The Big Chocolate Imponderable, IMO

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imp

Senior Member
Chocolate has been touted for some years now as containing life-sustaining natural ingredients, namely certain anti-oxidant materials commonly called "flavonoids". These flavonoids help the body's natural defenses work against the proliferation of cell-growth originating tumor production.

But, the experts recommend that not just ANY chocolate be consumed to obtain beneficial health factors, it must be "dark chocolate", the darker the better. What does this mean? Commonest chocolate encountered is called "milk chocolate". It supposedly does not promote anti-tumor health. Only"dark" works for our benefit.

So, all the various big name purveyors of chocolate bars have embarked upon submitting the winningest offerings of BEST, most healthful chocolate products.

The defining factor seems to be "% of Cacao". Typical milk chocolate has perhaps 50%. If you buy those stating 80%, they supposedly are much more health supportive. So, WTH, is the remaining %? We think it's sugar.

Bakers baking chocolate is, we think, 100% Cacao; it's bitter as hell, not readily "eatable" by itself. 80% Cacao content tastes fairly good, as eating chocolate. So, the imponderable is, given a percentage of pure Cacao, pure chocolate, is the remainder always a percentage of sugar? imp
 

I love dark chocolate covered almonds and raisins which are very good for you in moderation of course. Milk chocolate Cadbury caramel eggs are my treat and I don't care whether it's healthy or not! We all deserve a little treat now and then. :)
 
The usual make up of what we call "chocolate" is: chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar, lecithin (an emulsifier) and vanilla.

The amount of cocoa butter (fat from the cocoa bean extraction process) is what makes the chocolate edible and yummy. :D
 

SifuPhil said:
The usual make up of what we call "chocolate" is: chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar, lecithin (an emulsifier) and vanilla.

The amount of cocoa butter (fat from the cocoa bean extraction process) is what makes the chocolate edible and yummy. :D
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That's true. And dark chocolate is chocolate without milk solids added...which is why "light" chocolate is called milk chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate. A few brands that come to mind are Lindt, Ethel M (Mars), Ghirardelli, and Godiva. They all make a delicious dark, IMO.
 
SifuPhil said:
The usual make up of what we call "chocolate" is: chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar, lecithin (an emulsifier) and vanilla.

The amount of cocoa butter (fat from the cocoa bean extraction process) is what makes the chocolate edible and yummy. :D
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Plus some ground up insects. But there is a limit on the amount allowed.
 
I am just finishing this before someone says chocolate is no good for you .

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See's Candies has chocolate lollypops that are my downfall. I have no idea how many calories are in each one, but it can't be a terrible amount. The great thing is that the chocolate flavor lasts through the pop....a lot of chocolate flavor for actually very little chocolate. They aren't cheap, though. I just finished my Christmas supply.
 
I live in Hershey. I get plenty of chocolate, mostly during the holidays. Any holidays. They have wrappings for every occasion.
 
Brandy-Filled Chocolates!

My friend John at work, back in Chicago, was born in Germany, came to the U.S. as a youngster, obtained citizenship at 18, then was promptly drafted into the Army. Sensibly, they sent him to Germany, since he was fluent in that language. Upon his return after the service, our company welcomed him back with his previous job after 4 years away, and that was when I first met him; we worked in the same department, my employment there starting after he was drafted.

He brought to work one day, a box of chocolates he had brought back from Germany, delicious filled pieces they were, similar in structure to the Queen Anne cherry-filled type we get here.

Only his were filled with real brandy, perhaps a teaspoonful in each one! What an interesting and delicious mix of tastes it provided, with the high-quality chocolate. I asked him if we could buy some: turned out, they are illegal in U.S., the alcohol content was not taxed, and importation was illegal. So, future enjoyment of these unusual candies depended on John's friends in Germany mailing him a quantity at holiday time, when so many packages were being shipped, scant attention was paid to a box marked "candy" by Customs.

Sort of conceptually similar to my friend Allan Youngs transporting his Civil War cannon openly on a flat-bed trailer across Chicago, this done on the 4th. of July; scant attention was paid and he made the trip unscathed by police. :p

imp
 
fureverywhere said:
I'm not really big on candy, but a See's variety box will be inhaled.
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Ahhh, chocolate "butter-crème"! A family-owned place opened in our neighborhood when I was a kid, they made all their own candy, and had a variety of chocolate they called "butter-crème". It was the smoothest tasting thing imaginable, far better than any of the commercial products. Wonder if they still exist? imp
 
jujube said:
See's Candies has chocolate lollypops that are my downfall. I have no idea how many calories are in each one, but it can't be a terrible amount. The great thing is that the chocolate flavor lasts through the pop....a lot of chocolate flavor for actually very little chocolate. They aren't cheap, though. I just finished my Christmas supply.
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I love See's candy...I have gift certificates from Christmas :). I'm going this week and pick out my faves..but Bordeaux is one of my faves..and the brown sugar one. Yum!:chocolate:
 
I typically have a bar of 70% or higher dark chocolate on the side of my desk, and usually after lunch I'll break off a small square. The one I have now is dark chocolate with cherry. Delicious and not too sweet. I like a strong chocolate. My wife on the other hand has to have milk chocolate, preferably with caramel and nuts. Then there's my son, the dark chocolate fanatic who is prone to ordering exotic bars from around the world. But, it must be dark chocolate. To him, milk chocolate is close to an abomination.
 

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