Chocolate is happiness, pure pleasure, a little bit of heaven if I might say. It is such a universal treat that people use it to celebrate their festivals and happiness globally. Regardless of their religion and culture, all people use chocolate as a festive treat. For Christians Christmas holidays, Thanksgiving and Halloween are incomplete without chocolate, Muslims and Hindus gift chocolate boxes to each other on Eid and Diwali respectively. The whole world gifts each other chocolates on some of the more universal occasions such as Valentine’s Day. Lastly, for some people (like me) chocolate is comfort food that helps them to cope with a bad day.
Chocolate is a universal snack:
The universality of chocolate is what makes it such a unique product. Chocolate is a $60 billion industry, as everyone loves it. According to a survey, 88% of Americans say that chocolate is their favorite candy. It is that one product that all regions of the world have. Nothing can be more universal than coke and even that is not sold in Cuba and North Korea but you can definitely find chocolate there.
Types of Chocolates:
There are four main types of chocolates. The basic composition for all is the same, it’s the processing of cocoa in different manners that gives us different flavors and types.
Milk chocolate:
Milk chocolate is the most common form of chocolate you and I eat. Condensed milk is added to cocoa to make it sweetened and edible.
Dark chocolate:
Dark chocolate is for people with peculiar tastes. To make dark chocolate fat and sugar are added to the cocoa mix.
White chocolate:
White chocolate does not contain any solid cocoa; it is made entirely from cocoa fat.
Unsweetened chocolate:
This is a pure form of chocolate, extremely bitter and not edible as a snack. It is a crude form of chocolate usually used for baking.
Famous brands for chocolate:
Bean to bar
There are two types of chocolate manufacturers, one produces commercial bars and they own the whole supply chain from cocoa beans to finished products and their distribution. Some famous bean-to-bar brands are:
- Hershey’s
- Lindt & Sprungli
- Mars, and
- Nestle
Confectioners:
The other type is of confectioners, one that produces aesthetic products from chocolate. This is like food art and products are a bit more expensive. It’s like elite chocolates.
The two most famous chocolate confectionery brands are:
- Cadbury
- Ferrero
These two produce commercial bar chocolates as well but are more famous for confectionery.
Belgian Chocolate:
When it comes to chocolate confectionery, Belgium is at the forefront of European chocolate since the 19th century. Innovation in chocolate treats like Pralines has earned Belgian chocolate a distinct name. Their confectionary is like a sweet indulgence, a remarkable way to treat yourself. Belgian chocolate is famous for the art pieces that they create from chocolate and then pack in equally elegant chocolate boxes that make the final product one of its kind.
Chocolate Engineers:
At first, Belgium was the only country where they had Chocolate engineers. But now almost all famous confectioners are recruiting chocolate engineers. I’m glad it has become an actual job. With more than 2000 artisanal shops Belgian chocolate is the leader of the chocolate industry without a doubt.
Why do Humans love chocolate so much?
There is a scientific explanation of why humans love chocolate so much. The human brain is literally and jell-O filled with hundreds of chemicals and chocolate changes the whole chemistry of our brain. Precisely, chocolate helps with the production of serotonin, also called a happy chemical. Serotonin is responsible for our happiness, literally. It helps with boosting the mood and as chocolate helps with its production we can get addicted to it.
Conclusion:
Chocolate is designed to melt in our mouths. It makes us happy and no religion forbids it. Custom Chocolate Boxes are considered one of the best gifts you can give someone as people from all faiths love chocolate. No matter how much hatred and prejudice are there in the world, there is nothing a box of chocolates can’t fix.
