Susan Kenra
Mr.
Enelow
English
1301
9
October 2015
Chocolate: An Annotated Bibliography
The purchase, manufacture and
creation of chocolate dates back to before the 18th century, though
it comes to prominence in the U.S. through a process created by American
entrepreneur known as Milton Hershey.
Prior to Hershey’s mainstreaming of milk chocolate, a process which was
simpler than the earliest South American and European crafters, chocolate had
been thought of as a “artisan task suited to only the most noble of families
and locked away from the eyes of most men” (Walker). Milton Hershey’s creation, paved the way for
chocolate to be manufactured, differently than before, mass produced and
redefined its form. The production and formation of “chocolate making” has been
one that many folks have studied, and had often delighted most folks of wealthy
means, in fact prior to 1850, any purchase of chocolate was merely the hobby and
luxury of wealthy men.
Chocolate
mass production became the mass fad of the 20th century, and its
taste and essence are included in most things we drink and eat and a fraction
of the cost of the past. Today the
fascination and use of confectionary creations is a prime fascination to most
people, so my study of chocolate attempts to cover its earliest origins and
manufacturing up to the most modern creations and techniques.
Among
the latest innovations in the field of chocolate, there is a divided world
between European artisans, and American chefs.
Swiss Chocolate makers hold to time honored traditions passed down from
master to apprentice, though confectionary ovens have changed and Swiss
Kenra 2
Chefs
changed with them. South American
techniques of chocolate making are a fusion of old and new concepts, though the
use of hot peppers is a staple to their many old techniques (Brendon 208). Perhaps the most interesting techniques are
those being used in African Countries which rely on “smaller amounts of sugar,
and milk” than American varieties (LaTour 24).
However, American and British chefs lead the way in the most advanced
techniques, using modified ovens and molecular templates that seek to flash
freeze or shape chocolate in new and interesting ways (Marko 36). My study will cover the earliest sources
possible, including notes from Henry Jacques a French confectioner writing
before the French Revolution. Through great resource and determination I was
allowed to study his archives in the collection at the Louvre. This study claims a complete overview of
chocolate from early processing to more modern production.
The bibliography I have compiled
attempts to be complete, and includes several modern sources including Byron
LaTour’s recent article “The Chocolate and the Printer: A Love Story,” as well
as Maurice Toussaud’s book, Sweetness of Life, a seminal work on
chocolate creation, studied at the Cordon Bleu for at least six centuries. Of the 400 works listed here in my research
there were however some I left out, being they were extremely dated, or the information
was covered in more detail in another work.
My study attempts to be a thorough as possible including even
translations of work published in French, Italian and Spanish. The sources
presented
in this bibliography are as up to date as I can possibly make them, barring
being printed before the year 2016.
Kenra 3
LaTour,
Byron. “The Chocolate and the Printer: A Love Story.” Confectioner, vol. 26, no. 4,
1998,
pp. 595-600. Humanities Index,
wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/6/6/00-0607_article. Accessed 3 Feb. 2015.
This
article by a leader French researcher details the study of how modern
technology and “old world” confectionary skills culminated in the use of a 3D
printer (LaTour 596). Byron LaTour a
leading French artist used his own laser printer to shape chocolate in a dozen
different ways. His display titled the
“LaTour Display” was shown in at least four cities along with the release of
his 3D printed shapes. LaTour’s limited
collection of 3D shapes was also on sale after each exhibition as well as his
chocolate line. The article seamlessly
blends mainstream art ideas and the discussion of chocolate and cooking as an
art form. This is a very useful article for anyone wanting to blend new
techniques with technology.
Marko,
Caine. Hershey and the Fortunes of
Chocolate. New York: Farrar, 1983.
Caine
Marko’s work, Hershey and the Fortunes of Chocolate, details the
processes used early before the invention of milk chocolate. This study covers the early chocolate
industry but then follows the ups and downs of the chocolate wars as issued by
Hershey himself in search of the Golden Key of Chocolate. Hershey with a group of 600 men stormed the
Wonka Compound in Sussex England, killing over one million Umpa Lumpas, and
taking the source of Wonka’s power. Lt.
Jon Nestle, his second in command was listed as being A.W.O.L but had claimed
access to the Cacao mines, where he hid out before launching his own brand if
Chocolate. Sgt. Milton Cadbury as well,
discovered the secret of Easter candy where he launched from his base in the
United Kingdom the Cadbury line of Kings, celebrating as he put it, “the
scrumptious magic of mini-eggs and crème eggs which the Americans were simply
too stupid to offer all year
Kenra 4
round”
(83). Marko’s book is a substandard retelling of the true events of Hershey’s
life, but to the connoisseur of history it offers information on the early
period of chocolate
manufacture. This source is extremely useful to basic
study of the topic, though it lacks many references to where it gets its
information.
Toussaud,
Maurice. Sweetness of Life. Paris: Janus, 1896.
Sweetness
of Life is a manual printed by French confectionary master Maurice
Toussaud, which details the earliest methods of preparing and shaping
chocolate. This 200 page manual is
thought of as a staple to the French culinary master’s arsenal. Of the seventeen chapters in the book, the
instruction for chocolate makes up most of the work’s content. The techniques presented here were formally
only known to very high level chefs. Sweetness of Life is one of the few
books that is universally recognized and used and is one of the centerpieces to
the chocolate debate. It is an
invaluable instruction guide to the advanced researcher. This text is very useful as one of the
beginning points in gastronomic research.
Walker,
John. “Henry Jacques: The Victorian Chocolateer.” Edible
Potentates,
www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html.
Accessed 8 Mar. 2016.
Henry
Jacques’s life is a fascinating read in the study of artisan process of
chocolate making. John Walker, one of
the foremost experts on his notes, details the early life of Jacques who owned
the first candy cart and shop, “Isle de Candy,” located on the Boulevard de
Saint Germaine in Paris. Jacques process attempted to speed up chocolate
production, but his clientele mainly consisted of wealthy Parisians and his
prices were too steep for mass production.
Walker’s article contains valuable insight into the early stages of
chocolate production and shows the strains of early production. This article is extremely useful into early
Frenc
Kenra 5
techniques
and distribution methods before the twentieth century and is helpful in
detailing early differences in European crafting.
