INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD OF COCOA

20/11/2024

“When talking about chocolate, you have to start with the cacao plant,” says master gelato artisan Stefano Ferrara, kicking off the story of one of his great passions. It all begins with cacao trees, which thrive in the warm, humid regions of the equatorial belt across Asia, Latin America, and Africa. These trees produce large, colorful fruits shaped like rugby balls called cabosse – a term thought to come from the Spanish word cabeza, meaning head – each with its own unique characteristics. There are three main varieties of cocoa: 

- Forastero cocoa, the most widespread cocoa plant today because it’s robust and easy to grow in intensive plantations. Its fruits are rich in non-aromatic and astringent compounds, which are removed through industrial processes designed to eliminate these negative components and change the color. 

- Trinitario cocoa, a variety born from the hybridization of the other two types, combines the resilience of the Forastero and the aromatic qualities of the Criollo. 

- Criollo cocoa, the rarest and most delicate variety, is also the richest in aromatic compounds, ranging from fruity notes of red fruits to citrus and hints of honey. 
Stefano Ferrara describes the fruits of the cocoa tree as follows: "the cabossas are rich in seeds – the cocoa beans – enclosed by a sugary pulp in a kind of cluster." He continues, explaining the steps to obtain cocoa mass. Once extracted from the pod, the beans are fermented in wooden crates, a process that occurs naturally due to the sugar in the pulp. "This is a very delicate stage of cocoa processing, as it allows for the development of some of the distinctive flavors that will flavor the cocoa." 

After fermentation, the beans are dried, often in the sun, sorted and then shipped to the various destination markets and roasted. Roasting is also a delicate stage for the future flavor and aroma of the finished product, which is why many producers prefer to carry out this stage independently in their own facilities. 

Once roasted, the cocoa beans are ground into a thick cream due to their naturally high fat content (as well as other elements such as protein, fiber, and starches), called cocoa mass. The mass is then processed by adding sugar, cocoa butter, and other ingredients in different proportions, depending on the desired end product. 
After this short introduction on cocoa and its processing phases, we enter the world of gelato parlors together with maestro Stefano Ferrara. «Until a few years ago, chocolate gelato was mainly made with cocoa powder and only a few gelato makers used pure chocolate or masses as an ingredient. Today the situation has changed, several gelato parlors create gelato flavors with chocolate of various origins and percentages, each with unique organoleptic characteristics, which are communicated to customers who are more informed than in the past but often still reticent about certain natural acidities of cocoa».

«By making gelato, can I best express the different aromatic characteristics of the various masses? It is very difficult and requires the right technical knowledge, even with a water-based gelato. I have chosen to work with cocoa mass-based gelato exclusively with a water base, because I do not want to mask their aromas. In my recipes I use 23% cocoa mass, which is a lot for gelato recipes, given the properties of the mass in terms of viscosity and other characteristics that influence the structure of the ice cream. However, it is an exciting challenge that pushes me every day to experiment with new recipes, new blends and origins, so as to always create new and unique products".

Comments (2)


Gelato University Admin 28/11/2024
Hi James, thank you for sharing your story! We are so happy our alumni have inspiring stories to share.
Maestro James 21/11/2024
Chocolate - the worlds favourite yummy........I reflect back on my schooling at Carpigiani Gelato University and taking the Chocolate specialty.......now 12 years later, selling over $10 million in sales, multiple locations......it all started with the desire to learn about chocolate and make chocolate gelati.

Through my journey my schooling laying the foundation, chocolate has become a fascination both in flavour, design and fun. Loved the article especially given the diverse chocolate available in all countries. Doing chocolate nights with 12 different flavours, social media, positioning in your competitive market, it continues to be a yummy fun journey.

Chocolate is a delicate ingredient with nuance of flavour, aromas and a dance. Powerful enough to command a flavour's first layer and if too much dominate the subtleties of a dance of secondary fragrances.

Soy lecithins, fair trade, sorbetto or gelati, the options are numerous.......make your flavour yours, test, taste and dance with chocolate.....loved the article!!!
Stefano Ferrara

Stefano Ferrara is a gelato maker from Rome, since 2019 he has been collaborating with Carpigiani Gelato University as a teache...

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