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Notes on chocolate: to roast or not to roast?

Notes on chocolate: to roast or not to roast?

THEGUARDIAN.COM

Unroasted means raw and there’s a lot of debate about raw chocolate and is it actually raw if it’s been fermented, etc. Raw purists don’t think cocoa beans should be roasted (they say it interferes with the flavor) and those that roast think raw chocolate isn’t really chocolate because roasting brings out the flavor.

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Historic flood engulfs renowned Belgian chocolate factory

Historic flood engulfs renowned Belgian chocolate factory

FRANCE24.COM

As the floodwaters receded in the river valleys of industrial eastern Belgium, the smell of cocoa was mixed with the stench of spilled fuel oil and churned up river mud. Among the many businesses knocked temporarily out of action by the unprecedented inundation was the Galler factory, home to one of the country’s iconic luxury chocolate brands.

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Choosing the right chocolate

Choosing the right chocolate

FOODBUSINESSNEWS.NET

Americans love their chocolate. It’s the go-to sweet indulgence for many. And it comes in several forms. Chips, chunks and blocks. Dark, milk and white chocolate. Alkalized and natural cocoa powders. There’s a chocolate for every dessert. But figuring out the best ways to use chocolate in formulations takes a deep understanding about the ins and outs of each format.

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Chocolate helps control hunger and appetite in postmenopausal women

Chocolate helps control hunger and appetite in postmenopausal women

WWLTV.COM

The researchers stated, “our results also show that chocolate in the morning decreases fasting glucose. Chocolate may improve glucose homeostasis by slowing carbohydrate digestion and absorption.” There were also favorable changes in the participants microbiota’s short chain fatty acid content that may have accounted for better hunger control. Before you make a beeline to the nearest chocolate bar, this study involved a small number of targeted female participants—postmenopausal females. One size does not fit all. To read this study, you can access it by going to maxwellnutrition.com.

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This Giant Chocolate Bar Is the Sign for a Japanese Chocolate Factory

This Giant Chocolate Bar Is the Sign for a Japanese Chocolate Factory

TECHNABOB.COM

This gigantic chocolate bar is the façade of the Meiji Confectionery factory in Osaka, Japan. It measures roughly 544 feet wide and 91 feet tall, and holds the Guinness World Record for the largest advertising board made of plastic. (I guess if they made it from chocolate it would quickly melt in the sun!). Click, here, to see.

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New research findings on the health benefits of chocolate

New research findings on the health benefits of chocolate

MDLINX.COM

We Americans love our chocolate—in fact, we consume a whopping 2.8 billion pounds of the stuff per year. This breaks down to 11 pounds per person! Although this may sound like a lot, the Swiss—perhaps not surprisingly—consume the most chocolate in the world, followed by residents of the United Kingdom. With all this indulgence, it’s no wonder that chocolate has become a focus of health research. But is chocolate good for you? Some studies say yes.

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How the mold influences a chocolate bar’s crystalline structure

How the mold influences a chocolate bar’s crystalline structure

SCIENCEDAILY.COM

When enjoying a chocolate bar, most people don’t think about how the molecules within it are organized. But different arrangements of the fats in chocolate can influence its taste and texture. Now, researchers have found that the side of a chocolate bar facing the mold has a more orderly crystalline structure than the side facing air, knowledge that might help chocolatiers produce tastier confections, the researchers say.

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Which chocolate flavor does your state taste like?

Which chocolate flavor does your state taste like?

THETAKEOUT.COM

If you could condense your home state into a single flavor, what would it be? Chocolatier Phillip Ashley Rix thinks Missouri, for example, tastes like vanilla custard—at least, based on his new Taste of America chocolate collection, with 50 unique pieces of chocolate to represent the 50 states. Click, HERE, and find the list of states and their chocolate flavors.

