A certain day is fast approaching. We won’t give specifics, but let’s just say that when it rolls around, it could either be filled with laughter and romance or filled with takeout and reruns of a 90s sitcom. Taking someone out for dinner, or taking out the trash. A nice glass of red wine, or… actually, wine might be involved either way.
That day is Valentine’s Day, for the folks playing at home.
No matter how you’ll be spending the 14th of February, there’s a high likelihood that you might end up enjoying some chocolate throughout the day. But how much do you really know about this sweet treat? Everyone always wants a heart-shaped box of Godiva, but do they ever go diving in the sea of chocolate knowledge? Well, our friends at Virtua Health put together this list of 6 chocolate facts you may not have known that will give you some newfound appreciation for the delicious dessert food.
Chocolate requires cacao beans, vegetable oils… and patience.
The industrial process for making chocolate is probably something you’ve seen a million times on TV or one of those “How It’s Made” channels on YouTube. But one of the longest parts of the process for making chocolate is actually making the bean itself. According to the National Confectioners Association, a cacao tree can take 4-5 years to grow before you see a single bean – and even then you need over 400 of those beans to make one pound of chocolate! All good things truly do come to those who wait.
What wines pair well with chocolate?
Planning on eating a nice, dark square of chocolate with a glass of champagne? Rookie mistake! The National Confectioners Association claims that the best way to pair chocolate with wine is to consider their relative sweetness level – sweet with sweet, and dry with bitter. For example, dark chocolate pairs well with a dry red, while white chocolate will better suit champagne or a sweet bubbly wine. Give it a try – you’ll really taste the difference!
Is white chocolate actually chocolate?
The age-old argument: can we consider white chocolate to be in the chocolate family? That’s a tough one. Since it contains only cocoa butter and no cocoa solids, white chocolate is technically more of a cocoa-adjacent treat, as stated in an article by the American Heart Association. But no one can deny that it has the spirit of chocolate. Final word: if you’re a fan, then by all means count it in the chocolate crew!
What about dark chocolate?
There’s no doubt that dark chocolate has cocoa solids, but another interesting question comes to mind: is it lactose-free? It highly depends – a piece by LIVESTRONG says that though dark chocolate has much less dairy than its milk or white counterparts, the amount of milk it may have and even the presence of dairy products in the machinery used to make the chocolate can vary. Even when a label claims it’s dairy-free or vegan, it may contain some milk compounds. If you’re concerned about lactose in dark chocolate, always make sure to try a small amount, wait about 30 minutes, and then proceed.
Is dark chocolate good for the heart?
Chances are you associate dark chocolate with heart health based on research, and you’d be absolutely right – well, you’d be right that research was done! Many studies have shown that there is a correlation between eating dark chocolate (as opposed to other kinds of chocolate) and various heart benefits. The results of these studies don’t give us a clear answer about the extent of those heart benefits, but what is the science behind this correlation? The flavonoids in dark chocolate such as catechin, epicatechin, and procyanidins were indeed found to be associated with short-term heart benefits including lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
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