About Chocolates

1. What does kosher mean?
   
   Kosher products are foods manufactured in a facility that complies with dietary and sanitary requirements of Jewish Law, as well as contain kosher certified ingredients. Equipment, utensils, etc., that are used in the food production undergo "kosherization," a special process supervised by a rabbi. To attain certification, a field supervisor of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America inspects the facility and reviews and sanctions all of the ingredients. The Godiva Reading Plant is certified as a kosher manufacturing facility.
   
   
2. What does kosher dairy mean?
   
   Since Godiva products contain dairy ingredients such as butter, cream and milk, they are only kosher for dairy meals. In Orthodox Judaism, meat and dairy products are not mixed together in the same meal.
   
   
3. Are kosher Godiva chocolates different from other Godiva chocolates?
   
   The same ingredients, formulas and processes are used and there is no change in the taste or quality of the kosher chocolates.
   
   
4. Are Godiva products also kosher for Passover?
   
   Kosher for Passover has very stringent requirements which would require the reformulation of many products just for this holiday. Godiva is not planning to manufacture kosher chocolates for Passover.
   
   
5. Are all Godiva products kosher?
   
   Any chocolates imported from Belgium, liqueur truffles, Café Godiva and Godiva Biscotti are not kosher. After the description of each product, please look for the Kosher OU-D symbol to ensure the chocolates you are purchasing are kosher. The Kosher OU-D symbol is also on all our packages that are kosher. 

Here are Thierry Muret's tips for engaging all of your senses with the wonder of chocolate:

Look - Fine chocolates have a consistent color and natural-looking satiny sheen free of air bubbles or other blemishes. The best chocolates also display a high degree of craftsmanship in their shapes and designs.

Smell - Savoring fine chocolate begins when you open the box and take in the bouquet of the contents. Fine chocolates have a fresh, deep aroma, not the overly-perfumed or sugary smell associated with artificial flavors or preservatives.

Taste - Freshly made fine chocolates have very intense but refined flavors and subtle nuances of textures. With the notable exception of truffles, the couverture or outside coating of fine European-style chocolates is often molded in a sleek, semi-hard shape that "snaps" when you bite into it. The inside of a chocolate piece is called the center or filling and, in fine chocolates, is specifically intended to complement the couverture in terms of flavor and texture.

When tasting a piece of chocolate, let it melt against the roof of your mouth to feel the texture. A fine chocolate is velvety smooth without the graininess that comes from incomplete refinement. Roll the chocolate over your tongue, allowing the flavors to permeate your mouth. The initial taste should be a nutty, roasted chocolate flavor, followed by sweetness and other flavor components. Lastly, fine chocolates tend to have a longer "finish" or pleasant aftertaste that lingers on the palate.

According to Muret, fine chocolates are more expensive because they cost more to make. Their intensity of aroma, texture and flavor, however, means that people can easily satisfy their chocolate cravings with only one or two pieces, making fine chocolates one of life's affordable luxuries.

• Napoleon was said to have carried chocolate with him on all his military campaigns for a quick energy snack.
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  “Chocoholism” is a word coined to refer to chocolate craving.
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  In Alfred Hitchcock's black and white movie, Psycho (1950), Chocolate syrup was used to represent blood in the famous 45 seconds shower scene, which took 7 days to shoot!
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  Chocolate lethal to dogs? Approximately 2 ounces of milk chocolate can be poisonous to a 10-pound dog. This is true for cats and even other household pets. This is because they contain theobromine, which affects their heart and nervous system.

Several population studies have observed an increase in the risk of certain cancers among people who frequently consume sweet 'junk' foods such as chocolate. However, very little evidence exists to suggest whether consuming flavonoid-rich dark chocolate may increase or decrease the risk of cancer. Evidence from laboratory studies suggests that cocoa flavonoids may possess anticarcinogenic mechanisms, but more research is needed to prove this idea.
Studies suggest a specially formulated type of cocoa may be nootropic and delay brain function decline as people age
Mars, Incorporated, a Virginia-based candy company, spends money each year on flavonol research. The company is talking with pharmaceutical companies to license drugs based on synthesized cocoa flavonol molecules. According to Mars-funded researchers at Harvard, the University of California, and European universities, cocoa-based prescription drugs could potentially help treat diabetes, dementia and other diseases.Other research indicates that chocolate may be effective at preventing persistent coughing. The ingredient theobromine was found to be almost one third more effective than codeine, the leading cough medicine.The chocolate also appears to soothe and moisten the throat.
Flavonoids can inhibit the development of diarrhea, suggesting antidiarrhoeal effects of chocolate.

