White chocolate is not chocolate

It's the ugly little duckling of chocolates. His brothers, dark chocolate and milk, look at him superiorly for being different. The ivory swan of these sweets still comes from the exotic fruit of cocoa,but the experts consulted by ZEN do not usually consider it chocolate Why? Because in its composition the liquor of cocoa fruit is not used,but its main component is cocoa butter. They are difficult to compare, since their sensory sensation is much sweeter and with a taste closer to milk, one more reason for those who consider it a by-product.

But if it's not chocolate, what would we call it then? The 'Codex Alimentarius', an international FAO standard regulating this product, states that in Spain it must contain at least 20% cocoa butter and not less than 14% milk and sugar solids to receive this name. Its brewing process may be similar to other chocolates but in terms of health it will not have the beneficial properties that are associated with pure cocoa. Still, it is rich in calcium,as it has a lot of dairy, and has a higher percentage of vitamin A.

And as in the story, the swan of chocolates is born much later than black, specifically during the post-war period in Switzerland,the cradle of chocolate. Soon the idea jumps into the United States and other parts of the world. The Nestlé brand made it world famous when it began marketing it in 1962, with its well-known milk bars.

Not white, ivory

His color doesn't do justice to his name. Although its name is reminiscent of the color of the snow, the healthiest should move away from pure white and its appearance should be of an ivory tone. Sometimes some manufacturers replace cocoa butter, which gives it that more ochre tone, with other vegetable and animal fats that are cheaper.

Sweeter and fatr?

Among so many sugars, the million-dollar questionis: Which of the chocolates makes us fat the most? A comparison by the Cocoa and Chocolate Institute (ICC) concluded that white has a percentage of proteins and fats similar to black.100 grams of dark chocolate generate about 500kcal and white about 29 more. The difference is in thepercentage of sugar,which is greater in the second.

This is stated by Isabel Félez, owner of Chocolates Artesanos Isabel, "usually white chocolate contains a high percentage of sugar and very little cocoa butter or milk. That's why it's less healthy than dark chocolate." Beyond color, themost important thing when going to the supermarket is that you look at the components that appear on the label.

Source: www.elmundo.es