Summary:

The aim of this book is to analyze, using common language and scientific arguments, what chocolate is and why the same product can evoke such a wide range of pleasurable sensations in most people. To do this, we will follow the classic structure used to approach a food product. Following the path of food sciences, we will look at chocolate from tree to mouth. In other words, what chocolate is and what its composition consists of. Then, once we put the product in our mouths, we move into the realm of sensory sciences or gastronomic sciences. If we eat the chocolate —that is, from the mouth into the body— we then enter the field of nutrition and dietetics, which will be addressed in a brief chapter of questions and answers.

Claudi Mans is professor emeritus of Chemical Engineering at the University of Barcelona. He was dean of the Faculty of Chemistry and president of the Sciences Division. He has popularized books in Spanish such as Tortilla quemada , Los secretos de las etiquetas , La vaca esférica , Sferificaciones y macarrones , La química de cada día y 100 preguntes de química quotidiana , and has given many outreach lectures about Science and the Science of Cooking. He is a contributor to CosmoCaixa and the elBulliLab unit. He has also been given the National Chemistry Award of the ANQUE 2011 and the distinction to the best scientific dissemination work by the University of Barcelona.

Blurb:"Chocolate is a myth, and its texture is a subject of concern, study, and research. The fact that Claudi Mans sheds light on such a complex topic is a source of joy. We’ve all experienced how, when we place a piece of chocolate in our mouth, it can snap yet melt at the same time, creating a unique sensation. And we’ve also noticed how sometimes the surface turns white. All these properties, and many more, will be revealed as you read this book. Congratulations on the initiative." -Pere Castells, Founder and President of the Science & Cooking World Congress