Glossary of Terms

Definitions to help you understand the wonders of chocolate and confectionary.

Chocolate

Chocolate is produced from the bitter seed of the cacao tree. The seeds are roasted, ground and fermented to develop the flavour. Chocolate is made with a combination of cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar.
The word chocolate comes from the Aztecs of Mexico and is derived from the word xocolatl.

Caramel

Caramel is made by slowly heating sugar to 170 degrees C which gives a caramelised sugar mixture. It can be made to be firm and toffee like or more liquid and soft.

Fudge

Fudge is a soft candy like sweet usually made with sugar, butter and milk. The mixture is then heated to 115 degrees C. As the fudge cools it is beaten giving it a smooth creamy texture. Many flavours can be added during production giving a wide choice of availability.

Ganache

Pronounced - guh-nahsh. Ganache is a mixture usually of equal parts of chocolate and cream and is stirred and blended smooth. Natural flavours, liqueurs and extracts can sometimes be added.
Ganache is believed to have been invented in Switzerland or France and its origin is dates to around 1850.

Gianduja

Pronounced jan-doo-yah
Gianduja is a rich chocolate paste usually made from 50% chocolate and 50% ground hazelnuts and almonds. The chocolate can be milk or dark chocolacte.

Glace Fruit

Glace fruits are preserve in sugar syrup. They are made by first boiling the fruit and then steeping it in a strong sugar solution. The steeping process is done over many weeks. Once preservation is complete the fruits can last for many years due to the high sugar content which prevents any bacterial growth from occurring. Popular Glace Fruits are Pineapple, Pears, Oranges, Figs, Melon, Plums and Apricots.

Marzipan

A confection made from sugar and finely ground bitter almonds which is often enrobed in chocolate. Marzipan is believed to have originated from Persia (present day Iran). Germanys most famous marzipan manufacturer is Niederegger who use a high almond ratio producing a rich yellow marzipan.

Mousse

A blend of ingredients whipped together to produce a light airy texture which in turn is then used to fill chocolates.

Praline

Praline is a smooth paste made out of chocolate and finely ground nuts. The nuts are usually either almonds or hazelnuts. The praline is then used as a chocolate filling. The word Praline was originally spelt Prasline.

Truffle

Chocolate truffles are chocolates which are spherical, conical or maybe of an irregular shape. They are often made with a Ganache centre and then either dusted with cocoa or rolled in chocolate or almond flakes. Additional centres are commonly made such as blended fruits and liqueurs.