Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Photo: flickr user Quasic

About

Natural unsweetened cocoa tastes bitter and gives a deep chocolate flavor. It is perfect for making brownies, however, if the recipe calls for this cocoa to mix in baking soda, the batter rises when it is in the oven.

Information

Other names: Cocoa, Unsweetened Cocoa, Cocoa Powder, Dry Cocoa Powder

Translations: Nesaldināti sauss pulveris Kakao, Nesaldintas sausi milteliai Kakava, Neîndulcite pulbere uscată de cacao, Nezaslađeni kakao prahom, Khô không thêm đường bột ca cao, Niesłodzonego kakao suchego proszku, Ongesuikerd droog poeder Cacao, कोको पाउडर unsweetened सूखी, Cacau em Pó seco Unsweetened, Unsweetened сухой порошок какао, Unsweetened κακάο Ξηράς Σκόνης, مسحوق الكاكاو غير محلى جاف, Unsweetened 드라이 파우더 코코아, Neslazené práškové kakao, Незаслађен какао у праху суво, Unsweetened Dry Cocoa Powder, 不加糖的可可粉干, Cacau en pols sense sucre sec, Nesladkani kakav v suh prašek, Nesladené práškové kakao, Polvere secca di cacao zuccherato, אבקת קקאו ממותק יבש, Osötad pulverinhalator Kakao, Tawar Bubuk Kakao Kering, 無糖粉末ココア, Cacao en poudre non sucré sec, Ungesüßt, Dry Powder Cocoa, Usødet Dry Powder Cocoa, Cacao en polvo sin azúcar seco, Unsweetened сухий порошок какао, Makeuttamaton Kuiva kaakaopapuja, Неподсладен Химическо какао на прах

Physical Description

It has a reddish-brown color, mild flavor, and is easy to dissolve in liquids.Its delicate flavor makes it ideal in baked goods like European cakes and pastries where its subtle flavor complements other ingredients.

Colors: reddish-brown

Tasting Notes

Flavors: very bitter, deep chocolate flavor

Mouthfeel: Chalky, Bitter

Food complements: Milk, Sugar, Butter, Coffee

Wine complements: American fortified, Port, American sparkling

Beverage complements: Coffee, Milk

Substitutes: Unsweetened chocolate, Semisweet chocolate, Carob power

Selecting and Buying

Choosing: Wrapped tightly and protected from humidity and temperature variations, chocolate will keep for several months.

Buying: Chocolate is available nearly everywhere. Most grocery stores sell chocolate and cocoa powder products

Procuring: A cocoa fruit has a hard shell that is split open with a machete, revealing compartments packed with sacs. In each sac is a single seed, or bean, surrounded by red, pink or white pulp. Once the beans have been harvested, fermented and dried, they are classified according to size, brokered and sold to chocolate manufacturers

Preparation and Use

Chocolate makers use harvested cacao beans and other ingredients to produce couverture chocolate. Chocolatiers use the finished couverture to make chocolate candies (bars, truffles, etc.)Cocoa and chocolate are used primarily in desserts (cakes, cookies, puddings, ice cream, mousses, tarts) and candies. However, in Spanish and Mexican cuisine, chocolate is used to flavor sauces for seafood and poultry.

Conserving and Storing

If refrigerated or frozen without containment, chocolate can absorb enough moisture to cause a whitish discoloration, the result of fat or sugar crystals rising to the surface. Moving chocolate from one temperature extreme to another, such as from a refrigerator on a hot day, can result in an oily texture.

Social/Political

History: Until the 16th century, no European had ever heard of the popular drink from the Central and South American peoples.[16] It was not until the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs that chocolate could be imported to Europe.