Today I decided to experiment with annatto. The more I learn about the history of chocolate, the more intrigued I am with its roots. Chocolate is famous for its legendary status as “food of the gods” literally the food that, according to legend, the Aztec gods consumed. The cacao bean was also the national currency, an idea that I wouldn’t mind re-introducing today (just look at the collapsing value of the dollar!).
There were strong symbolic associations between cacao and human blood. The Aztecs gave human sacrifice victims cacao pods, which closely resembled the appearance of a human heart. Aztecs often brewed cacao with annatto, which they called anchiote, and it turned their mouths red as if they had been drinking blood.
Determined to revive a raw taste of cacao, Central American style, I bought a packet of annatto whole seeds. Then I ground them with a stone, and wet the pile with drops of cherry extract, setting it in the sun, so the flavor could fully saturate. They sat in the sun for about 4 hours, and I added more cherry extract periodically, when the last drops had fully dried into the powder. For the last half an hour, I set the chocolate base in a bowl to also melt in the sun. (I figured it would be an easier method for even distribution of heat, and eliminated the risk of burning it). It really only took 15 minutes. I used the only chocolate I had- about 75% of a 77% cacao Chocolove bar, and the last two squares of a 90% Lindt.
Last step: mix the cherry soaked annatto in the chocolate base, harden the chocolate.
End result: Eh :/
Things I’ll do differently next time:
The annatto was not crushed finely enough, giving the chocolate a coarse texture. The chocolate base was too strong, and the Lindt gave it a buttery feel. The sheen was perfect- I couldn’t say the same about the taste. These are two dark chocolates that I don’t even like much, (but all I had to work with today) and together, they created incongruous flavors, hardly the balance of a fine chocolate. I do like the cherry annatto idea, but it will require more experimentation. I can’t wait to get some good Amano chocolate base! The rough, earthy flavors will be fantastic with the Mexican tradition of annatto! I would also like to try crushing fresh locally grown cherries, and use a finer textured annatto.
P.S. This was not based on experience or study. I decided to set the annatto in the sun because it seemed the best way for the flavors in the extract to saturate the spice. I'm not sure if chocolatiers use annatto in chocolate today, though I wouldn't be surprised if they did (and did it a lot better than me). The only two flavors in my apartment were annatto and cherry, which is why I created this combination.
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