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Willy Wonka Who? Harrods Built a Chocolate Lover’s Paradise With Its $421 Million Renovation

Willy Wonka Who? Harrods Built a Chocolate Lover’s Paradise With Its $421 Million Renovation

ROBBREPORT.COM

When Charles Henry Harrod coined his store’s catchphrase in 1849, it is safe to assume that he did not foresee the consequences that would unfold 172 years later. Harrods’ motto of “Omnia Omnibus Ubique” translates from the Latin, less catchily, as “all things for all people, everywhere.” So imagine a department store floor just for chocolate.  And not only that, but, London’s most iconic department store is selling a single bar of chocolate for £350 ($491). Never has the intention to be inclusive been more exclusive.

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A Maryland candy company is cooking up chocolate covered cicadas

A Maryland candy company is cooking up chocolate covered cicadas

CNN.COM

A Maryland candy company is selling chocolate covered cicadas to celebrate the emergence of the noisy insects that have spent the last 17 years underground.  Chouquette Chocolates is selling the cicadas — dipped in either milk or dark chocolate — online, but it also posted the recipe on its Facebook page for brave chefs looking for something to do with the bugs.

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The Hershey Company Plans To Acquire Health Conscious Chocolate Company Lily

The Hershey Company Plans To Acquire Health Conscious Chocolate Company Lily

DAILYVOICE.COM

The Hershey Company has signed an agreement to acquire Lily’s, health conscious chocolate company. Lily’s makes low-sugar products include dark and milk chocolate bars, baking chips, peanut butter cups and other confection products that align with Hershey’s multi-pronged better-for-you snacking strategy.

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The chocolate market was impacted by COVID-19 during its onset in 2020

The chocolate market was impacted by COVID-19 during its onset in 2020

GLOBENEWSWIRE.COM

Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report “Chocolate Market – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 – 2026)” – https://www.reportlinker.com/p06067779/?utm_source=GNW. Consumers’ in-home consumption of chocolates witnessed a steep rise during the lockdown. Chocolates, among other consumables, were bought in bulk, which led to higher volume sales through supermarkets and hypermarkets. On the other hand, the premium sector of the global chocolate market was severely affected by low sales volume due to the COVID-19 pandemic, partly due to supply-side issues linked to quality and certification. Consequently, varied public sectors provided support to the strengthening partnership between fine cocoa producers and chocolate companies to enhance the resilience of marketing infrastructure. In 2020, the chocolate market witnessed an inclination toward the darker varieties of chocolate, as consumers showed preference for them over other varieties, on account of better health benefits, lower in calories, and altering perception toward premiumization.

 

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Hershey’s Recalls Chocolate Topping After Bottles Were Accidentally Filled with Nuts

Hershey’s Recalls Chocolate Topping After Bottles Were Accidentally Filled with Nuts

PEOPLE.COM

The Hershey Company has issued a voluntary recall for its Hershey’s Chocolate Shell Topping after at least 1,700 bottles were incorrectly filled with Heath Shell Topping, which contains almonds. The recall notice, which was posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and also on Hershey’s website, says that the 7.25-oz bottles containing the almonds were shipped nationwide between April 15 and May 3 with the product code 25JSAS1. Anyone with an allergy or severe sensitivity to almonds may be at risk of a life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the recalled products. The recall notice says that the “situation arose due to an isolated error at a contract manufacturing facility,” and Hershey took “immediate steps” to ensure the issue did not occur again. There have been no reports of illness or injury, according to the recall notice.

 

 

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Spanish Confectioners Create Life-Size Chocolate Replica of Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ – with a half ton of chocolate

Spanish Confectioners Create Life-Size Chocolate Replica of Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ – with a half ton of chocolate

SMITHSONIANMAG.COM

In 1937, Pablo Picasso channeled fierce anti-fascist and anti-militaristic sentiment into an 11.5- by 25.5-foot painting titled Guernica, rendering the horrors of war in stark geometry and shades of gray, black and white. The iconic mural has since inspired countless imitations in other mediums, including a fiber-art version and one composed entirely out of Legos. Compared with its peers, the latest rendition of Guernica is significantly sweeter. As Vincent West and Nathan Allen report for Reuters, confectioners in Spain’s Basque Country recently created an all-chocolate version of the Cubist masterpiece in honor of the 85th anniversary of the April 1937 bombing that inspired the mural. To see what it looks like, click here.