Roughly two-thirds of the entire world's cocoa is produced in Western Africa, with 43% sourced from Côte d'Ivoire.[28] According to the World Cocoa Foundation, some 50 million people around the world depend on cocoa as a source of livelihood.The industry is dominated by three chocolate makers, Barry Callebaut, Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland Company. In the UK, most chocolatiers purchase their chocolate from them, to melt, mold and package to their own design.[30] Despite some disagreement in the EU about the definition,chocolate is any product made primarily of cocoa solids and cocoa fat. The different flavors of chocolate can be obtained by varying the time and temperature when roasting the beans, by adjusting the relative quantities of the cocoa solids and cocoa fat, and by adding non-chocolate ingredients.
Production costs can be decreased by reducing cocoa solid content or by substituting cocoa butter with a non-cocoa fat. Cocoa growers object to allowing the resulting food to be called "chocolate", due to the risk of lower demand for their crops.
There are two main jobs associated with creating chocolate candy, chocolate makers and chocolatiers. Chocolate makers use harvested cacao beans and other ingredients to produce couverture chocolate. Chocolatiers use the finished couverture to make chocolate candies (bars, truffles, etc.)

"Chocolates" redirects here. For other uses, see Chocolate (disambiguation).

Chocolate most commonly comes in dark, milk, and white varieties, with cocoa solids contributing to the brown coloration.Chocolate comprises a number of raw and processed foods that are produced from the seed of the tropical cacao tree.

Chocolate has become one of the most popular flavors in the world. Gifts of chocolate molded into different shapes have become traditional on certain holidays: chocolate bunnies and eggs are popular on Easter, chocolate coins on Hanukkah, Santa Claus and other holiday symbols on Christmas, and hearts on Valentine's Day. Chocolate is also used in cold and hot beverages, to produce chocolate milk and hot chocolate.

Etymology

The word "chocolate" comes from the Aztecs of Mexico, and is derived from the Nahuatl word xocolatl [1] which is a combination of the words, xocolli, meaning "bitter", and atl, which is "water". The Aztecs associated chocolate with Xochiquetzal, the goddess of fertility. Chocolate is also associated with the Maya god of fertility. Mexican philologist Ignacio Davila Garibi proposed that "Spaniards had coined the word by taking the Maya word chocol and then replacing the Mayan term for water, haa, with the Aztec term, atl."[2] However, it is more likely that the Aztecs themselves coined the term,[3] having long adopted into Nahuatl the Mayan word for the "cacao" bean; the Spanish had little contact with the Maya before Cortés' early reports to the Spanish King of the beverage known as xocolatl.[4] William Bright noted that the word xocoatl does not occur in early Spanish or Nahuatl colonial sources.

History

Native to lowland, tropical South America, cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Central America and Mexico, with its earliest documented use around 1100 BC. The majority of the Mesoamerican peoples made chocolate beverages, including the Maya and Aztecs.
Chocolate has been used as a drink for nearly all of its history. The earliest record of using chocolate dates back before the Olmec. In November 2007, archaeologists reported finding evidence of the oldest known cultivation and use of cacao at a site in Puerto Escondido, Honduras, dating from about 1100 to 1400 BC.[6] The residues found and the kind of vessel they were found in indicate that the initial use of cacao was not simply as a beverage, but the white pulp around the cacao beans was likely used as a source of fermentable sugars for an alcoholic drink.[6] The Maya civilization grew cacao trees in their backyard,[7] and used the cacao seeds it produced to make a frothy, bitter drink.[8] Documents in Maya hieroglyphs stated that chocolate was used for ceremonial purposes, in addition to everyday life.[9] The chocolate residue found in an early ancient Maya pot in Río Azul, Guatemala, suggests that Maya were drinking chocolate around 400 AD. In the New World, chocolate was consumed in a bitter, spicy drink called xocoatl, and was often flavored with vanilla, chile pepper, and achiote (known today as annatto).[10] Xocoatl was believed to fight fatigue, a belief that is probably attributable to the theobromine content. Chocolate was also an important luxury good throughout pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and cacao beans were often used as currency.[11] For example, the Aztecs used a system in which one turkey cost one hundred cacao beans and one fresh avocado was worth three beans.[12] South American and European cultures have used cocoa to treat diarrhea for hundreds of years.[13] All of the areas that were conquered by the Azetcs that grew cacao beans were ordered to pay them as a tax, or as the Aztecs called it, a "tribute".[14]
Until the 16th century, no European had ever heard of the popular drink from the Central and South American peoples.[15] It was not until the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs that chocolate could be imported to Europe, where it quickly became a court favorite.[15] To keep up with the high demand for this new drink, Spanish armies began enslaving Mesoamericans to produce cacao.[16] Even with cacao harvesting becoming a regular business, only royalty and the well-connected could afford to drink this expensive import.[17] Before long, the Spanish began growing cacao beans on plantations, and using an African workforce to help manage them.[18] The situation was different in England. Put simply, anyone with money could buy it.[19] The first chocolate house opened in London in 1657.[19] In 1689, noted physician and collector Hans Sloane developed a milk chocolate drink in Jamaica which was initially used by apothecaries, but later sold to the Cadbury brothers.[20]
For hundreds of years, the chocolate making process remained unchanged. When the people saw the Industrial Revolution arrive, many changes occurred that brought about the food today in its modern form. In the 1700s, mechanical mills were created that squeezed out cocoa butter, which in turn helped to create hard, durable chocolate.[21] But, it was not until the arrival of the Industrial Revolution that these mills were put to bigger use. Not long after the revolution cooled down, companies began advertising this new invention to sell many of the chocolate treats we see today.[22] When new machines were produced, people began experiencing and consuming chocolate worldwide

