Is Dutched cocoa the best kind of cocoa powder?
Not necessarily. And it is likely not even made in Holland!
The Dutch invented cocoa powder
Could this be the reason it’s labelled as dutched? Let’s find out.
Cocoa powder was invented by the Dutch in 1828. It was a response to the issue of making drinking chocolate, or just chocolate, as they called it. Cocoa beans are 50% fat. Therefore, when the Europeans boiled their chocolate with water (which is how they made chocolate), the fat would separate and float to the top of the mixture. They had to remove this floating fat by hand, since it wasn’t very appetizing, and was also very time consuming.
A cocoa press.
The Dutch, Van Houten, invented a cocoa press in 1828 that removed much of the fat from the cocoa beans. The fat was discarded, and what was left was a hard brick like mass of cocoa nibs, but with about half of the fat removed. This mass, called a cocoa press cake, was then pulverized into cocoa powder. With this fat removed, it was more easily mixed with water.
But it didn’t end there! The Dutch also alkalized this cocoa powder (raised the pH). What did this do? This helped make the cocoa powder more miscible in water (mixed with the water better). It also darkened the colour, and mellowed out the flavour. Customers seem to prefer a darker powder (thinking it is more flavorful, or better for you). The mellowed flavour also helped produce a cocoa flavour that appealed more to the masses.
How does alkalization do all this?
We still don’t know exactly how alkalizing cocoa powder helps make it more miscible in water.
Dutched cocoa powder means alkalized cocoa powder
Therefore, this way of making cocoa powder, and alkalizing it, is what is marketed as “dutched” cocoa powder. Most of the cocoa powder on the market today, whether labelled as “dutched” or not, is almost always alkalized.
“Dutched” doesn’t mean the cocoa powder is made or processed in Holland. It has to do with the way it was processed.
A cocoa powder can be alkalized, without being labelled as dutched. How do you know? Read the ingredients. The ingredients will say something like:
alkalized cocoa
alkalized cocoa nibs
or sodium bicarbonate may be listed as an ingredient
Important notes about Dutched cocoa powder
To recap, dutching/alkalizing does the following:
Makes the cocoa powder mix better in water
Makes the cocoa powder dark
Makes the cocoa powder more mild in flavour
Does alkalizing do anything else?
Alkalizing cocoa powder also strips it of much of it’s flavanols (antioxidants). It still contains some antioxidant properties, but not as much as cocoa that has not been alkalized. Many people add cocoa powder to smoothies or consume it for it’s health benefits.
Cocoa beans, dark chocolate, are known for their high amounts of polyphenols, which may help reduce risks of cardiovascular disease, and has been suggest to also help with cognition, bone health, mood, and more.
Therefore, if you are consuming or using cocoa powder for it’s health benefits, you are better off consuming cocoa beans/nibs, dark chocolate (that has not been alkalized), or cocoa powder that has not been alkalized.
Is there non dutched or alkalized cocoa powder?
There is. It is often sold as raw cocoa powder, which is supposed to mean the cocoa beans have not been roasted or roasted much. Roasting also diminishes the flavanol content. However, roasted cocoa is still much higher in antioxidant properties than all high antioxidant fruits and vegetables including pomegranates and blueberries.
If the cocoa powder doesn’t say alkalized in the ingredients, dutched somewhere on the label or ingredients, or sodium bicarbonate, then it may be non-alkalized. But the truth is, it is very difficult to find. There isn’t much of a market for it… yet.