What is National Dark Chocolate Day?
National Dark Chocolate Day, February 1st, reminds us to indulge a little. Many favor dark chocolate over the healthier chocolate. However, for those, it can be an acquired taste.
Dark chocolate is different from milk chocolate, and is also known as bittersweet chocolate. The candy makers add milk or butter to milk chocolate, giving it a creamier texture. There is no added milk or butter in Dark chocolate. Butter is the product of dark chocolate. Rather, the percentage of cocoa solids remaining in the chocolate determines how dark the chocolate is.. The higher the ratio, the darker the chocolate will be. It may also have a slightly bitter taste.
The chocolate comes from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. For at least three millennia, the plant has been grown in Mexico, Central America, and Northern South America, and we have been cultivating cacao. The first recorded evidence of using cacao seeds dates back to about 1100 BC.
Fermentation aids in the cacao seeds' flavor.. Otherwise, the seeds are too bitter to eat.. The beans are dried, cleaned, and roasted once fermented. After roasting, the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs. Processors converted the cocoa nips into cocoa powder, or plain chocolate in rough form.. They usually liquefy the cocoa mass and mold it with or without other ingredients, according to the next step. It is called chocolate liquor at this point in the process. The chocolate liquor may then be converted into two components, cocoa solids and cocoa butter.
In addition to being lower in calories and fat, dark chocolate has numerous other health benefits. It also acts as a decadent component in several desserts and sauces.
