of the Aztec world, had an impressive bank containing about 960 million seeds.  Writings from that time, around 1200 AD, indicate that Montezuma and his many servants and guards consumed about 2,000 pots of chocolate a day.

Hernando Cortés is credited with bringing chocolate to the European world.  He called it “the divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue.”  The cocoa bean naturally contains two stimulants, theobromine and caffeine, so his observation of the drink fighting fatigue may have been very real.  At first, many Europeans did not like chocolate and its bitterness.  Once sugar was added to the mixture, the Spaniards created a combination almost everyone could delight in.  By the 1600s, chocolate houses were springing up around Europe, where the sipping and socializing proliferated.  In 1753, the famous Swedish naturalist Linnnaeus gave the cacao tree its scientific name, Theobroma cacao, which literally means “food of the gods” in Greek.  It was well-known that Linnaeus was very fond of chocolate.

One innovation that modernized the production of chocolate was built by a Dutch inventor named Coenraad Van Houten.  In 1828 he made a press that could separate the crushed cacao seeds into their two distinct parts.  Once the fatty part of the seed, or cocoa butter, was pressed out, only the remaining small cakes of hard, dry, bitter chocolate remained.  This enabled the chocolate makers to vary the mixtures to accommodate tastes, as well as mold the resulting chocolate.

The next big advancement in chocolate production was made by the Swiss, who are still the largest consumers of the delicacy today.  In the late 1800s, along with his colleagues, Henri Nestlé added evaporated milk to their mixture, creating the world’s first milk chocolate.   Later, conching and tempering of the chocolate were added processes that improved the quality of the chocolate by getting rid of its gritty texture.  The conching machine created friction and broke down the tiniest of crumbs.  This step is still used and is usually carried out for three entire days.  Then tempering, or heating and cooling the mixture, occurs next, which keeps the cocoa butter from crystallizing, ensuring smooth and uniform liquid chocolate which is then poured into molds.

In 1905, Milton Hershey, the Henry Ford of chocolate, created the first large-scale chocolate manufacturing plant in the dairy regions of Pennsylvania.  With refrigeration, which was available after 1900, chocolate could be made and sold all year round, without fear of it melting.  Prior to refrigeration, with chocolate melting at 77°F, it was only made and stored for short periods.  During World War II, soldiers were given bars of Hershey’s chocolate as part of their rations.  Many were able to share the candy with local Europeans to celebrate their liberation.  

Since then, chocolate has continued to be enjoyed by the masses.  Even American astronauts were given chocolate bars as rations when they traveled to the moon.  In whatever form it is found, from chocolate chips to strawberries dipped in chocolate, it is a magic ingredient that is a universal favorite.

References

http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/exploring_chocolate/index.html
http://www.hersheys.com/discover/chocolate.asp
http://www.info-galaxy.com/Chocolate/History/history.html
http://www.calacademy.org/naturalhistory/chocolate.cfm`
http://www.mrkland.com/fun/xocoatl/science.htm

The Magic Ingredient Test

1. Chocolate is made from the ___________that are roasted, husked, and ground, and often sweetened with sugar and flavored with vanilla. A) roots of the cacao tree  b) seeds of the cacao tree c) the pods of the cacao tree d) leaves of the cacao tree

2. Hernando Cortez brought cacao back to Europe but it was not well received, although later, when Europeans added sugar, the popularity of chocolate as a beverage soared.  A) true  b) false

3. In 1753, Swedish scientist Linnaeus gave the cacao tree its scientific name, Theobroma cacao, which means:  a) sweet and delicious  b) coffee flavored  c) food of the gods d) none of the above

4. It is said that Montezuma had a bank of cacao seeds, with more than _____ seeds.  A) 96,000 b) 960,000 c) 960 million d) 960 billion

5. In 1828 an invention by this Dutchman changed the way chocolate was made, such that the seeds could be separated into their two distinct parts.  A) Milton Hershey  b) Coenraad Van Houten  c) Henri Nestlé   d) Rudolphe Lindt

6. In 1905, this chocolate factory opened in the dairy region of Pennsylvania.  A) Nestlés  b) Cadbury’s   c) Montezuma’s d) Hershey’s

7. The average cacao tree produces about _____ of dried cocoa beans.  A)  two pounds b) five pounds  c) ten pounds d) twenty pounds

8. Cacao trees grow in the tropical rainforest, where they have a hot, wet climate, low altitude and a)  special soil b)  palm trees c) a diversity of birds d)  plenty of gnats

9. Following World War II, to celebrate liberation, US soldiers shared their rations of chocolate with local people in Europe.  A) true  b) false

10.   Cacao trees produce only yellow blossoms.  A) true b)  false

11.   Cacao trees produce pods that grow to be the size of  a) almonds b) lemons  c) melons d) none of the above

12.  Making chocolate is easy and not time-consuming. A)  true  b) false

13. A decaying process that alters the chemistry and flavor of organic substances is called  a) conching b) tempering c) fermentation d) none of the above

14. Early records of chocolate consumption indicate that the Mayans   a) ate chocolate  b) drank chocolate c) did not use chocolate  d)  mixed sugar with chocolate

15. Cocoa butter absorbs scents well, and is therefore used in making face creams and other ointments.  A) true b) false

16. The ________ population eats more chocolate per person than any other nation.   A)  Spanish  b) French c)  American d) Swiss

17. The __________ process, which usually takes 72 hours, is the step which dissolves any graininess or lumps and makes the chocolate smooth.  A)  fermentation   b) drying  c) conching d) roasting

18. White chocolate is pure chocolate.  A) true b) false

19.  Two stimulants found naturally in the cacao bean are  a) caffeine and theobromine  b)  caffeine and dextrose c)  paraffin and caffeine  d) none of the above

20. Chocolate melts at _______ degrees Fahrenheit.  A) 95 b)  88 c)  77 d)  68

21. Today, most cacao trees grow in a) Mexico b) West Africa c) Switzerland d) France

You can earn 0.25 PDC by passing the exam following this article, which has been approved for publication by NCRA's Council of the Academy of Professional Reporters.