Dutch chocolate refers both to chocolate made in the Netherlands and, more often, to chocolate and cocoa made with Dutch-processed cocoa — cocoa treated with an alkali to neutralize its natural acidity. Dutching gives a darker color, milder and smoother flavor, and better solubility, which is why so much drinking cocoa and baking chocolate uses it.
What Dutch-processed cocoa is
In the early 1800s a Dutch chemist developed alkalization, treating cocoa with a potassium or sodium carbonate solution. The process lowers acidity and bitterness, deepens the color, and makes the cocoa mix more easily into liquid — the reason Dutch-processed cocoa became the standard for hot chocolate and many European chocolate recipes.
Dutch-processed vs natural cocoa
Natural cocoa is acidic and fruity; Dutch-processed cocoa is darker, mellower, and less acidic. The flavor difference is immediately noticeable in a cup of cocoa and is part of why European-style chocolate tastes smoother and less sharp than some natural-cocoa products.
Stocking Dutch chocolate and cocoa
For resale, Dutch-style drinking cocoa, chocolate bars, and chocolate sprinkles (hagelslag) all carry the smooth, mellow profile shoppers associate with European chocolate. Browse Dutch lines and the wider chocolate category to assemble a section. Licorice is the other Dutch staple — our guide to Dutch licorice (drop) covers the salty and sweet styles to shelve alongside it.
FAQ
What is Dutch chocolate?
Chocolate from the Netherlands, or more commonly chocolate and cocoa made with Dutch-processed (alkalized) cocoa, which is darker, smoother, and less acidic than natural cocoa.
What does Dutch-processed cocoa mean?
Cocoa treated with an alkali to neutralize its natural acidity, giving a milder flavor, a deeper color, and better solubility for drinks and baking.
