What can you find at the Salon du Chocolat? Pretty much everything you could possibly imagine. There's loads of chocolate to nibble on (grignoter) and delight (tickle: réjouir) your taste buds (papilles gustatives), of course, and there are workshops with famous chefs and patissiers too, workshops for children, books about chocolate, a fashion show with naught but sugary creations on the catwalk, a work of art made especially for the Salon by Belgian chocolatier Godiva and lots more.
There are different types of cocoa bean which are used in chocolate production today. They are the noble Criollo, the common Forastero and a hybrid between the two, the Trinitario. Criollo and Trinitario are often referred to as fine or flavour cocoa beans, while Forastero is considered the ordinary or bulk bean for mass production (although there are exceptions to this rule -- see below). Over 90% percent of the world's cocoa is bulk production, mostly from the Forastero bean. The remainder is fine/flavour cocoa, from most of the Trinitario and all of the Criollo varieties.
TRADITIONALLY CHOCOLATE IS NOT thought of as healthy -- after all it is mostly (cocoa) fat and sugar. In recent years however this idea has been challenged by numerous studies examining the health effects of chocolate. As chocolate is a complex substance, its constituents can affect the body in many different ways:
Flavonoids such as epicatechin have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, since they act as anti-oxidants and thus reduce cholesterol levels.
Theobromine is the defining chemical component of cocoa, which gives it its bitterness. It is a stimulant, but not as strong as caffeine.
Tryptophan is an amino acid from which the body makes serotonin, a messenger in the brain. High levels of serotonin are usually associated with an elevated mood.
Phenylethylamine is an amphetamine, and is responsible for chocolate's reputation as an aphrodisiac.
Anandamide is a cannabinoid -- it targets the same regions of the brain as cannabis. The quantities involved however, are once again very small, so that one is much more likely to be sick than high after consuming enough chocolate for anandamide to have an effect!
If chocolate is consumed in moderation -- perhaps 10 or 20g a day -- the beneficial compounds such as flavonoids outweigh the negative effects of the sugar and fat. This holds particularly for dark chocolate.
Flavonoids such as epicatechin have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, since they act as anti-oxidants and thus reduce cholesterol levels.
Theobromine is the defining chemical component of cocoa, which gives it its bitterness. It is a stimulant, but not as strong as caffeine.
Tryptophan is an amino acid from which the body makes serotonin, a messenger in the brain. High levels of serotonin are usually associated with an elevated mood.
Phenylethylamine is an amphetamine, and is responsible for chocolate's reputation as an aphrodisiac.
Anandamide is a cannabinoid -- it targets the same regions of the brain as cannabis. The quantities involved however, are once again very small, so that one is much more likely to be sick than high after consuming enough chocolate for anandamide to have an effect!
If chocolate is consumed in moderation -- perhaps 10 or 20g a day -- the beneficial compounds such as flavonoids outweigh the negative effects of the sugar and fat. This holds particularly for dark chocolate.
Today Belgium produces 172,000 tons of chocolate per year, almost 70,500 tons of which are consumed within the country.
Best chocolates are coming from La Hulpe, I confirm... ;=)
RépondreSupprimerThank you!