The chocolate truffle is one of the most popular and fascinating of all confections. As much as we love to eat them, many of us have no idea what exactly makes them so incredibly good. A delicious treat that has a ganache center with a chocolate exterior covered in nuts or sugar. Many people enjoy how chocolate truffles taste, but don’t know too much about the process of making them or the origins of their name. Luckily, we’re here to give you a brief history lesson about chocolate truffles.
What is a Truffle?
The word “truffle” actually has several meanings. Similar to the praline, the truffle means different things to its various countries of origin. The word “truffle” itself is derived from the Latin term tuber, which means “lump,” and is actually named after the truffle mushroom (mostly found under Oak, Hazel, and Poplar trees) due to its striking, irregularly-shaped physical resemblance.
The original chocolate truffle was a ball of ganache, or a whipped chocolate and cream filling, often flavored and enrobed in cocoa. Now, the term is often used to describe any type of filled chocolate, but the ganache is what really gives the truffle its true distinction- sorry other cream centers. However, today’s truffles do come in a lot of different shapes and can be coated in a variety of flavorful lusters like peppercorns, sweet curry, and paprika, etc.
History
The actual truffle was an exquisite dish, very expensive and eaten only by the royals and the extremely wealthy people of France. Giving the new chocolate creation this name automatically elevated it to that status. And until today, the chocolate truffle was associated with wealth and luxury.
It’s said that the chocolate truffle was invented in the kitchen of Auguste Escoffier, a famous French chef. The story goes that his apprentice was trying to make pastry cream and accidentally poured the hot cream into a bowl full of chocolate chunks. After a while, the mixture hardened, and the apprentice noticed that he could form it into the shape of a ball.
The chocolate truffle soon found its way past the borders of France, into Europe and it was also soon introduced to North America, and most other parts of the world.
By the early 1900s, many chocolate producers worldwide had begun making their own chocolate truffles to compete with the originals. There are many different types of chocolate truffles out there today, ranging from the original basic ones to the semi-sweet to the liquor-based. The difference in the making of the ganache leads to the extreme varieties of the chocolate truffle.
Where Does the Name Come From?
Now that you know about the invention of chocolate truffles, you’re probably curious about how they got their name. Chocolate truffles got their name from the mushroom of the same name because of their similar appearance. It’s important to remember that even though chocolate truffles are a mushroom’s namesake, they do not contain any fungi!
Misconceptions
There is a lot of confusion as to what constitutes a truffle, so let’s clear some of that up. Not all truffles are the same, which is evident when you look at truffles from different countries. French truffles typically consist of ganache rolled in cocoa powder, while Belgian truffles have an outer shell made of dark chocolate. There are several different ways to make a truffle, but it’s important to note that not all chocolate that has a filling is a truffle. For example, chocolates that have a fruit or cream center are not truffles. Just remember, if the center isn’t made of ganache, it isn’t a truffle.
How many types of chocolate truffles are there?
There are three main types of chocolate truffles: American, Swiss and European. These types vary both in the method of producing the ganache, as well as in the basic ingredients used for the ganache.
The American chocolate truffle is reputed to be a mixture of milk or dark chocolate with butterfat and, in some caswes, hardened coconut oil.
The Swiss type is completely different and makes use of dairy cream and butter which is combined with melted chocolate. These truffles have a very short life and must be consumed within a few days of making.
The European version uses syrup and a base made up of cocoa powder, milk powder and butter.
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