What’s your pleasure? Do you love salted caramels covered in chocolate? Or chocolate covered peanut brittle? Or just an old-fashioned bonbon or truffle? The big question is…Dark or Milk Chocolate? For me, I go dark and nod politely to White Chocolate although I’m not sure it counts as in the family.
The cocoa bean and the making of chocolate has quite a history.
The Maya are the first civilization to record the farming of cacao more than 3000 years ago. In 1519, a Spanish explorer was introduced to cocoa beans by the Aztec emperor Montezuma II, who was said to drink 50 cups of cocoa a day!
North America became aware of chocolate in 1641. The earliest record is in St. Augustine, Florida, where a Spanish ship was forced to make port while carrying beans, chocolate and chocolate-making equipment. In 1682 Boston merchants began importing cocoa beans, marking the advent of chocolate production in the colonies. And, in 1741 Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish scientist, gave cacao the botanical name theobroma cacao, which translated means “cacao, food of the gods.”
J.S. Fry & Sons developed the first solid chocolate bar by blending together cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar, resulting in the world’s oldest chocolate bar—Fry’s Chocolate Cream Bar.
In the beginning, chocolate was prepared as a drink and said to have healing properties.
It wasn’t until 1847 that J.S. Fry & Sons developed the first solid chocolate bar by blending together cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar, resulting in the world’s oldest chocolate bar—Fry’s Chocolate Cream Bar. The Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar was created in 1900. The Milky Way wasn’t born until 1923.
Chocolate hangs out with all the important people and shows up in historic events. In 1912, chocolate appeared on the menu of the Titanic. In 1913, Theodore Roosevelt included 16 ounces of chocolate per person per week for rations on a Brazilian jungle expedition. In 1925, the New York Cocoa Exchange was established to enable commercial transactions. Charles Lindbergh enjoyed cocoa in 1927 aboard the Spirit of St. Louis. In 1925, Amelia Earhart indulged in a chocolate drink on her solo voyage from Hawaii to Oakland. In 1939, European countries included 4 ounces of chocolate per week in war rations. Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mt. Everest in 1953, where they buried chocolate to appease the mountain gods. In 1981, M&Ms were included in the first space shuttle mission and in every subsequent flight.
In 2015, the Flaviola Consortium, a European research project, declared that cocoa flavanols can keep hearts healthy. We now know that dark chocolate containing at least 70% cacao has flavanols—a type of antioxidant that may improve heart health by reducing inflammation and blood pressure. It may also enhance cognitive function. Milk chocolate, however, has less flavanols and more sugar. White chocolate has sugar, but no flavonoids.
Chocolate may, indeed, have health benefits but that doesn’t change the fact that chocolate of all kinds is high in calories. Moderation is recommended. No matter. Most of us love different kinds of chocolate and will partake for our tasting pleasure and the simple joy of indulgence. Some may think of it only as a guilty pleasure while for others it’s a daily necessity.
Most of us have memories of chocolate bars that have been around since childhood. Chocolate is often used as a reward or offered in celebration. But now there are many very special chocolate concoctions that are not found in the candy aisle of the supermarket. Small batch producers of designer chocolates are thriving. Chocolate now might come with surprises and a bit of adventure.
Here are some of the best specialty chocolates that we’ve discovered:
Raaka of New York offers limited batch chocolate bars with unroasted dark chocolate from scratch with high quality, transparently traded single-origin cacao—uncommonly delicious. Ginger snap, green tea crunch and pink sea salt are just a few of their chocolate flavors.
Askinosie chocolate lauds from Missouri and was developed by a father/daughter team who travel to remote areas of the world to source cocoa beans directly from smallholder farmers. Profits are shared. Named by Food & Wine as one of 25 companies changing the world for the better, their chocolate is undeniably sublime. Dairy-free milk chocolate and Amazonia dark chocolate are two chocolate bars that you won’t forget.
Deux Cranes is an artisanal chocolate company showcasing handcrafted creations made in California by French trained Chocolatier Michiko who draws on her Japanese heritage. Flavors include Matcha Chocolate with Yuzu and Milk Chocolate with Ginger, Sesame and Buckwheat.
All of these are available at Anchor Pantry in Vallejo along with many more chocolate varieties.
There is also Liled’s Candy Kitchen in Vallejo that opened in 1936. A very special sweet shop, they make their own assorted chocolates and truffles which can be purchased in gift boxes by the pound. Chocolate fudge is also featured along with their famous ice cream which comes in many flavors, including Swiss Milk Chocolate, Chocolate and Chocolate Caramel.
Benicia’s own One House Bakery offers a plethora of specialty chocolate items during holiday periods. All are handmade in-house, organic, with only natural food dyes and are stunningly beautiful. In the meantime, you can’t go wrong with a chocolate croissant, chocolate cream tart or a chocolate pull-apart, available most days.
Yes, See’s Candies are award winning and never disappoint. But with so much to explore, maybe this is the year to expand your chocolate tasting repertoire.