 

 

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EAT THIS, NOT THAT!: What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Dark Chocolate

EAT THIS, NOT THAT!: What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Dark Chocolate

EATTHIS.COM

There’s no better dessert for the pseudo-healthy than dark chocolate. The age-old myth about dark chocolate is that it is a relatively healthy dessert option. In fact, rumor has it that dark chocolate isn’t just less unhealthy, but that it might have some nutritional value of its own—a rich combination of beneficial antioxidants.

 

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Two compounds can make chocolate smell musty and moldy

Two compounds can make chocolate smell musty and moldy

EUREKALERT.ORG

Chocolate is a beloved treat, but sometimes the cocoa beans that go into bars and other sweets have unpleasant flavors or scents, making the final products taste bad. Surprisingly, only a few compounds associated with these stinky odors are known. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have identified the two compounds that cause musty, moldy scents in cocoa — work that can help chocolatiers ensure the quality of their products.

 

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Covid-19: Dark chocolate, fish, eggs in government’s list of foods to build immunity

Covid-19: Dark chocolate, fish, eggs in government’s list of foods to build immunity

INDIANEXPRESS.COM

In the pandemic, there has been a lot of emphasis on healthy eating. Experts have always insisted that your health and immunity are directly dependent on the food you eat. As such, the government has listed some food items on its mygovindia Twitter handle, which it recommends you consume to boost your natural immunity amid the Covid crisis. Read on (CLICK “HERE“)

 

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After masked bunnies, Belgian artisan shifts to chocolate syringes

After masked bunnies, Belgian artisan shifts to chocolate syringes

REUTERS.COM

A Belgian chocolate company that put white masks on its Easter bunnies a year ago is now producing large chocolate syringes as it tries to keep step with the evolving trend of the coronavirus pandemic. And as Belgium steps up its vaccination campaign against COVID-19, specialist confectioner Cocoatree is also touting the natural health benefits of chocolate as a kind of “vaccine” in its own right against certain conditions. To see what the bunnies with syringes look like and how they are made, click, “here“.

 

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Chocolate Necco Wafers are making a return in Boston

Chocolate Necco Wafers are making a return in Boston

WHDH.COM

Chocolate Necco Wafers are making a return to New England, the Spangler Candy Company announced Monday. Rolls of the candy will be handed out at two points along the Boston Marathon route on Patriots’ Day in an effort to “fill the absence of something iconic with something nostalgic,” according to the company.

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Coffee v/s Chocolate: Which one is best for your skin & hair health?

Coffee v/s Chocolate: Which one is best for your skin & hair health?

INDIATIMES.COM

Many of us start their day with a cup of coffee and end it with a piece of dark chocolate. There are reasons why something typically referred to as junk food or addiction might be slightly healthier than people give it credit for. There are potential health benefits you can expect from eating a moderate amount of dark chocolate or drinking coffee on your skin and hair. High quality dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, iron, fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium and other minerals. Coffee is loaded with antioxidants as well.

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How Brexit Ruined Easter for Britain’s Chocolate Makers

How Brexit Ruined Easter for Britain’s Chocolate Makers

NYTIMES.COM

For the second year in a row, Easter was largely online affair, with socially distanced egg hunts and virtual church services. But there was one notable difference in Britain. Domestic chocolate makers, who should be celebrating one of their busiest times of year, were fuming instead, and all of them cite the same cause: Brexit.

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Police looking for group who poured chocolate syrup over merchandise at Michigan Target

Police looking for group who poured chocolate syrup over merchandise at Michigan Target

WSOCTV.COM

WOODHAVEN, Mich. — Police are searching for five men who poured chocolate syrup over merchandise at a Michigan Target then left the store. Surveillance video shows the group go to the seasonal area of the store around at 10 p.m. last Friday, pour Hershey’s syrup over myriad products and then leave the store. They were in the store for about 10 minutes and caused about $1,000 worth of damage, authorities said.

