In 600 AD, Maya Indians living on the Yucatan peninsula (Southern Mexico today) discovered the delights of cocoa. Like the Maya’s, the Aztecs who came along later enjoyed cocoa as a drink. The drink was named Xocolatl, made from roasted cocoa beans, water and a little spice. The Spanish conquistadors found this name difficult to pronounce and so changed it to ‘Chocolat’, the English further changed this to Chocolate. The Aztecs valued the beans highly and used them as a currency to trade with. Chocolate was first brought to Europe by Cortez, by this time the conquistadors had learnt to drink a more palatable version suitable to European tastes. It was the early 17th century when the first chocolate factories opened in Spain, where the dried fermented beans were roasted and ground into chocolate powder - from which the European version of the drink was made. The Spanish kept the source of the drink a secret and chocolate became worth its weight in Silver if not gold. In about 1520 chocolate arrived in England. Events turn a full circle when English Colonists carry chocolate (and coffee) with them to England’s colonies in North America. Later to become the USA, the world’s largest consumer of both chocolate and coffee.
What the Maya Indians discovered is not only delicious, but also good for you.
The chocolate industry has seen major transformation and development since the days of the Mayans. At the premium end of the market, chocolate making is an art form. Connoisseurs have developed sophisticated criteria for assessing the quality of chocolate.
Using all the senses connoisseurs and expert chocolatiers rate, chocolate on several measures:
• Appearance
The chocolate should be smooth, brilliantly shiny and pure mahogany black in color.
• Smell
The chocolate should not smell excessively sweet.
• Touch
Chocolate with a high % of cacao butter quickly starts to melt when held in the hand – this is a good sign. In the mouth it should feel ultra-smooth with no hint of graininess, and it should melt instantly.
• Taste
Chocolate contains a kaleidoscope of flavors and aromas, which continue to develop in the mouth.
Bateel chocolatiers strive to produce chocolates that satisfy the most discerning connoisseurs. Our chocolatiers use two distinct chocolate varieties to produce a wide range of pralines and truffles that delight chocolate lovers with different tastes and preferences.
Based on single bean or blend, chocolate is produced in three varieties:
• Dark Chocolate (Plain chocolate, known as bittersweet)
Contains upwards of 50% cocoa solids and cocoa butter.
• Milk Chocolate (Most popular eating chocolate)
36% cocoa butter with sugar, milk and vanilla.
• White Chocolate
Consists of cocoa butter without any cocoa solids and does not have the same depth of flavor as plain chocolate. Mainly sold for novelty value or to provide attractive color contrast.
Bateel uses all three types to produce a very distinct range of pralines and truffles some of the products are wrapped, but most Bateel chocolates are unwrapped in the European tradition. Bateel unwrapped chocolates have a shelf life of 6-9 months. But they are best when consumed during the first 3 months.