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Conching
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== History == [[Rodolphe Lindt]] invented the conche in [[Berne]], in 1879. It produced chocolate with superior [[aroma]] and melting characteristics compared to other processes used at that time. The Lindt chocolate company states that Lindt (perhaps mistakenly) allowed a [[mixer (cooking)|mixer]] containing chocolate to run over a weekend (or possibly overnight, according to other variants of the possibly [[apocryphal]] story).<ref>{{cite web |title=The Lindt Invention |url=https://www.chocolate.lindt.com/world-of-lindt/the-lindt-difference/the-lindt-differencethe-lindt-invention-conching/ |website=chocolate.lindt.com |publisher=Lindt & Sprüngli |access-date=25 June 2020 |archive-date=17 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017190410/https://www.chocolate.lindt.com/world-of-lindt/the-lindt-difference/the-lindt-differencethe-lindt-invention-conching/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Upon returning to the device, Lindt recognised the final product to have a smoother texture and greater shine than conventionally processed chocolate of the time. Lindt's invention made the mass-production of [[chocolate bar]]s more practical, eventually replacing chocolate beverages as the primary means of mass chocolate consumption.<ref name=Talbot09>Talbot, Geoff (ed), ''Science and Technology of Enrobed and Filled Chocolate, Confectionery and Bakery Products'', Woodhead Publishing, 2009, {{ISBN|978-1-84569-390-9}}, chapter 2.5 ''Conching''.</ref> The adoption of conching also generalized the use of additional [[cocoa butter]] in the chocolate production; until then, molded chocolate often simply consisted of [[cocoa mass]] and sugar.<ref>{{cite book | title=The Manufacture of Chocolate and other Cacao Preparations | url=https://archive.org/details/manufactureofcho00zipp | publisher=E & F N Spon | author=Zipperer, Paul | year=1915 | location=London | pages=136-138 | quote=The relative proportions of cacao, sugar, and spices, as well as of starch as in the manufacture of the cheaper sorts, vary considerably. Generally speaking 50 or 60 parts of sugar are added for 50 or 40 parts of cacao mass [...] As far as can be ascertained, they [chocolats fondants] were first manufactured in Switzerland, melt readily, and have a correspondingly large amount of fat, resulting from the addition of cacao butter, which distinguishes them from ordinary chocolates.}}</ref> The original machine used by Lindt was developed in the early 1800s by an Italian chocolatier named Bozelli.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://www.google.ch/books/edition/Chocolate/zwVS5gsJMUcC | title=Chocolate History, Culture, and Heritage | publisher=Wiley | author=Grivetti, Louis E. | year=2011 | pages=58 | quote=Rodolphe modified an old water-powered grinding machine developed by an Italian named Bozelli, by embedding iron troughs in granite with the upper edges curved inward.}}</ref> The Bozelli grinding process was based on ancient [[Mesoamerica]]n practices of grinding cocoa beans on curved stones,<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.google.ch/books/edition/Advances_in_Food_Research/TS_TeOA5QowC | title=Chocolate | author=Robert A. Martin Jr | journal=Advances in Food Research | year=1988 | volume=31 | pages=213-330 | quote=The process evolved from the ancient Mexican practice of hand grinding cocoa beans between a roller and curved plate. In the early 1800s the Bozelli grinding machine mechanized the process}}</ref> which were called ''[[metate]]s''. Lindt's original conche consisted of a granite roller and granite trough; such a configuration is now called a "long conche" and can take more than a day to process a tonne of chocolate. The ends of the trough were shaped to allow the chocolate to be thrown back over the roller at the end of each stroke, increasing the surface area exposed to air. A modern rotary conche can process 3 to 10 tonnes of chocolate in less than 12 hours. Modern conches have cooled jacketed vessels containing long mixer shafts with radial arms that press the chocolate against vessel sides. A single machine can carry out all the steps of grinding, mixing, and conching required for small batches of chocolate.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} The conching process remained mostly a trade secret until the end of the century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grivetti |first1=Louis |last2=Shapiro |first2=Howard-Yana |date=2011 |url=https://www.google.ch/books/edition/Chocolate/zwVS5gsJMUcC |title=Chocolate: History, Culture and Heritage |location=[[Hoboken, New Jersey]] |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |page=58 |author-link2=Howard-Yana Shapiro | quote=A separate conching building was built, with access limited only to authorized personnel. In 1899, the German magazine ''Gordian'' published a discussion entitled: "Why does this chocolate taste so different from all the others?"}}</ref> In the 1890s, [[Cailler]] launched a similar chocolate.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://www.google.ch/books/edition/Catalogue_officiel_de_l_Exposition_canto/1gBZGs6fW2UC | title=Catalogue officiel de l'Exposition cantonale vaudoise à Yverdon, 1894 | author=Exposition cantonale vaudoise | publisher=Rochat, A. | year=1894 | location=Lausanne | pages=81 | quote=On lui doit la fabrication du ''Chocolat crêmant'', spécialement destiné à être mangé à la main. Ce chocolat se distingue par l'extrême finesse de sa pâte, qui laisse au palais l'impression d'une crème fondante et savoureuse. Ce résultat n'a pu être acquis que grâce à un procédé spécial de fabrication. Ce produit, créé il y a deux ans environ, a conquis, dès l'abord une réputation justifiée et constante. | trans-quote=It is responsible for the production of "Chocolat crêmant", specially designed to be eaten by hand. This chocolate is distinguished by the extreme fineness of its paste, which leaves the palate with the impression of a melting and tasty cream. This result could only be achieved thanks to a special manufacturing process. This product, created about two years ago, has gained a justified and constant reputation from the outset.}}</ref> A long conche was manufactured by J. M. Lehmann from 1899.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1301436 | title=Chocolate-Making Conch | publisher=[[National Museum of American History]] | accessdate=12 February 2025}}</ref>
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