On Food and Cooking

traditionally had distinct flavors. In
continental Europe, where it was invented,
milk chocolate is made using dried whole
milk powder, which has a relatively fresh
milk flavor. In England, the preference has
been to mix liquid milk with sugar,
concentrate the mixture to 90% solids, mix
it with chocolate liquor, and finish drying
it into a material called “chocolate crumb.”
The milk proteins and sugars undergo
browning reactions during the
concentration and drying and produce a
special cooked-milk, caramelized flavor
that isn’t obtained by ordinary drying. And
in the United States, large manufacturers
have long encouraged their milk fat to
undergo some breakdown by fat-digesting
enzymes. This breakdown develops a slight
note of rancidity, whose cheesy, animal
overtones blend well in their own way with
chocolate flavor and make a positive
contribution to the complexity of flavor.