The Art and Craft of Chocolate

Book excerpt: In The Art and Craft of Chocolate, world-renowned chocolate maker Nathan Hodge takes you on a grand tour of chocolate—from its processing, history, and trade to how it's made, bean to bar. The book includes the basic principles of chocolate-making at home and recipes for traditional moles, drinks, baked goods, rubs, and more. The Art and Craft of Chocolate opens with the very basics, beginning with the cacao tree, and explains the process of growing cacao and the many hands it takes to process it. For centuries, chocolate has been used for many purposes all over the world: from a currency during the Mayan empire, to homemade beverages consumed by farm workers in Central America for energy, as well as in moles and other dishes in Mexican cuisine. The Art and Craft of Chocolate covers the cultural history of chocolate, as well as the birth of the chocolate bar. The co-founder and head chocolate maker of Raaka Chocolate, Nathan Hodge, then shows you how to hack the basic principles of chocolate-making at home using tools as simple as a food processor, a hair dryer, and a double boiler. In addition, he offers recipes for traditional moles from different regions of Mexico; traditional Mayan chocolate drinks; cocoa as a meat rub; and various baked goods. An expert in the bean-to-bar movement and a leader in sustainable chocolate sourcing, Hodge introduces the concept of bean to bar chocolate—a process that starts with whole cocoa beans, which are roasted, ground, and smoothed into chocolate—and discusses sustainability and social consciousness, along with his own chocolate making philosophy. The Art and Craft of Chocolate is your resource on all topics chocolate.