Chocolate
Chocolate is a food like no other. Whether you prefer dark chocolate to white or chocolate bars to chocolate mousse, there’s no shortage of indulgence that can be derived from the cacao plant. This Chocolate Web Guide helps you find recipes for chocolate chip cookies, chocolate milk, chocolate ganache and chocolate fondue. Also use the guide to make your own chocolate, send a sweet gift or read reviews on the finest chocolates worth tasting.
Expand All Guide SectionsThe History of Chocolate
Chocolate has been enjoyed for the last 2,000 years, since its discovery by the Maya and Aztec cultures. The sites below offer a deeper look into the history of chocolate, and how it became the sweet staple universally enjoyed today.
Insights for the History of Chocolate
- If you want to learn more about the background of chocolate, try “The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural and Natural History of Cacao with Recipes” by Maricel Presilla.
Top Sites for the History of Chocolate
Making Chocolate
Chocolate, unlike some other life essentials, does grow on trees. Here you’ll learn how chocolate has been cultivated through the ages and also find some advice on making chocolate at home.
Insights for Making Chocolate
- If you want to learn how artisan chocolate is made, read “Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner.”
- For more tips on making and tempering chocolate, see the “Chocolate Recipes” section of this guide.
Top Sites for Making Chocolate
Buying Chocolate Online
Thanks to the Internet, you can get the finest chocolate from all over the world delivered directly to you. Below are just a few ways to buy chocolate online.
Insights for Buying Chocolate Online
- If you have a favorite brand of chocolate, visit the manufacturer’s Web site to see if you can buy chocolate online, directly from them.
- Before you buy chocolate, read “Choosing and Storing Chocolate” from Joyofbaking.com. Learn what type of chocolate to buy depending on your baking or tasting needs, as well as methods for properly storing chocolate.
Top Sites for Buying Chocolate Online
Chocolate Tasting
Whether you enjoy scarfing down M&Ms or want to host a tasting of Swiss truffles, there are a variety of techniques to chocolate tasting that can help you savor every delicious bite.
Insights for Chocolate Tasting
- If you have a gourmet retailer near you, visit the store to see if they offer chocolate tastings: The more chocolate you try, the better you’ll be at detecting the subtleties of its flavors.
- “Discover Chocolate: The Ultimate Guide to Buying, Tasting, and Enjoying Fine Chocolate” offers a connoisseur’s approach to appreciating chocolate, while the chocolate gourmand might like “Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America.”
- If you’re interested in other specialty foods and beverages, visit findingDulcinea’s Web Guides to Wine, Beer and Liquor and Cocktails.
Top Sites for Chocolate Tasting
Chocolate Recipes
If you’re interested in a chocolate chip cookie recipe or instructions for a chocolate soufflé, the following resources show you how to get your hands dirty—with cacao, that is. Read on for lots of chocolate recipes.
Insights for Chocolate Recipes
- If you’d like to track the nutritional value of your chocolate, bookmark this table to see nutritional information for milk, white and dark chocolate.
- In an NPR interview, food writer Nigella Lawson talks about chocolate and offers tips for baking with it.
- If you want even more chocolate baking recipes, visit findingDulcinea’s Baking Web Guide.
Top Sites for Chocolate Recipes
Chocolate Blogs
Chocolate blogs are a great place to go for more information on this rich delight. Discover popular brands and varieties, find out about current chocolate news or read chocolate reviews written by fellow chocoholics.
Insights for Chocolate Blogs
- Many of these sites encourage you to post a comment. If you agree or disagree with a review, it can be helpful for other users if you say so.
- Chocolate blogs are a good way to find out what’s happening in the chocolate world: Use them to track events or tastings. Before you make any plans, however, be sure to verify the date and location of any event.
Top Sites for Chocolate Blogs
Health Benefits of Chocolate
It has long been believed that there are health benefits of chocolate consumption, and recent medical research appears to back up these claims. Read on to discover the health benefits of chocolate.
Insights for the Health Benefits of Chocolate
- Why do people crave chocolate? Read all about chocolate’s relationship with your brain chemistry in, “What is this thing about chocolate?”
- Although chocolate may have health benefits for you, it’s poison for your pet. National Geographic has a detailed chart that measures the toxic effect of chocolate on your dog.
Top Sites for the Health Benefits of Chocolate