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Chocolate for constipation is not a new idea

Chocolate for constipation is not a new idea

SEATTLETIMES.COM

There is research to support that chocolate or cocoa could act as a laxative (Nutrition & Metabolism, April 18, 2012). Eat an ounce or so of dark chocolate and you could be in the bathroom within about 20 minutes! The authors of the study conclude that “regular consumption of cocoa products increases dietary fiber intake and … improves bowel habits.” Researchers have also shown that probiotic chocolate can improve bowel function in constipated rats (Food Research International, February 2019).

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Eating Chocolate Before Bed Is a Bad Idea—Here’s Why

Eating Chocolate Before Bed Is a Bad Idea—Here’s Why

WELLANDGOOD.COM

Sleep is something everybody wants more of these days. Despite the fact that our bodies are capable of basically growing a new skeleton every 10 years, something as seemingly small as eating the wrong thing before bed can really mess them up. Two experts name the foods to avoid eating late at night, and both agreed that chocolate before bed is a no good, very bad idea.

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Why a Piece of Chocolate Costs More Than a Porsche Taycan

Why a Piece of Chocolate Costs More Than a Porsche Taycan

BLOOMBERG.COM

If you were thinking of companies that might want to increase the value of their shares by buying back stock, Lindt & Sprungli AG would likely come near the bottom of the list. Primary shares in the Swiss chocolate-maker closed at 81,600 Swiss francs ($87,650) a piece March 1, 2021. That’s roughly enough money to buy a brand-new electric Porsche Taycan, or a five-bedroom house with a vineyard in Portugal. The next day, Lindt announced plans to buy back 750 million Swiss francs of equity, edging the shares closer to the record 93,800 franc level they peaked at last February.

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Man sues company for sending him chocolate penis, claims “emotional distress”

Man sues company for sending him chocolate penis, claims “emotional distress”

THETAKEOUT.COM

A care package is a great way to let someone know you’re thinking of them. A care package containing a chocolate phallus, on the other hand, may be enough to “shock, offend, and frighten” the recipient. That’s the basis of a case filed against Ruin Days, a New York prank company.

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Eat your chocolate — but don’t inhale it!

Eat your chocolate — but don’t inhale it!

UNIONLEADER.COM

Americans eat 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate a year and science reports that chocolate is good for you — well, at least 70% dark chocolate is, in 1-ounce-a-day doses. But that makes folks who vape think chocolate-flavored electronic cigarettes are healthy, too. Far from it. A new study found that of all the lung-polluting elixirs added to e-cigs, chocolate flavor (with a high dose of what the researchers say is benzene-ring flavorings) is the most harmful. According to the study published in the American Journal of Physiology/Lung, Cellular and Molecular Physiology, it delivers a brew of toxins that can kill off lung cells and reduce the ability of your immune system to remove bacteria and regulate inflammation.

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How to Remove Chocolate Stains (‘Cause We All Have Them, Right?)

How to Remove Chocolate Stains (‘Cause We All Have Them, Right?)

FOOD52.COM

Chocolate is the greatest gift to mankind—full stop. You can have it on your birthday via a rich chocolate cake with a luscious ganache, as a beverage when you feel like cozying up with a cup of hot chocolate, or even at the dinner table as a beer-infused sauce for your rib eye. It’s true that incorporating chocolate into your meals is easy, but how to remove chocolate stains from your clothes (when you throw table manners out the window at the mere sight of it—we’ve all been there), is another story. Click, HERE, to discover the way to remove chocolate stains!

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Why This Neuroscientist Says We Should Eat More Chocolate

Why This Neuroscientist Says We Should Eat More Chocolate

MINDBODYGREEN.COM

The heart and the brain are undoubtedly two of our body’s most vital organs. Thankfully, taking care of one inadvertently tends to the other. One simple way to support our brain and our heart is by eating nutrient-dense foods—and no, it’s not all fruits and veggies. According to neuroscientist and neurodegenerative disease researcher Kristen Willeumier, Ph.D., dark chocolate is one of the most powerful functional foods we can add to our diet.

