World Chocolate Day

 

Happy Chocolate Day for all the chocolate-lovers out there (including me) 🍫. I am not the type who eats a handful of chocolate every day. I eat it only once in a while, like two pieces of Dairy Milk (my favorite) once in two weeks. Honestly, it's been a long while since I've eaten chocolate. I can't even count. Maybe months. 

World Chocolate Day is observed globally on July 7, which is believed to be the anniversary of the introduction of chocolate to Europe in 1550. The day was established by the International Confectionary Association (ICA) to promote the consumption of chocolate worldwide. Since then, the day has become an annual celebration that is observed in many countries around the world.

• Chocolate was used as currency by early Mexican and Aztec people.
• 30% of the world's cacao is grown in Africa, particularly the Ivory Coast.
• Chocolate contains caffeine. 
• The first chocolate bar was made in England.
• Cocoa is a traded commodity.
• Dark chocolate bars with high cacao content and natural ingredients are good for health, as it contains low amount of sugar and high amounts of cocoa which provides antioxidants that reduce free radicals, improve blood flow, lower blood pressure and cholesterol and reduce inflammation. Many people don't like dark chocolate, but I like it. 😋
• Milk chocolate is chocolate that contains milk powder, liquid milk, or condensed milk, in addition to cacao and sugar. It is the most widely consumed type of chocolate.
• White chocolate is chocolate that contains only cacao butter, sugar, and milk solids, without any cacao solids. It has a mild and creamy taste, and a white or ivory color. It is commonly used in baking and confectionary.
• Ruby chocolate is a relatively new type of chocolate that was introduced in 2017. It is made from a special variety of cacao beans that have a naturally pink color and a fruity and tangy taste.
• Compound chocolate is a cheaper alternative to real chocolate that uses vegetable fats or oils instead of cacao butter. It is often used for mass production of chocolate products,

CACAO VS COCOA

Cacao refers to the Theobroma cacao tree and the raw, unrefined bean that comes from the tree’s fruit.

Cacao is used to make chocolate. While it’s unclear exactly when humans discovered the bean, researchers believe ancient Mayans were likely the first to cultivate the cacao plant and use it to make a beverage. Mayans considered this beverage a “drink of the Gods,” although they likely appreciated the concoction more for its “invigorating and stimulating” effects than for its taste. Cacao is unsweetened and minimally processed and comes in the form of nibs, paste and powder. “Cacao nibs are the crushed form of (dried) cacao beans and are often used to add texture to food without a lot of flavor,” says Taylor Fazio, a registered dietician and wellness advisor at the Lanby, a concierge-style primary care practice in New York City.

Cocoa is a powder made from chocolate liquor, a non-alcoholic paste that contains cocoa solids and cocoa butter produced during the process of grinding cacao beans. Cocoa powder flavors chocolate, chocolate beverages and chocolate confections.

Cacao pods are harvested and processed to make cocoa powder using the following steps, according to the International Cocoa Association (ICCA):

• Opening the pods: The cacao pods are opened within a week to ten days after harvesting, and the wet cacao beans are typically removed by hand.
• Fermentation: Cocoa beans are fermented to eliminate their bitterness and bring out their full taste and aroma. According to the Science of Cooking, without fermentation, there would be no chocolate flavor. The fermentation process ranges from two days to a week, depending on the type of cocoa bean, as it’s a process that involves several steps:
  • During the first 48 hours, called the anaerobic phase, yeast and sugar in the pulp surrounding the beans transform into carbon dioxide and alcohol.
  • During the next 48 hours, called the aerobic phase, the beans are continuously turned and aerated, allowing acetobacter (aerobic bacteria) to grow and transform alcohol into acetic acid.
  • The bud, or germ, within the cocoa bean dies, leading to chemical changes as enzymes are released. Banana leaves are placed over the top layer of the beans in a process known as sweating.The bottom side of the banana leaf contains natural yeast and microorganisms that enhance the beans’ natural fermentation process.

