There’s a fascinating reason European chocolate tastes better than the American version

European chocolates are required by law to have at least 14% dry milk solids while the US only requires 12%. European chocolate is also slightly richer because it’s required to have at least 3.5% milk fat. In the US, the minimum is 3.39%. European chocolate ALSO has a higher requirement for cocoa content, aka the ingredient that gives bars their deep, chocolaty flavor. These differences might not seem so big, but taken together, they add up. ALSO, there’s evidence which suggests that Hershey’s chocolate, for example, contains butyric acid, a compound that is also found in, well, vomit. Before you get too grossed out, butyric acid is also found in parmesan cheese and many other things that many people find delicious. And there’s always, “where the beans come from”. American chocolatiers tend to use beans from South America, while Europeans, such as those in Great Britain, often use beans from West Africa instead.