Reading Chocolate Labels

An area of confusion when reading chocolate labels is the use of the words cocoa liquor and cocoa solids. The Americans favour the word cocoa liquor, and the Europeans cocoa solids. They both mean the entire cocoa content, including the cocoa butter. Cocoa nibs (cocoa beans with the husk removed) comprise 53 per cent fat in the form of cocoa butter, and 47 per cent dry matter, or cocoa mass. When the nibs are ground down, cocoa liquor is made. Cocoa content (cocoa liquor or solids) is normally expressed as a percentage of the net weight. Today we have bars ranging from 15 per cent cocoa solids, which in my mind do not deserve to be called chocolate, to unsweetened chocolate weighing in at 99 per cent cocoa solids, which I find equally unpalatable. The French chocolatier Michel Chaudun, (himself described as being to chocolate what Descartes is to philosophy), says that sugar is to chocolate what salt is to other foods. In other words, a little will enhance, too much will destroy the flavour.