The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural and Natural History of Cacao with Recipes
by Maricel Presilla
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Book Summary Information
Author: Maricel PresillaEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Format: Illustrated
Published: 2001-09
ISBN: 1580081436
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Book Reviews of The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural and Natural History of Cacao with Recipes
Book Review: Coffee table book that also has true substance
Summary: 4 Stars
_The New Taste of Chocolate_ has the beautiful pictures of a coffee table book, but it has a lot of academic substance and a lot of value to the reader.
The main chapters are:
- Growing Up with Cacao
- A Natural and Cultural History of Chocolate
- From Cacao to Chocolate
- Identifying Cacao
- Tasting Chocolate
- Recipes
There is also a glossary, and a list of companies to order fine chocolate from.
For a beginner like myself, who loved chocolate but hadn't progressed much beyond Hershey's with Almonds when I read the book, _The New Taste of Chocolate_ was very educational. It explained the path from cacao bean to chocolate bar, and it also explained the difference between dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate. It explained how cocoa powder comes from chocolate, why chocolate is so difficult to make candy with if you don't know what you're doing, and why fancier recipes will sometimes specify chocolate manufacturer and cacao percentage.
It was also quite interesting to read about the guidelines for tasting chocolate. The discussion about criollo, forastero, and trinitario cacao plants was very fascinating from a scientific standpoint. I later found that what is true for cacao trees is true for many other types of plants (including wheat): the plants that make the tastiest & highest quality edible parts are also the least productive and most delicate, so growers & breeders have to choose whether to grow something that will almost certainly produce a less-desired but still profitable crop, or to grow something that has an uncertain yield but is highly profitable should the plant actually produce anything.
The recipes were also interesting. After reading this book, I became more adventurous in my chocolate-tasting and started trying some of the European imports I see in the local grocery stores. My only regret is I am now knowledgeable enough and my tastes are spoiled enough that M&Ms and Hersheys with Almonds seem pretty bland.
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