Chocolate Facts
10 Things You Need to Know About The World’s Favorite Treat
1. Where Does Chocolate Come From?
70% of the world's cocoa beans come from four West African countries: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon. Ethel M sources its chocolate primarily from Africa, but it cocoa beans can be grown at a certain latitude all around the world.
2. Does Chocolate Contain Caffeine?
The amount of caffeine in chocolate products can vary in some forms caffeine can be added as an energy boost. Even if it’s not added, chocolate does contain caffeine and a general rule to follow is the darker the chocolate, the higher the caffeine content.
3. Does Chocolate Contain Antioxidants?
Yes. Chocolate contains cocoa flavanols, which according to studies have a proven to have a positive impact on health. With that being said, Chocolate should not be considered a health food. Think of it more as a comfort food and delicious treat.
4. Is Chocolate Organic?
Some chocolate is organic but our chocolate at Ethel M is not. Although we use only the finest and freshest ingredients, our products do not contain organic ingredients and therefore are not classified as organic.
5. Is Chocolate Vegan?
The answer is some, but Ethel M chocolate is not vegan because we use dairy to produce the flavorful, creamy texture that our customers love.
6. Is Chocolate Gluten-free?
Gluten-free chocolate is readily available. Ethel M chocolate contains no gluten, but is made in our factory that contains products with gluten and is therefore not certified as officially gluten-free.
7. What is Chocolate Bloom?
Chocolate bloom happens in the form of two types of whitish coating that can appear on the surface of chocolate when cooking. One is called fat bloom, this is caused by changes in the fat crystals in the chocolate; and the other is called sugar bloom. Sugar bloom happens when crystals are formed by the action of moisture on the sugar.
8. What Does Cacao Percentage Mean?
The Cacao percentage on a dark chocolate label refers to the amount of the product that is cocoa mass. The remaining amount is sugar. This means a 78% Cacao bar will also have 22% sugar. The higher the Cacao percentage, the less sweet the chocolate will be.
9. What is the Best Way to Store Chocolate
For short periods chocolate is fine stored at room temperature. If you are storing it for more than a week it’s best to put in the refrigerator or freezer to keep it fresh and delicious.
As mentioned above you shouldn’t think of chocolate as a heath food, but studies have shown it to have healthy benefits. For more information, check out this article from our friends at Mars.
Ok this is a trick question and we thought we’d sneak in a little shameless plug. Now that you have learned everything you need to know about the world’s favorite treat, reward yourself with a gift from the Ethel M Chocolates gift shop.
