Hello Steemit's friends, I want to share with you something that is my passion, and I want to help you enjoy it fully, without remorse. I want to guide you on how to identify a good chocolate, according to the information offered by your packaging.
When we talk about chocolate we find two very different concepts: the first defines it as a treat that causes obesity, heart disease and acne; And the second tells us that it is a super food rich in antioxidants and flavonoids, which helps us to be healthier, to stay young and to be happier. How do you know who the hero is and who is the villain? I recommend doing something very simple first: Read the ingredients! Yes, I know that sometimes the nutritional labels are full of words that we do not know, and that reading them leaves us with some questions, and sometimes, with some fright.
But I am here to help you. In this post I will give you some very simple tips that will help you to understand what characteristics a good chocolate should have.
- High-quality chocolate is composed only of cocoa paste or liquor, cocoa butter, sugar, and occasionally lecithin, the latter being used in minimal quantities to improve the viscosity and homogeneity of the chocolate.
- In the label the ingredients are listed in major to minor depending on the amount used, so it is important that first appear the liquor or cocoa paste, and never sugar.
- It is very important that the label specifies the use of cocoa butter and not vegetable shortening. The latter is a hydrogenated vegetable fat much cheaper than cocoa butter, but it is high in harmful fats and does not impart to the chocolate characteristics of adequate brightness and texture.
- The darker the chocolate, the healthier and purer. I particularly recommend consuming chocolate without milk, and with a percentage of cacao from 70%. My favorites are 100% cocoa, meaning they do not contain sugar. For me it is a fun exercise to discover what aromas and flavors hide the pure chocolates.
- The chocolates that have been elaborated with more care throughout their entire process, maintain their own aromas and flavors that identify them according to their origin, therefore a chocolate of excellent quality should not have vanilla, let alone some artificial aroma.
I hope these tips have been helpful, in other publications will comment much more about how to enjoy this special food.