LOGINFor this #FreshFoodFriday, we’d like to feature the super tasty, Dark Chocolate.
What exactly is dark chocolate and where does it come from?
Firstly, dark chocolate is chocolate without added milk solids. Compared to milk chocolate, it will most likely have a deeper, chocolate taste. You can tell just how ‘dark’, dark chocolate is by the stated percentage of cocoa solids on the bar. The cacao content in the common dark chocolate bar can range from 45% to 75% – bars also go up to 85% or 95% cacao content. To distinguish the specific tastes of dark chocolate bars with varying cacao content, chocolate connoisseurs use terms such as: bittersweet, semi-sweet or sweet dark chocolate.
Funny enough, in a sense, chocolate does in fact grows on trees. It all starts with the tropical tree, Theobroma Cacao, sometimes called the ‘cacao tree’. Here, the cacao bean begins life inside a fruit, called a pod, on the branches of the this tree. The cacao tree is native to Central and South America, but, today, cacao is grown commercially throughout the tropics.
Fun Fact: A cacao tree can produce about two thousand pods per year.
What are the possible health benefits of eating dark chocolate?
Besides being extremely tasty, dark chocolate has a few remarkable potential health benefits.
Depending on the percentage of cacao content, dark chocolate is:
+ Packed with vitamins and minerals – such as Iron, Magnesium, Copper and Zinc;
+ Rich in powerful antioxidants and polyphenols;
+ A good source of healthy fiber.
+ It also may lower your blood pressure and reduce you risk of cardiovascular disease.
