Chocolate Label – What Does It Mean?
September 16, 2010
I am a label reader. In fact, I judiciously read labels because it is a matter of life or death for my daughter who has serious food allergies. But just because I read labels doesn’t mean I understand everything on them!
Luckily, I have experience understanding what’s on a chocolate label. When I was developing product for a large chocolate manufacturer, part of my job was to create the labels that went on our chocolates.
So, what exactly are things like “chocolate liquor,” “cocoa butter,” “soya lecithin,” or “butter fat” (by the way, isn’t butter fat a bit redundant)?
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Chocolate Jimmy Cake
September 15, 2010
What on earth are jimmies?
Jimmies are small confectionery candies used mainly as decorations on top of cakes, cup cakes, doughnuts, and ice cream. Some popular alternative names are sprinkles, hundreds and thousands, or ants.
I grew up understanding that “sprinkles” are a multi-colored version of the candy, while “jimmies” specifically meant chocolate sprinkles.
Chocolate sprinkles were invented by a Dutch company in 1936. Many Dutch children will put chocolate sprinkles on top of buttered bread for a tasty after school snack.
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Lindt Excellence – A Touch of Sea Salt
September 13, 2010
Adding salt to any food makes the flavors “pop.” This phenomenon happens to chocolate, too. Some of the complex cocoa notes, that are normally too subtle to detect, will jump right out at you after adding a pinch of salt.
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Is There Such a Thing as Vegan Chocolate?
September 12, 2010
Vegan foods cannot contain any animal products.
Most dark chocolates qualify as vegan because all the ingredients are sourced from plants. A dark chocolate label will list sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soya lecithin (from soybean), and vanilla.
There are some dark chocolates that add butter oil, but you would know this by reading the ingredient statement on the label.
All ingredients must be declared on the label so that consumers know exactly what the product contains and can make informed decisions based on these ingredients.
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An Excellent Wine and Chocolate Pairing
September 11, 2010
My mom came for dinner last week and she 
After dinner, I (as any properly trained daughter should do) brought out chocolate for dessert. I was in the mood for a Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate bar. As I took a bite, I noticed I had a swallow of wine left in my glass and drank it. The chocolate was still in my mouth, and the result of this accidental pairing was, well, it was meant to be!
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Chocolate for End of Ramadan Celebration
September 10, 2010
Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Fitr, a three-day feast that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Special foods are prepared and eaten during Eid. Some of those dishes are prepared days before Eid because it takes so long to prepare and cook them.
It's interesting that chocolate has become a recent tradition to help celebrate Eid. The younger generation prefers the chocolate over some of the more tradional sweets.
As a result some chocolate shops may experience the highest sales orders of the year at the beginning of Ramadan.
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Does Chocolate Give You Acne?
September 9, 2010
How did a link between chocolate and pimples come to be? From what I can tell by reading some of the history behind chocolate health myths is that people assumed that acne was caused by eating too much fat and since chocolate has a high fat content, chocolate caused acne.
While I find this sort of logic laughable, plenty of 1950’s dermatology books put it in print as fact.
Over the years, many foods have been blamed for certain ailments and afflictions. Chocolate has been singled out to cause such things as tooth decay, acne, obesity, and depression. But chocolate by itself doesn’t cause these problems. No single food does.
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Chocolate Almond Biscotti
September 8, 2010
The Italian word “biscotto” means biscuit or cookie. If you take the word apart, “bis” means twice and “cotto” means baked. This delicious treat literally means twice baked but for me, it should really translate to “twice the work!”
The roots of biscotti can be traced back to Roman times, although modern biscotti are associated with the Tuscan region of Italy. The original purpose for baking the dough a second time was to dry out the cookie in order to make it last during long-distance travel.
The longest distance my biscotti travel is from my oven to my mouth. So, why do I bother putting up with all this work? It is so worth it! Make a batch and find out for yourself.
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The U.S. Chocolate Market, Part II
September 7, 2010
Chocolate and cocoa can be found in so many different U.S. industries. Such products are used in the confectionery, beverage, dairy, bakery, and personal care arenas, just to name a few.
New products are being introduced at a record pace in spite of the U.S. chocolate market being considered mature. It continues to be a market place that embraces creative and innovative products.
The current market supports such variety in chocolates that it can satisfy a diverse group of consumers while at the same time keeping prices affordable.
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