I
admit to being a chocoholic, so I am grateful to Christopher Columbus and the
Spanish traders for ensuring the first cocoa beans arrived in Europe. First
consumed as a drink, it wasn’t until 1847 that Fry & Sons, a Bristol-based
company, reputedly produced the first chocolate bar.
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| Courtesy of La Maison du Chocolat |
“Chocolate
contains a number of vitamins and minerals,” says Dr Áine O'Connor, nutrition
scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation. “Milk chocolate is high in
calcium and contains iron, while
dark chocolate is higher in iron, although there is some debate about how
absorbable the minerals in chocolate are. There are foods that provide much
better sources of these nutrients such as meat and milk.
“It
also contains flavonoids, which are components of a group of substances known
as polyphenols that have antioxidant properties. Dark chocolate has more than twice the level
of polyphenols as milk
chocolate, per serving, while white chocolate contains no antioxidants.
“There
has been some interest in the use of dark chocolate to lower heart disease, but
current evidence is inconclusive due to limitations in the design of studies.
Chocolate also contains high amounts of saturated fat, such as stearic acid
– although this fat does not raise cholesterol levels. Chocolate is also high in
sugar, and calories.”
Dr O'Connor suggests chocolate should be considered as treat as
part of a healthy, balanced diet, rather than a health food. I eat good quality
dark chocolate which contains cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar and sometimes
real vanilla. As the flavours linger on the palette you need less to satisfy
your craving.
I
asked Richard O’Connor,
co-founder of Chocolate and Love (chocolateandlove.com), which specialises
in top notch chocolate, how to pick a good bar.
“Ninety
per cent of all good chocolate bars will tell you on the label where the
chocolate beans come from,” says Richard. “Don’t choose chocolate just because
it is made in Switzerland or Belgium. They produce some good chocolate they
also produce very bad stuff.”
Richard’s
tip is to choose trinitario and criollo beans, not forastero, from
Venezuela, Madagascar, Peru, Dominican Republic and Ecuador. “They all produce
great beans, but also some bad beans,” he says.
He recommends avoiding the big
brands and choosing smaller
ones such as Amano, Amedei, Bonnat, Original beans, Duffy and, of
course, Chocolate and Love.
I’m
a recent convert to Pacari Raw Chocolate, 70% cacao (£3,50,
wholefoodsmarket.com) from Ecuador, which has been minimally processed to help
preserve the flavonoids. It is fruity tempered with a hint of oak. I’m also a
fan of La Maison du Chocolat. My favourite bar is the Pariguan Bar 69% (£8.20),
which is made from criollo beans from Venezula.
According
to Richard, it is a myth that good chocolate is over 70 per cent. “It is like
saying good wine is over 14 per cent alcohol. If you want to taste the flavours
then it needs to be about 70 per cent, otherwise you are tasting too much sugar,
but beans badly fermented and conched at 70 per cent, will taste bitter.”
Go
for quality, not quantity and enjoy!
By
Daralyn Danns
