The Chocolate Bookshelf

I consider this book the Chocolate Bible. Historian and James Beard-award-winning chef and author Maricel Presilla brings a wealth of knowledge to this timeless classic in a "Revised" edition. She covers a bit of everything from cacao and chocolate history to genetics to chocolate making to proper chocolate tasting techniques. She ends with savory and sweet chocolate recipes from around the world with an emphasis on Latin America. This "Revised" edition has been adapted to reflect new cacao genetic findings.

Any chocolate book you've read that quotes chocolate history probably lists this one in its bibliography. Written by Sophie Coe and finished by her husband, Michael Coe, after her death in 1994, this book delves into primary sources of Aztec, Mayan, and Spanish history to offer the most comprehensive book on the history of cacao and chocolate from the Olmecs to the present.

If you're concerned about the issues of cocoa in West Africa, this book is for you. Poverty, deforestation, and child labor get a lot of press. What are the realities of producing and selling cocoa from West Africa? Having lived in Ghana, Dr. Kristy Leissle illustrates these issues with clear examples. She brings a nuanced eye to complex political and economic issues in a well-written book that's easy to read.

Author Pam Williams has been instrumental in advancing the cause of fine flavor cacao and chocolate. As the founder of École Chocolat and the co-founder of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA), Williams brings her relationships to the table in a well-written, easily readable book that delves into the major topics affecting fine flavor cacao and craft chocolate. The book provides one of the best summaries of the Cacao Genome Project, and it's sprinkled with great stories and conversations with pioneers in the fine chocolate industry.

A handbook for dark chocolate lovers, this book by chocolate connoisseur Chloe Doutre-Roussel offers methods and suggestions for tasting and appreciating fine chocolate. She writes from years of professional tasting experience, and her approach to evaluating a bar step by step is still one of the clearest I've found. While the chocolate mentioned in the book is dated, the advice and methodology is timeless.

In a book filled with fun graphics and photos, journalist Megan Giller tells the stories of chocolate and America's craft chocolate makers. She busts myths, shares interesting facts about chocolate, offers recipes from chefs and chocophiles, and provides tasting and pairing suggestions. A fun read that's full of eye-candy, this book makes a great gift for any chocolate lover.

Journalist Rowan Jacobsen travels to remote Amazon jungles and farms in Central America to tell the story of rare cacao. One of the book's most vivid moments follows cacao producer Volker Lehmann — a friend and colleague of mine — and Jacobsen arriving by prop plane in the Bolivian Amazon, only to be met by machine-gun-toting drug traffickers. It's a page-turner.

While I'd heard bits and pieces about the founding of Fortunato Chocolate from my friend, Dan Pearson, I didn't have the full picture until I read his son Adam Pearson's book. An engaging narrative with huge failures followed by hard-earned successes, Finding Fortunato is the story of two brothers finding their way in life while working in Peru. They stumbled into cacao and decided to make it into great chocolate.

This is the first chocolate book I read as I began my own chocolate journey. While it's a bit dated, it's a quick read that provides a great intro to the many pleasures and sins of cacao and chocolate — from the farms of the Ivory Coast to the hidden chocolate gems of Paris to the first craft chocolate makers in the US. Don't miss the chapter "The Empress Is All Clothes."

A thorough examination of the beginnings of Hershey and Mars, including their rivalries and collaborations, this book reads like fiction.

This is my favorite chocolate baking book. Medrich is precise and technical, but she gives guidance in a way that's approachable for home bakers, with tips for getting things right along the way. Her emphasis on using excellent, high-quality ingredients is part of what makes the book stand out. Recipes range from European classics like her Chocolate Hazelnut Torte to a simple Chocolate Tart that lets great chocolate speak for itself.

Michael Recchiuti shares his chocolate tips and techniques in a wide-ranging cookbook that includes instructions on how to make many of his popular confections yourself. I consider his brownie recipe to be the best there is — rich, dense, and chocolate-forward, with very little flour and a lot of chocolate, so the flavor of the chocolate itself really comes through.

This book should be named "Drinking Chocolate" because none of the drinks represent the sugary-watery Swiss Miss of your childhood. Melting solid chocolate is the base for most of the delectable recipes from some of the finest chocolate shops in the world. And they're surprisingly simple to make.

Not for the faint of heart, this book is for those serious about making confections. It delves deeply into the science and proper technique of chocolate tempering and working with sugar, caramel, and other confectionery ingredients. Authored by the CIA's famed chef, Peter Greweling, it's required reading for chocolatiers.

Ever wondered how the particle size of chocolate affects its mouthfeel? How about the problem of bean size variation in chocolate making? This book delves into the science of chocolate manufacturing in an approachable style meant for everyone. It's a surprisingly quick read that's understandable to anyone 16 or older (according to the author — I agree).

Written by the team members from Dandelion Chocolate, this book includes vivid photos and stories from countries of origin, a section on making chocolate from the bean, and delicious chocolate recipes. Enjoy staring at the beauty or dive in and make something — it's good for whatever mood you're in.

While not solely focused on chocolate, this kitchen reference book has been a standard in professional kitchens and culinary schools since 1984, and its chocolate section is one of the best explanations of chocolate-making available. Most books describe what happens during refining and conching — this one explains why: what's actually happening to the cocoa butter and cell structure during grinding, or why conching mellows flavor rather than intensifying it. McGee weaves cacao's history and production together with the underlying science, and does it in a way that's approachable at any scientific background or attention span.

A great reference for the true chocolate geek, this anthology of scholarly articles covers the science, history, and culture of cacao and chocolate in Mesoamerica. Its well-organized table of contents allows readers to pick and choose articles of interest at will. Of all the books I'm recommending, this one is the most academic in nature. It's a very interesting read, but not a quick one. It makes a good gift for someone who is an information sponge and loves chocolate.

Canadian journalist Carol Off doggedly follows social justice issues related to cacao farming and production from Aztec times to the present. Her book offers an investigative journalist's perspective on the politics of cacao, including first-person interviews with children sold into labor by their parents, the passing of the Harkin-Engel Protocol, and the story of a journalist who goes missing while following the money trail of cocoa in Côte d'Ivoire. If you really want to understand the social justice issues around cacao and chocolate, this book is a must-read.

Rabbi Deborah Prinz shares the Jews' unique history with chocolate, from the first sighting of cacao by crew members of Columbus's "New World" expeditions to the introduction of chocolate to France and beyond. She quotes many primary sources to make the case that Jews have a long and often-overlooked history with chocolate, tracing its link to other religions including Catholics and Quakers. Each chapter includes a regional chocolate recipe, and her extensive bibliography makes a great reading list on its own.

What could be more fun than chocolate and Sandra Boynton? You'll enjoy the chocolate antics of Edgar Allan Hippo and the menagerie of animals who consume chocolate in this "overresearched" tome.