{"id":6251,"date":"2021-02-18T16:02:21","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T16:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=6251"},"modified":"2021-02-18T16:02:21","modified_gmt":"2021-02-18T16:02:21","slug":"what-is-dutch-about-dutch-process-cocoa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/what-is-dutch-about-dutch-process-cocoa\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Dutch About Dutch Process Cocoa?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’ve discussed some “Dutch”-terms<\/a> here before, such as the Dutch Oven, going Dutch, Dutch Comfort and more. Today, I want to focus on another term like that – Dutch Process Chocolate. I’ve never heard of it, so what is it, actually? And what makes the process Dutch?<\/p>\n

What is Dutch Process, or Dutched Cocoa?<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"Dutched<\/a>

“Dutched” cocoa (left) and natural cocoa (right) (Image by F_A at Flickr.com under license CC BY 2.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

Dutch process, or Dutched cocoa is\u00a0gealkaliseerde cacao\u00a0<\/em>(alkalised cocoa)<\/strong>. In the US, such alkalised cocoa is known as European style or Dutched cocoa.<\/p>\n

The process consists of washing the cocoa in a\u00a0kaliumcarbonaatoplossing\u00a0<\/em>(potassium carbonate solution), which neutralises the\u00a0zuur\u00a0<\/em>(acidity) in the cocoa to a pH of 7<\/strong>. Apart from the\u00a0smaak\u00a0<\/em>(taste), which becomes zachter <\/em>(smoother) and\u00a0intenser <\/em>(more intense), this affects the kleur\u00a0<\/em>(color). While naturally, the kleur\u00a0<\/em>of\u00a0cacao\u00a0<\/em>can vary from lichtbruin\u00a0<\/em>(light brown) to\u00a0roodbruin <\/em>(red brown), Dutched cacao is always\u00a0donkerbruin\u00a0<\/em>(dark brown).<\/p>\n

In fact, I never even knew there was a difference. For me,\u00a0cacao\u00a0<\/em>always had this\u00a0donkerbruine kleur<\/em>. In the Netherlands, this is simply\u00a0cacao<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Nice to know what this process is – but what about it is Dutch?<\/p>\n

The Dutch Story<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"Dutched<\/a>

Coenraad van Houten, the inventor of the Dutch process (Image public domain, at Commons.wikimedia.org)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Dutch part of this story is that the process was invented in the Netherlands. So actually a “Dutch”-term that really has a Dutch origin!<\/p>\n

It was Coenraad van Houten<\/strong> who started with this\u00a0alkalisering\u00a0<\/em>(alkalisation) in 1828<\/strong>. His son further developed and perfected the process.<\/p>\n

There is also a stronger process where the pH is brought to 8, making the\u00a0cacao\u00a0<\/em>more\u00a0bitter\u00a0<\/em>(bitter). This is the kind of\u00a0cacao\u00a0<\/em>used in\u00a0pure chocolade<\/em> (dark chocolate) and Oreos.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the “Dutching” of\u00a0cacao<\/em>, it became more palatable to more people, and it helped bring chocolate to the masses!<\/p>\n

So the next time you take a bite off your favorite\u00a0reep\u00a0<\/em>(bar), it may not have tasted so good without the Dutch!<\/p>\n

Some Baking Advice<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"Dutch<\/a>

Image by Thais Do Rio at Unsplash.com<\/p><\/div>\n

The removal of the acidity from the\u00a0cacao <\/em>means that it won’t react with baksoda <\/em>(baking soda)<\/strong>. This is why bakpoeder <\/em>(baking powder), which has a neutral pH, is used more frequently in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

If a recipe calls for use of\u00a0baksoda\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0cacaopoeder <\/em>(cocoa powder), it may be better to use raw cacaopoeder<\/em>. If the\u00a0kleur\u00a0<\/em>is light, you can be sure that you have the right stuff!<\/p>\n

Do you prefer Dutch process cocoa over other kinds? Did you know about this difference? I want to know, so please tell me in the comments below!<\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"Dutch

We’ve discussed some “Dutch”-terms here before, such as the Dutch Oven, going Dutch, Dutch Comfort and more. Today, I want to focus on another term like that – Dutch Process Chocolate. I’ve never heard of it, so what is it, actually? And what makes the process Dutch? What is Dutch Process, or Dutched Cocoa? Dutch…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":7158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[60713,3590],"tags":[506092,117685],"class_list":["post-6251","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-2","category-dutch-language","tag-dutch-terms","tag-dutch-food"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t