• Cleaning and Drying: Once fermentation is complete, processors clean the beans to remove any twigs, dirt or dust. The cocoa beans are then dried in the sun to reduce their moisture content from 55% to 7.5%.
• Roasting: The roasting process is highly individualized according to the manufacturer and the flavor they’re trying to produce, according to the ICCA. However, according to the Science of Cooking, the basic steps include pre-roasting the beans to between 212°F and 300°F for 20 to 40 minutes or directly heating the beans without pre-roasting to between 300°F and 320°F for 40 to 50 minutes.
• Winnowing: This step goes by several names, including winnowing, cracking, hulling and fanning, according to the ICCA. Processors remove the shell from the cacao bean at this point, leaving the cacao nib. Cacao nibs are sold as-is or go on to the next steps.
• Grinding, Alkalizing and Pressing: The cacao nib is ground into a paste called chocolate liquor (or cocoa mass), which consists of about half cocoa solids and half cocoa butter.

In some cases, the liquor is mixed with an aqueous solution of a specific alkaline compound and combined with heat and pressure in a step known as Dutch processing, which changes the texture of the chocolate liquor and makes it darker.

The liquor is then pressed, squeezing out the cocoa butter to make cocoa powder, which, at this point, tastes like chocolate but doesn’t have added fat or sugar.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CACAO AND COCOA?

Cacao fruit grows from trees and is raw and unprocessed. It is the precursor to cocoa, and cocoa is the precursor to chocolate. 

Cacao --> Cocoa --> Chocolate

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF CACAO

Cacao in its raw form has many nutrients, all of which have their own unique benefits.

In addition to being rich in dietary fiber, cacao beans contain several minerals necessary for the circulatory system, including magnesium, copper, potassium and calcium, which have been shown to reduce the risk of hypertension and atherosclerosis. 

“It’s hard to capture enough magnesium in our diet from food alone, and this mineral helps regulate more than 400 processes in our bodies,” says Fazio. In addition to supporting cardiovascular health, magnesium helps with blood sugar control, nerve and muscle function and making bone, protein and DNA, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF COCOA

Cocoa powder, like cacao, packs a powerful antioxidant punch. A 2011 study published in the Chemistry Central Journal reports the antioxidant capacity of cocoa powder is significantly greater than blueberry, cranberry and pomegranate powder on a per-gram basis. 

Antioxidants protect the body from oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Oxidative stress is thought to play a role in a variety of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and eye diseases such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, according to the NIH.

WHICH IS HEALTHIER: CACAO OR COCOA?

Since cocoa is the processed form of cacao (the process has been described in the above paragraphs), it loses many of its nutrients compared to cacao. 

Cacao contains more iron than cocoa powder. A serving of dark chocolate made with cacao contains 25% of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for iron for men and 11% for women, while cocoa contains 9% for men and 4% for women. Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional problems in the world. 

“Remember that with cacao and cocoa, adding products to sweeten them may add extra calories and could cause blood sugar to spike,” says Fazio. “Also, be aware that unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder are not the same things.”

Cacao and cocoa contain almost no cocoa butter, meaning they contain practically no fat, while unsweetened chocolate has around 55% cocoa butter.

RISKS OF BOTH CACAO AND COCOA

Both cacao and cocoa contain caffeine, something to be cautious of if you’re sensitive to its effects. One teaspoon of cacao nibs contains about 4.6 milligrams of caffeine, while an 8-ounce cup of coffee typically contains 96 milligrams of caffeine, according to the USDA. A 70% dark chocolate bar has around 80 milligrams of caffeine, slightly less than the 8-ounce cup of coffee. When adding cacao or cocoa to your diet, be aware of the amount of caffeine you consume, as too much caffeine can lead to anxiety, insomnia, headaches, dehydration, wooziness, restlessness or dependency, according to the National Library of Medicine.

In conclusion, I would suggest everyone to have chocolate in minimal amounts, whether it is the packaged one or the natural one. The packaged one is generally not recommended, but it might be hard to access natural chocolate in a few areas of the world. Making chocolate at home is also a good idea. Just have it like a pinch of salt and you will carry its benefits, enjoy the taste and avoid its risks. 👍😊

Now here is a little form for you all to fill. Don't worry, it's not another nerdy quiz. 😂

Your Opinions on Chocolate - Google Forms

Oh, and you can also post your favorite chocolate types and brands on the comments.