A melanger (or melangeur, from French: ''mélangeur'', lit. "blender") is a stone-grinder that is used in

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...

-making. It typically consists of two granite wheels, which rotate inside a metal drum on top of a granite base. Given enough time the wheels can reduce the particles to sizes measured in microns, therefore making a smooth chocolate paste from

cocoa beans The cocoa bean, also known as cocoa () or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', the cacao tree, from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances) and cocoa butter (the fat) can be extracted. Cacao trees ...

. Stone grinding tools have been widely used in history to make food. In

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

, cocoa was ground using a

metate A metate (or mealing stone) is a type or variety of quern, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican cultures, metates are typically used by women who would grind nixtamalized maize and other organi ...

. Industrialization in the late 18th century favored the use of larger and water powered machines. The first melanger prototype was invented in 1811 by a French engineer named Poincelet. It was soon adopted all over Europe. In 1819, François Pelletier powered a grinder and a melanger with a steam engine. This allowed him to produce 76 kilos of chocolate in twelve hours, a quantity which typically required 7 workers at the time. In 1826, the melanger was also adopted (and perhaps further developed) by

Philippe Suchard Philippe Suchard (9 October 1797 – 14 January 1884) was a Swiss chocolatier, industrialist and entrepreneur. He founded Chocolat Suchard in 1826. Early life Suchard was born on 9 October 1797, in Boudry, to Louise Sophie Dubey and Guillaume ...

in his chocolate factory in Neuchâtel. Nowadays melangers tend to be used by small chocolate manufacturers only. Melangers can be both used as refiners and conches. Tabletop

wet grinder A wet grinder can refer either to a tool for abrasive cutting of hard materials or to a food preparation appliance used especially in Indian cuisine for grinding food grains to produce a paste or batter. A wet grinder for abrasive cutting uses ...

s are smaller versions of the melanger.

References

{{reflist Chocolate Swiss inventions Food preparation appliances French inventions

See also

References