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Swiss chocolate consumption dips to lowest levels in 40 years

Swiss chocolate consumption dips to lowest levels in 40 years

SWISSINFO.CH

For the first time since 1982, average annual chocolate consumption in Switzerland has fallen below the 10 kg per person mark. On average, a Swiss resident munched 9.9 kg of chocolate in 2020, 6.9% less than the year before, according to the Association of Swiss Chocolate Manufacturers (Chocosuisse). This decline was at the expense of Swiss-made chocolate, as the import volume of foreign-made chocolate increased by 1.8%. and its share rose from 41% to 43%. The industry body blames protectionist measures at home for the rising sales of imported chocolates in Switzerland.

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“I ate 40kg (about 88 lbs.) of chocolate”, says Yorkshire teacher, 21, on rowing solo across the Atlantic

“I ate 40kg (about 88 lbs.) of chocolate”, says Yorkshire teacher, 21, on rowing solo across the Atlantic

THEGUARDIAN.COM

Jasmine Harrison, the youngest woman to make the 3,000-mile journey alone, relished the freedom of doing it all by herself. Instead of the ration packs people normally eat on these long journeys, she lived off biscuits and chocolate – “I think I ate 40kg of chocolate,” she laughed – and could choose to avoid rowing in the rain. “I could do what I liked. If it’s raining outside, and I’m in my cabin because I’ve just woken up, I ain’t gonna go out and row.”

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U.S. Chocolate Giant Hershey To Launch Low GI, Plant-Based Chocolates

U.S. Chocolate Giant Hershey To Launch Low GI, Plant-Based Chocolates

GREENQUEEN.COM

Hershey recently announced that it will be launching its plant-based sugar chocolates as a part of the ‘Better-for-you’ category with an investment in a company that is developing sugars that have fewer calories than conventional chocolates and a negligible glycemic index impact.

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How To Taste Chocolate Like An Expert

How To Taste Chocolate Like An Expert

NPR.ORG

Simran Sethi – she hosts “The Slow Melt” podcast, where she explores all things chocolate. And she reports on the latest episode of NPR’s Life Kit podcast, which is titled How To Savor Chocolate Like A Cocoa Expert. Sethi says the first step to enjoying chocolate like a pro is picking the right bar. For more tips, click, HERE.

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From beverages to cocoa bombs: A brief history of chocolate

From beverages to cocoa bombs: A brief history of chocolate

RADIO.COM

Before industrialization, chocolate was expensive and often only consumed by the elite. And, it wasn’t wrapped in the heart-shaped foil we recognize today. “Chocolate for thousands of years has been consumed traditionally as a beverage”. “It was ground with honey as a sweetener and the nibs were ground with a mortar and pestle, like a ground tea.” The chocolate industry was eventually revolutionized by Milton Hershey, who had roots in Philadelphia and brought chocolate to the masses.

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Chocolate Consumption and Sex-Interest

Chocolate Consumption and Sex-Interest

CUREUS.COM

Media and popular literature link chocolate and sex-interest in women, but there is little research examining their association. This cross-sectional analysis sought to address this gap by assessing the relation of chocolate-consumption frequency to self-rated interest in sex. Seven-hundred twenty-three (723) Southern California men and women, age >20, completed surveys providing chocolate-consumption frequency (Choc0, x/week) and interest in sex (rated 0-10). Check out the findings by clicking HERE.

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Origins of the heart-shaped chocolate box

Origins of the heart-shaped chocolate box

WYOMINGNEWS.COM

Hearts abound on Feb. 14, and few symbols (and gifts) are more widely associated with a holiday than heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are with Valentine’s Day. Chocolates became trendy in the mid-19th century when the first chocolate bar was made by British company J.S. Fry & Sons by combining cacao powder with sugar and cacao butter to make a rich, melt-in-your-mouth treat that was markedly different than the gritty and greasy drinking chocolate that was losing popularity in Europe. Within a few years, competitor Cadbury introduced the first box of chocolates. It was called the “Fancy Box” and it didn’t take long to become wildly popular.

