Monthly Archives: December 2008

Chocolate and Romance

Some things just go together naturally and no one can necessarily explain why. One of these popular pairings is chocolate and romance. Chocolate is often associated with love and romance and we only have to think about Valentine’s Day to … Continue reading

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Chocolate: A Healthy Treat

Here’s some good news for all you chocoholics – eating chocolate is good for you! Well, hang on a minute; let’s not get too excited just yet. I’m not saying that you can clear all the fruit and vegetables out … Continue reading

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Fair Trade Cocoa

The cocoa bean market is a pretty volatile one and prices can really fluctuate on a yearly basis. As many cocoa farmers have smallholdings they are completely reliant on the sale of their cocoa beans for their income. This income … Continue reading

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Chocolate in Alcohol

As we’ve learnt, cocoa is a pretty versatile ingredient. As it’s naturally bitter in flavour it can be adapted for use in all kinds of food and drinks and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. It can … Continue reading

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Drinking Chocolate

Hot chocolate, drinking chocolate, a nice cup of cocoa – call it what you will but people have been enjoying the benefits of liquid chocolate for thousands of years. It was the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilisations that first discovered … Continue reading

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Cooking Chocolate

Come on, admit it; who hasn’t been tempted to raid the baking box when the biscuit tin is empty and a swift chocolate fix is required? I’m not going to answer this one myself but suffice to say I don’t … Continue reading

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White Chocolate

Many chocolate aficionados don’t class white chocolate as being chocolate at all. Why, I hear you shout? Well, it’s a pretty persuasive argument I suppose. The fact is that white chocolate doesn’t actually contain any cocoa solids. It has cocoa … Continue reading

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Milk Chocolate

This is by far the most popular and widely consumed type of chocolate in the world. Its existence came about due to the diligence of a chocolatier called Daniel Peter in the 1870s. He was searching for a way to … Continue reading

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Dark Chocolate

It’s time to talk about the main types of chocolate now and I’m going to start with the purists’ choice – dark chocolate. And why is it the purists’ choice you might well ask? Basically, dark chocolate has the most … Continue reading

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Cocoa Production: Venezuela

For a contrast I thought I’d now mention a South American producer. Despite their first forays into cocoa production, they’re not such prolific growers these days. Venezuela isn’t even the biggest South American producer (that accolade goes to Brazil) but … Continue reading

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