Coenraad Johannes van Houten was a Dutch chocolate maker. In 1828 he patented an inexpensive method for pressing the fat from roasted cacao beans. Chocolate most commonly comes in dark, milk, and white varieties, with cocoa solids contributing to the brown coloration. ... 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a person for a fixed period of time in exchange for the regulated, public disclosure of certain details of a device, method, process or composition of matter (substance) (known as an invention) which is new, inventive, and... Binomial name Theobroma cacao L. For the town in French Guiana see Cacao, French Guiana Cacao (Theobroma cacao) is a small (4–8 m tall) evergreen tree in the family Sterculiaceae (alternatively Malvaceae), native to tropical South America, but now cultivated throughout the tropics. ...

The center of the bean, known as the "nib," contains an average of 54 percent cocoa butter, which is a natural fat. Van Houten's machine - a hydraulic press - reduced the cocoa butter content by nearly half. Hydraulics is a branch of science and engineering concerned with the use of liquids to perform mechanical tasks. ...

This created a "cake" that could be pulverized into a fine powder known as "cocoa." Van Houten treated the powder with alkaline salts (potassium or sodium carbonates) so that the powder would mix more easily with water. Today, this process is known as "Dutching." The final product, Dutch chocolate, has a dark color and a mild taste. Carbonate of potash redirects here. ... Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda or soda ash), Na2CO3, is a sodium salt of carbonic acid. ... Dutch process chocolate is chocolate that has been treated with an alkalizing agent to modify its color and giving it a milder flavor. ...

The introduction of cocoa powder not only made creating chocolate drinks much easier, but also made it possible to combine chocolate with sugar and then remix it with cocoa butter to create a solid.

Others began to build on Van Houten's success, experimenting to make new chocolate products. In 1849, English chocolate maker J. S. Fry & Sons produced what was arguably the world's first eating chocolate. 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... J. S. Fry & Sons, Ltd. ...

Today, the Swiss are famous for their chocolate. In the late 19th century, they developed a number of processes that contributed greatly to creating the solid chocolate candy that we all enjoy today. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Two major developments occurred in 1879. First, Daniel Peter, a Swiss chocolate manufacturer, had the idea of using powdered milk (invented by Swiss Chemist Henri Nestle in 1867) to make a new kind of chocolate, milk chocolate. Second, Rudolphe Lindt invented a process called conching, which greatly improved the quality of chocolate candy by making it more blendable. 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Powdered milk is a powder made from dried milk solids. ... Henri Nestlé (August 10, 1814-1890) was the founder of Nestlé and the inventor of infant formula. ... 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... A conche is a container filled with wood or metal beads, which act as grinders. ...