Gianduja (chocolate)
Gianduja bars | |
| Type | Chocolate |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Turin, Piedmont |
| Main ingredients | Chocolate paste, hazelnut paste |
Gianduja or gianduia[a] is a homogeneous blend of chocolate with 30% hazelnut paste, invented in Turin during Napoleon's regency (1796–1814). It can be consumed in the form of bars or as a filling for chocolates.
Gianduja is chocolate stretched with hazelnut butter. Similarly to standard chocolate, it is made in both plain and milk versions. It may also contain other nuts, such as almond.[2] As a bar, gianduja resembles normal chocolate, except for the fact that it is softer due to the presence of hazelnut oil,[3] which is liquid at room temperature unlike cocoa butter. However, like conventional chocolate, gianduja is usually tempered.[4]
Chocolate hazelnut spreads are also inspired from gianduja. They tend to use, however, other ingredients, typically cocoa powder and vegetable oils rather than cocoa butter-based chocolate.
History
The Continental System, imposed by Napoleon in 1806, prevented British goods from entering European ports under French control, putting a strain on cocoa supplies.[5] It is unclear when gianduja bars were made for the first time. However, Kohler is generally credited for the addition of (whole) hazelnuts to chocolate bars in 1830.[6] It is also known that, in 1852, Turin-based chocolate manufacturer Caffarel invented gianduiotto, which is a small ingot-shaped gianduja.[7]
It takes its name from Gianduja, a Carnival and marionette character who represents the archetypal Piedmontese, natives of the Italian region where hazelnut confectionery is common. A textbook by Le Cordon Bleu writes this naming was an attempt to appeal to children.[8]
Production
Gianduja is a simple blend of chocolate, powdered sugar, and finely ground nuts, generally hazelnut.[9][10]
To begin, nuts are toasted to develop flavor and reduce moisture, as residual water can impact the gianduja's viscosity. Gianduja made on an industrial scale almost always uses almonds and hazelnuts.[10] In nuts intended for white chocolate gianduja, toasting is very brief.[11] While still hot, the nuts are then refined in a melanger or food processor until pieces are around the size of cocoa.[10] A food processor creates a less smooth product, but in domestic and some artisan production it is the most accessible option. During refining, oil is released from the nut's cells;[9] the addition of some powdered sugar and the nuts residual heat increases the output.[10] This nut paste is then added to the melted chocolate with the rest of the powdered sugar.[10] All chocolates—milk, white and dark—are used to make gianduja.[12]
Artisans are able to make gianduja on a small-scale, permitting control over flavor, firmness and color.[10]
Legal standards
International and national regulations govern what can be marketed as gianduja. International standards are laid out in the Codex Alimentarius, which is revised very infrequently: as of 2017 it had not been changed since 2003.[13] The standards require gianduja to be made from a chocolate that contains at least 32% dry cocoa solids, of which at least 8% is not cocoa butter, and "finely ground" hazelnut. This hazelnut must make up between 20–40% of the gianduja. The Codex also allows other ingredients to be added: up to 5% milk solids, and any nuts—whole or in pieces—so long as they make up less than 60% of the total weight.[2]
A separate identity for gianduja milk chocolate is also defined, modifying the basic gianduja to require the chocolate contain more than 10% milk solids, and the "finely ground" hazelnut make up between 15–40%. Regulators adopting the Codex also have the authority to establish a minimum for cocoa butter and milk fat content.[2] Given the Codex requirements, participating countries can choose to accept them in full or in a modified form. Participating countries include all members of the World Trade Organization, which, upon joining, are obliged to base their domestic standards on international agreements such as the Codex.[14] In the European Union, gianduja's composition is regulated by the European Cocoa and Chocolate Directive, which passed in 2000; the standards are the same as those of the Codex.[15]
Related foods
Gianduja is similar to chocolate praline, with the distinction that in chocolate praline, nuts are roasted further and sugar is caramelized.[16] Also close to gianduja is the eggless German nougat.[17]
See also
- List of Italian desserts and pastries
- Cremino – a gianduja specialty
- Nutella – which was originally called Pasta Gianduja[18]
Notes
- ^ Pronounced /dʒænˈduːjə/ jan-DOO-yə, UK also /dʒænˈduːdʒə/ jan-DOO-jə, US also /dʒɑːnˈduːjə/ jahn-DOO-yə; Italian: [dʒanˈduːja];[1] Piedmontese: giandoja [dʒaŋˈdʊja].
References
Citations
- ^ "Focus on Gianduia, Part 1.5: Orthography and Pronunciation – DallasFood". dallasfood.org.
- ^ a b c Wood (2017), p. 679.
- ^ Medrich, Alice (2015). Pure Dessert: True Flavors, Inspiring Ingredients, and Simple Recipes. Artisan Books. p. 157. ISBN 9781579656850.
gianduja resembles a bar of chocolate. It is softer on the tooth than a plain chocolate bar (because of the oil from the hazelnuts)
- ^ Laiskonis, Michael (16 March 2021). "Going Nuts for Gianduja". Institute of Culinary Education. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Elena Kostioukovitch (2009) Why Italians Love to Talk About Food p.95, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, ISBN 978-0374289942
- ^ Hermé, Pierre (2019). Le Larousse du chocolat. Editions Larousse. p. 44. ISBN 9782035981820.
Les noisettes furent les premiers fruits à être ajoutés dans le chocolat solide, une innovation suisse due à Kohler en 1830.
[Hazelnuts were the first fruits to be added to solid chocolate, a Swiss innovation due to Kohler in 1830.] - ^ "Caffarel – Finest Chocolate and the Best Hazelnuts". Caffarel.
- ^ The Chefs of Le Cordon Bleu (2012). Pâtisserie and Baking Foundations. New York: Cengage Learning. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-4390-5713-1.
- ^ a b Mohos (2010), pp. 33–34.
- ^ a b c d e f Greweling (2013), pp. 404–405.
- ^ CIA 2016, p. 959
- ^ CIA 2016, p. 921
- ^ Thomas (2017), p. 669.
- ^ Wood (2017), p. 676.
- ^ Thomas (2017), pp. 681–682.
- ^ Kopp (2005), p. 127.
- ^ Levi (2015), Nougat.
- ^ The History of Nutella Archived 2015-09-12 at the Wayback Machine
Sources
- Beckett, Stephen T.; Fowler, Mark S.; Ziegler, Gregory R., eds. (2017). Beckett's Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley. ISBN 978-1-118-78014-5.
- Thomas, Jonathan. "The global chocolate confectionery market". In Beckett, Fowler & Ziegler (2017).
- Wood, Richard. "Legal aspects of chocolate manufacture". In Beckett, Fowler & Ziegler (2017).
- The Culinary Institute of America (2016). Baking and Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft (3rd ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley. ISBN 978-0-47092-865-3.
- Goldstein, Darra, ed. (2015). The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-931339-6.
- Levi, Jane. "Nougat". In Goldstein (2015).
- Greweling, Peter P (2013). Chocolates & Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner (2nd ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 404–406. ISBN 978-0-470-42441-4.
- Kopp, Régine (2005). The Book of Chocolate (Updated ed.). Paris: Flammarion. ISBN 2-0803-0479-8.
- Mohos, Ferenc Á. (2010). Confectionery and Chocolate Engineering: Principles and Applications. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4051-9470-9.