What is Unsweetened chocolate?
Unsweetened chocolate is also called baking, plain or bitter chocolate. This is chocolate in its rawest form – the refined Chocolate liquor 50-55% cocoa butter. The quality of the chocolate is determined by the type of cocoa beans used and how they have been processed. The chocolate has a strong, bitter taste that is used in cooking and baking, but is never eaten out of hand because it contains no sugar. Sugar is added later if needed to neutralize the bitterness.
Short history of Unsweetened chocolate
In the XX century unsweetened chocolate played a very important role in home baker‘s. These days it is changed by bittersweet or semisweet chocolate. But it is still used to deepen chocolate flavor without adding sweetness, especially in brownies or chocolate cake.
Mayans also made unsweetened chocolate, they mixed unsweetened chocolate with hot water and drank it as a stimulating beverage. Then the Spanish explorers brought it to Europe it become very popular all over the Europe, but it remained a luxury until the Industrial Revolution, when mass production made it cheap enough.
James Baker Co. of Dorchester was one of the first food manufacturers in America which in 1765 began making Baker’s brand unsweetened chocolate.
More about Unsweetened chocolate
Most of these chocolates contain nothing more than processed cacao beans, but there are many possible tastes of unsweetened chocolate – from nutty to fruity, smoky, and coffee like flavors. It is possible to assume that any flavor complexities derived from the beans themselves usually not refined or conched, and the way they are roasted. Chocolate manufacturers closely guard their trade secrets.
It is recommended using unsweetened chocolate to create the traditional chocolate flavour for your chocolate deserts.