Types of chocolate

Several types of chocolate can be distinguished. Pure, unsweetened chocolate contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining chocolate with sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. "White chocolate" contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids. Chocolate contains alkaloids such as theobromine and phenethylamine, which have some physiological effects in humans, but the presence of theobromine renders it toxic to some animals, such as dogs and cats.[24]. It has been linked to serotonin levels in the brain. Dark chocolate has recently been promoted for its health benefits, as it seems to possess substantial amount of antioxidants that reduce the formation of free radicals.
Alongside milk chocolate, white chocolate and dark chocolate are also common chocolate varieties.
White chocolate is formed from a mixture of sugar, cocoa butter, and milk solids. Although its texture is similar to milk and dark chocolate, it does not contain any cocoa solids. Because of this, many countries do not consider white chocolate as chocolate at all.[25] Although first introduced by Hebert Candies in 1955, Mars, Incorporated was the first to produce white chocolate within the United States. Because it does not contain any cocoa solids, white chocolate does not contain any theobromine, meaning it can be consumed by animals.
Dark chocolate is produced by adding fat and sugar to the cacao mixture. The U.S. Government calls this "sweet chocolate", and requires a 15% concentration of chocolate liquor. European rules specify a minimum of 35% cocoa solids.[26] Dark chocolate, with its high cocoa content, is a rich source of the flavonoids epicatechin and gallic acid, which are thought to possess cardioprotective properties. Dark chocolate has also been said to reduce the possibility of a heart attack when consumed regularly in small amounts.[27] Semisweet chocolate is a dark chocolate with a low sugar content. Bittersweet chocolate is chocolate liquor to which some sugar (typically a third), more cocoa butter, vanilla and sometimes lecithin have been added. It has less sugar and more liquor than semisweet chocolate, but the two are interchangeable in baking.
Unsweetened chocolate is pure chocolate liquor, also known as bitter or baking chocolate. It is unadulterated chocolate: the pure, ground, roasted chocolate beans impart a strong, deep chocolate flavor.

SRC: Wikipedia.org

If you always like to accompany your cup of coffee with a chocolate cookie or other chocolate-based treat, or if you usually order a hot chocolate drink, you might not consider yourself a chocoholic, but you certainly make it to the fans' category. But even of chocolate is not your first choice when it comes to desert, you should probably by familiar with at least its main categories, just in case you are asked if you prefer couverture over white chocolate for your ice-cream glace.
- Dark Chocolate can contain anything from 30% to 75% cocoa solids. It has a slightly sweet flavor and a dark color and it is the chocolate type most used in cooking. For everyday cooking and the majority of the recipes for dark chocolate, choose one with around 50% cocoa solids. However, dark chocolate with a higher cocoa solid content will give a richer, more intense, flavor. This chocolate is often called luxury or continental chocolate and has a cocoa solid content of between 70-75%. Occasionally, cooking experts support that it is essential to use a better chocolate, but the recipe should specify when that is the case.

- Milk Chocolate, as its name suggests, contains milk and has lovely creamy, mild, and sweet flavor. It is mostly used as an eating chocolate, rather than in cooking. However it does have its place in chocolate cookery, especially for decorations, and when a milder, creamy flavor is required. It is more sensitive to heat than dark chocolate so care must be taken when melting it.

- White Chocolate contains lower cocoa butter content and cocoa solids. It can be quite temperamental when used in cooking. Always choose a luxury white cooking chocolate to avoid problems and take great care not to overheat when melting it. White chocolate is useful also for color contrast in decoration, creating a dramatic effect when it is placed over darker backgrounds.

- Couverture is the preferred chocolate for professional use, as it retains a high gloss after melting and cooling. Nevertheless, it requires tempering and is only available from specialist suppliers. In case it can be found to special cooking supply stores, it usually is more expensive than regular milk chocolate.

- Chocolate Glace is a chocolate-flavored cake covering which is an inferior product not generally used by true chocolate lovers. However, it has a high fat content, making it easier to handle when making some decorations such as curls or caraque. In case you do not want to compromise flavor too much, but have difficulty making the decorations with pure chocolate, try adding a few squares of chocolate-flavored cake covering to a good quality chocolate.

- Chocolate Chips are available in dark, milk, and white chocolate varieties, and are used primarily for baking and as decoration materials.

- Coco Powder is the powder left after the cocoa butter has been pressed from the roasted and ground beans. It is unsweetened and bitter in flavor. It gives good, strong chocolate flavor when used in cooking.