His lovers say that there could not be a world without chocolate. Possibly one of the most present products in any diet, chocolate is as healthy as it is prohibitive (it all depends on its consumption). A food from cocoa that celebrates on this, September 13, its World Day with an infinity of details about its origin, characteristics or nutritional information (OCU).
Cultivated for at least three millennia, chocolate has always gone hand in hand with human history. For this reason it was considered a cult product for the Mayans and Aztecs (it was considered the food of the gods), the Spanish Empire invested much of its efforts in bringing it to the Old Continent or in Germany, in the 17th century, it was a medicinal item that only It was sold in pharmacies and drugstores.
An invention that is achieved by mixing sugar with cocoa and that celebrates its World Day on September 13 since it coincides with the birth of Roald Dahl, author of the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Milton S. Hershey, founder of Hershey’s, the largest chocolate company in the United States. Recommended by a diversity of nutritionists, its largest producers in the world are Ghana and the Ivory Coast, countries that have an agreement to set a minimum price by which to defend their workers from exploitation.
Why is black “the best”?
But as far as its four varieties are concerned (black, with milk, white and pink), black chocolate stands out as the purest. The one considered the best nutritionally, since it is the one that has the highest percentage of cocoa in its entirety and therefore provides the most fat, fiber and protein, it is also the one that has the most caffeine (around 80mg/100g).
It has not been scientifically proven that it acts as a cardioprotector, but it has been proven that it has antioxidant activity in its solid formats. Finally, it also contains theobromine, a stimulating substance somewhat less powerful than caffeine that ends up making black the most attractive sensorially speaking.
Pink chocolate and its property
After black, the next chocolates that humanity discovered were milk and white chocolate. With more calcium and sweeter, since they contain the milk itself and more sugar, it is the second that raises the most controversy among the most faithful lovers of chocolate, since they do not consider it as such since it does not contain cocoa solids.
However, there is a fourth variety with only four years of life that still has much to talk about in the chocolate industry. Pink is only produced as such by Barry Callbaut, the world’s leading Swiss manufacturer, who therefore has its monopoly.
Only this company knows how to ensure that Ruby cocoa, the variety of cocoa with which it is made, does not lose the pink color that characterizes it. Without colorants or additional ingredients, its particular flavor is soft and fruity, neither sweet nor bitter. This variety is only grown in Ecuador, Brazil and the Ivory Coast and it took 13 years to find its manufacturing formula.
What is the best supermarket brand?
As far as its brands are concerned, one of the OCU’s regulars is to make a classification of the best products that can be purchased in the supermarket. This time, that is, suitable for drinking, the best firm responds to La Chocolatera.
With an assessment of 70 out of 100 and a “master purchase” rating, the ‘intense flavor’ format stands out for only having fats from the use of milk. On sale for 1.60 euros in most establishments, this highlights its excellent value for money.
How much chocolate is consumed in Spain?
With a significant boom, always both in consumption and production, the Spanish chocolate industry, with data from before the pandemic, showed good health. With more and more investment and innovation, to approach very specific segments, France, Portugal and the United Kingdom are the main buyers of Spanish products.
With regard to domestic purchases, the format of consumption in tablets stands out, with 35% of the total, followed by cocoa and breakfast preparations (24%) and chocolates (17%). Always with the recommendation of moderate consumption, the intake per person is around 3.5 kg each year.