Tag Archive: raw chocolate
The Chocolate and Salt Combination
March 15, 2023
We put salt in a lot of our dishes. It tastes great on any food, as well as on chocolate. But where did the sweet and salty combination of chocolate and salt come from? And why do they taste good together? Here's why.
Most Common Cocoa Powder Substitutes
February 21, 2023
Cocoa powder is a stable in a baking household. Sometimes, even though you are not a baker, there’s still a high chance that you have a stash at home. But if you ever ran out of it, or you’re allergic, or you just don’t like it, you can easily swap it with simple ingredients you might already have at home. Here's how.
Chocolate Giving on Valentine’s Day
February 7, 2023
With February 14 just around the corner, and people already stocking up on their chocolates, do you ever wonder when and how the tradition of giving chocolates on Valentine’s Day started?
What Is Raw Chocolate And Why You Should Try It
January 24, 2023
Have you heard about dark chocolate being a better option than milk chocolates when it comes to health benefits? But did you know that raw chocolate is an even better choice? What is raw chocolate and why should you choose it over your favorite famous sugar-processed chocolate bar? Here’s why.
Raaka Virgin Chocolate – Bourbon Cask Aged
March 21, 2018
Virgin chocolate. Bourbon cask aged. Tanzania. 82% cacao. Good Food awards winner.
Okay, this has my attention. But wait, what’s virgin chocolate? And, what’s this about - aged in bourbon casks?
Mayan Superfood – Sweet Raw Cacao Nibs
April 11, 2011
Theobroma cacao is the scientific name for Cocoa Beans. After the cocoa beans are harvested, fermented, dried and shipped to the chocolate manufacturer, they are stripped of their outer-most coating, called the shell, and roasted before being ground into chocolate liquor (unsweetened baking chocolate).
These shelled beans are called nibs. Almost all nibs are roasted. Roasting brings out flavor and color development. Roasting also drives off moisture and undesirable “volatiles.”
I wanted to share this brief story about bean processing because RAW nibs are not roasted, and I’d like you to see where they come from and why they stand out even more as a superfood than the already proclaimed superfood-ness (is this a word?) of chocolate.
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Raw Chocolate
October 21, 2010
Raw foodists believe in eating uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of their diet. Sometimes called superfoods, raw foods are often vegetables and plant derived products, but not always (raw milk, for example).
Raw cacao, cocoa powder, and chocolate are considered superfoods because they deliver great amounts of antioxidants and other essentials like calcium, iron, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, and magnesium. In general, superfoods are rich in phytochemicals which are known for their disease fighting properties.
Raw cacao nibs are not roasted but still have a good crunch. Raw chocolate is going to be a very different experience compared to a typical chocolate bar. Texturally, raw chocolate tends to be grainy and fudgy and usually there is no snap. Raw chocolate does not contain sugar (sucrose) or milk so the flavor is remarkably intense and fairly bitter.
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