Salon Du Chocolat – Milan

I must admit that I did not expect that on a rainy Sunday in mid-February, so much people to participate Salon Du Chocolat, The first edition of the event dedicated to chocolate, held in Milan on 13 14 and 15 February. Despite an entrance fee of 15 euro, the large influx of people present has once again demonstrated the interest in this production, choice more and more carefully and refinement.

Along with a dear friend, a surgeon who puts the right balance between healthy food and pleasure, I softened my Sunday following the sensory pathways, among other very crowded, that three days have seen once again the protagonist of quality chocolate. Eh sì, although they say, Italians are more and more informed and critical in their purchases. Certainly a positive fact, that allows to contrast those who work to the detriment of good productions.

Now many are the means that allow us to know what we put on the table. It's up to us to decide whether to become informed and aware consumers. Talk to the producers during the events and follow the paths guided tasting, paths are certainly useful to guarantee us the quality of our purchases. Personally, every time I have the chance, I do not miss both.

About this, al Chocolate Show, with my dear Jose, I followed the tasting "Back to School" by the Company of Chocolate. A nonprofit organization formed by a group of friends from 1995 with workshops, tastings and tours, It aims to promote the culture of chocolate. A product derived from the seeds of the cacao, pianta originaria della zona situata tra il Sud del Messico e il Guatemala.

Below are some tips to enjoy it at its best and to assess their quality in sampling. Tenete presente che la molteplicità di cioccolati esistenti richiede molte esperienze sensoriali. The more you do and the more they acquire skills Tasting.

Sono principalmente quattro i parametri per valutare la qualità del cioccolato.

• Roundness : At this stage the chocolate is melted in the mouth without haste. Così facendo il suo sapore evolve col passare dei minuti. Se si scioglie bene ed è cremoso si ha un indice di buona rotondità.

• Aromaticità : Questo parametro è relativo alla parte aromatica. Più aromi si avvertono e più il cioccolato risulta elegante, complex and structured.

• balanced flavor : Un equilibrio determinato dal buon rapporto tra dolcezza e amaro, that is, between sugar and cocoa mass. If chocolate is an unbalanced one element prevails over the other.

• Persistence : The good quality chocolate has a persistence that can last up to 15 minutes.

I conclude with a curiosity. Do you know when the first chocolate bar was produced?

Well, the credit goes to Francis Fry of Fry & Sons di Bristol, in that 1847 He added to the mixture of cocoa and sugar, cocoa butter instead of water. It was then that was born the first solid chocolate called for the occasion delicious chocolate to eat. Da allora fu tutto un susseguirsi di emozionanti sperimentazioni sensoriali, che a tutt’oggi appagano i nostri sensi.

Source: Chocolate Company – "Chocolate. New harmonies "Of Rosalba Gioffrè

These days I ate too much chocolate… uff, I have a face full of pimples!

I still remember when ... let me think, here is, I have been sixteen, in an afternoon of total boredom (even then could not sit still) I made a powerful concoction made with chocolate. I had used so much, but so much, chocolate to make a truly explosive! Well, a few days after the explosion occurred, one, but with a giant pimple! 🙁

My father took me to the doctor, that, soon as he saw, sent me to the hospital for direct etching. Fairly embarrassing situation, one, because the location was not the most sympathetic. I can not forget the episode, also because, thanks to the scar that has remained (fortunately not visible to most) I can not.

Anyone who knows me knows I am greedy ...! I can not get it to start it to close the day, without having eaten a cake! That said, to return to the chocolate, I recommend, do not like me, do not overdo it!

A short but good and all, the secret is to stay healthy! 🙂

Did you know that ...

• Chocolate is made from the fruit of the cacao tree, a plant native to South America, whose scientific name is Theobroma cacao, in greco, food of the gods. The Aztecs 3000 years ago, used these seeds as coins.

• There's chocolate, and chocolate! Favouring a quality that contains at least 70 percent cocoa.

• And 'rich in antioxidants, substances that slow the aging process.

• Being very energetic, is an excellent food to recharge. And 'even included in the diet of astronauts during space missions.

• And 'rich in fat: provides 500 calories each 100 grams

• Chocolate contains caffeine: 125 grams of dark chocolate contain an amount of caffeine equal to that contained in a cup of coffee.

• Thanks to phenylethylamine, a chemical found in cocoa, il cioccolato ha delle proprietà antidepressive, therefore improves mood.

Source: 'Foods that are good, foods that are bad '- Tom Sanders professor of nutrition and dietetics at King's College, University of London