With any kind of delicacy, the appeal works on a number of sensory levels. Although there certainly are many kinds of food that are absolutely tantalizing, even though they have a very bland color, this is generally the exception rather than the rule. Delicious things tend to also look delicious (just as pretty flowers tend to smell pretty). It may be up for debate just how much of this is a human construction. People can wonder whether the appearance makes the association with flavor, or whether there is a tendency in nature to make gorgeous appearances for attractive things, but there’s no question that the association is there. So it is with chocolate.
The appearance of a well-made piece of chocolate is usually described as smooth, swirly, and shiny. These are the qualities that make it inviting for connoisseurs (and let’s face it, everyone should be allowed into this particular connoisseur club). In terms of color, chocolate, like wine and cigars, can have many shades and degrees, because it runs the spectrum from white to light to darker brown to black. One might imagine, then, on a purely analytical level, that in between white and black there would be room for grey. But grey is one of the least appetizing colors for any food or drink, and in this case, nature may not be entirely honest. The color of grey in chocolate does not mean that the flavor is bad.
When chocolate turns grey, it’s not the sign of bad construction or improper creation at all, but of improper storage. The grey can be one of two things, usually, either sugar bloom or fat bloom. This means that the chocolate was stored at temperatures that were too high, or too low, and this caused a chemical reaction in which the ingredients started to separate. They’re still tasty, however, and if one is eating the whole piece anyway (and with chocolate, one certainly should), it will retain its incredible flavor. Turning grey is not necessarily the signs of a rank amateur in terms of storage, either. It should be stored at temperatures between 60-68 degrees fahrenheit and between 50-60% humidity, and that’s not a very wide range. It’s easy to see how just a touch in any other direction could affect the look of the delicacy, but rest assured that nature is hiding her creamy sweetness somewhere in the grey area.
Related posts:
- The Chocolate Meets the Road
- Taste the Chocolate and Embrace the Season
- Significance of Diamonds and Chocolate
December 29th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
I honestly didn’t realize that it was okay to eat grey chocolate. I always thought it was a sign of mold. Living in an apartment in Calgary, finding a place to store chocolate within the ideal temperature range is nearly impossible. It’s good to know that if it gets a little grey it will still be safe — and delicious!