Three standard types of chocolate are neatly tucked away in every Indian pantry - white, milk, and dark chocolate. Every person leans towards their personal favourites and keeps bars handy when the sugar cravings strike. But what about other kinds of chocolate that you are not aware of? Could your taste buds be missing out on something great, let’s find out about the popularity of chocolates in India.
Did you know there are 4 different types of chocolates?
1. White chocolate
There are so many different types of chocolate that it gets difficult for the palette to choose a favourite. But a popular crowd-please is white chocolate. Easy to identify, white chocolate has a luscious cream colour and sweet vanilla aroma to it. Made from a blend of sugar, cocoa butter, milk, vanilla, and lecithin (an emulsifier), these types of chocolate have a predominantly sweet flavour, with bold undertones of creamy condensed milk.
A premium white chocolate variety can be identified from its creamy texture. Because these chocolate varieties don’t contain any cocoa solids that lend traditional bars a brown colour and decadent chocolate flavour, we rely on good quality vanilla for a delicious bite. So, is white chocolate even chocolate? Well, yes, because it has ingredients from the cacao bean.
If you love hoarding chocolates, the best way to store white chocolate is in a cool, dry place, and it will have a shelf life of around four months. You can eat a white chocolate bar as it is, add it to cakes, frostings, and for cooking ganache.
2. Milk chocolate
If you love different types of chocolate, you will love the classic milk bar. Light brown, mildly sweet, and decadently creamy milk chocolate is one of the most popular types of chocolate available in the market. Traditional methods involve combining chocolate liquor (cocoa solids and cocoa butter) with milk and sugar, along with soy lecithin, to make smooth bars of milk chocolate.
For a bar of milk chocolate to pass off as one, it must contain at least 10 per cent chocolate liquor and 12 per cent milk. A bit of milk chocolate will tantalise your taste buds as you enjoy notes of vanilla, caramelised sugar, cooked milk, and vanilla. A sweeter and softer texture than dark chocolate, milk bars have a mild flavour that is perfect for cooking, baking, and eating as is. When stored properly, a bar of good-quality milk chocolate will last you for around 16 months.
3. Dark chocolate
The second most popular chocolate variety after milk is dark chocolate. Different chocolates have unique colours and flavour profiles that are acquired tastes. One such decadently delicious variety is the deep brown, dark chocolate. Almost a shade of black, the sweetness of dark chocolate varies as per the sugar incorporated--the lesser the sugar more the distinctive bitterness. It is also the reason why it is considered healthier than other popular flavours.
Made using two simple ingredients- chocolate liquor, and sugar, some variants also have a small amount of soy lecithin and vanilla. An authentic bar of dark chocolate will contain a minimum of 15% chocolate liquor to qualify as a kind of chocolate. There are different types of chocolate within the dark chocolate category that are vegan and have no dairy. With less sugar and no dairy, dark chocolate has a firm snap when broken and is obviously a healthier alternative to milk and white chocolate bars.
Wondering what is chocolate made from? Well, this variety has more cocoa content and less sugar, which lends it a dense chocolatey flavour. This is one of the reasons why dark chocolate is more widely used for baking classic chocolate desserts. If stored properly, a quality bar of dark chocolate will last you around 20 months. Try the best dark chocolate in India for a tantalising punch on your palette.
4. Ruby chocolate
A fairly new chocolate variety, the ruby chocolate, was discovered in 2017 by Belgian chocolatier Barry Callebaut. One of the most unique types of chocolate, ruby has a reddish-pink hue and is noticeably different from others. The beauty of this variety is that the colour is not from an additive but derived from a very specific type of ruby cocoa bean. This bean is grown in Ecuador, Brazil, and the Ivory Coast.
Though the process of making these different types of chocolate remains undisclosed by chocolatier Barry, it has 47.5% cacao and 26.3% milk content. When stored properly a bar of fresh fruity goodness will last you for about 12 months.
Chocolate varieties need no prior introduction to our palettes. Every individual has their dear favourite, which is their go-to guilty pleasure. If you enjoy cooking and baking, try varieties from these Indian chocolate brands for a rich, creamy dish.