To understand different terms related to chocolate is fascinating. It also makes you understand better what to buy in chocolates, for eating or cooking.
Gianduja or Gianduia – This is a chocolate made from hazelnuts, toasted and ground to powder. Its texture is smooth and chocolate-like, but its flavor is of hazelnuts.
Couverture – This is a yummy stuff, also known as coating chocolate. It is generally made of some sort of dark chocolate with cocoa butter to a larger amount so that it melts evenly for being coated on a chocolate recipe. Because of its high cocoa butter content, it is widely used in chocolate fountains and needs no addition of oil.
Single bean chocolate – This is also known by many other terms, like Single Origin, Origin Chocolate, Grand Cru, Estate Chocolate or Single Cru. By all these terms, it is meant that it has been made with only one type of cocoa beans, grown in a particular region or a particular plantation. It is a bit confusing because it may also contain a type of beans from all over the world. But its main intention is to describe manufacturer’s effort to choose one particular type of beans to create a distinct flavor.
Chocolate oil – This is a tricky term, as there is nothing like chocolate oil. If you find some such thing, understand that it is an oil with chocolate perfume, not to be used in cooking.
Chocolate extract – This is made like vanilla by soaking cocoa beans in alcohol. It is a good means to add chocolate flavor to the recipe without fat. However the flavor may be a little stronger.
By knowing these various terms you will definitely understand what to choose amongst the many types of chocolates and decide more wisely.