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Is Chocolate Addictive? All You Need to Know

Is Chocolate Addictive? All You Need to Know

HEALTHLINE.COM

Chocolate is a sweet, creamy treat made from fermented, roasted, and ground cacao tree fruit. People have enjoyed chocolate and similar treats made from cacao fruit for thousands of years. Today it’s eaten in many different ways and is arguably among the most popular foods — so you may even wonder if it’s addictive. This article compares healthy and unhealthy relationships with chocolate and addresses whether chocolate and its ingredients may be addictive.

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A guaranteed moose sighting in Maine — and this one’s made of chocolate

A guaranteed moose sighting in Maine — and this one’s made of chocolate

BOSTONGLOBE.COM

Maine is home to the largest chocolate moose — yes, that’s moose — in the world. His name is Lenny, he weighs 1,700 pounds, is 9 feet long and 7 feet tall, and has been making candy-crazed kids squeal with delight since 1997. Lenny resides in a blue-tinted white chocolate pond at Len Libby Candies, along with a 380-pound chocolate black bear named Libby and her 80-pound cubs, Cocoa and Chip. Check out a picture of Lenny, HERE.

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Famed Parisian Tearoom Angelina Changes Name of Hot Chocolate After Social Media Callout

Famed Parisian Tearoom Angelina Changes Name of Hot Chocolate After Social Media Callout

NYEATER.COM

Famed Parisian tearoom Angelina has renamed its signature hot chocolate drink in New York City and Paris. The drink’s name — formerly “L’Africain,” or “the African” — has been in use for more than a century and appears on the menus of more than 30 international locations. The original name of the drink will remain at Angelina’s 30 plus international locations, except at its flagship tearoom in France, and in NYC, where the company has decided to rename the drink “chocolat chaud à l’ancienne,” which roughly translates to old-fashioned hot chocolate. The website for Angelina Paris, however, still identifies the drink as L’Africain at the time of publication.

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Ritter Sport is told its new no-sugar bar is not chocolate

Ritter Sport is told its new no-sugar bar is not chocolate

THEGUARDIAN.COM

The German chocolate manufacturer Ritter Sport is embroiled in a row with food law regulators after being told it cannot call its latest creation a chocolate bar because it contains no sugar. The company, which has been producing chocolate at its factory near Stuttgart for more than 100 years, has been told the new bar contravenes Germany’s strict cocoa regulations. The so-called Kakao-Verordnung deems that anything labelled as chocolate must contain cocoa mass, cocoa powder, cocoa butter and sugar. But Ritter’s new bar, called Cacao y Nada (cocoa and nothing) is 100% cocoa, sourced from its own plantation in Nicaragua. It is sweetened with cocoa juice, which is naturally found in the pulp of the cocoa bean.

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Valentines Day Still Prime Occasion for Chocolate and Candy

Valentines Day Still Prime Occasion for Chocolate and Candy

PROGRESSIVEGROCER.COM

Despite a lingering public-health crisis that Americans have been told will get worse before it gets better, Valentine’s Day chocolate and candy can enable loved ones to connect and spark moments of joy during a worrisome period, according to a report from the National Confectioners Association (NCA). In fact, the trade association found that a whopping 86% of Americans intend to share a gift of chocolate and candy this V-Day.

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Hot chocolate: Americans say it’s the most-loved part of winter, survey reveals

Hot chocolate: Americans say it’s the most-loved part of winter, survey reveals

PENNLIVE.COM

While some Americans are counting down the days until spring, there are plenty of others who are savoring the cold and cozy days of winter. According to a report by StudyFinds, a recent survey, which polled 2,000 Americans, revealed that for those Americans who are fans of winter, their favorite thing to do during the cold months is to enjoy “a marshmallow-filled cup of hot chocolate.” In fact “sipping on some cocoa” was named the “best part of the season,” – winning out over, watching the first snowfall and warming up by the fire, the report said.