"pure chocolate" news and stories

After reading about the NOKA Chocolate exposé yesterday, it seemed like a good time to mention a chocolate cookbook from a well-known and well-respected chocolatier, Fran Bigelow. And Pure Chocolate: Divine Desserts and Sweets from the Creator of Fran's Chocolates is a book by a woman who knows what she's talking about when it comes to chocolate. In fact, the introduction of the book is entitled "Everything You Need to Know About Chocolate." With a careful tone and a lot of patience, she explains all the basics that will provide you with a solid feel for the properties of chocolate and all thing things that can be done with it. Her recipes are not limited to candies, despite the fact that she is most widely known for her confectionery skills. The book includes cookies, cheesecakes, puddings and sorbets, as well as truffles, brownies and tarts. Some of her most famous recipes are in the book, like the Chocolate Butter Glaze, as well as ones that might be less familiar even to her fans, like Brie White Chocolate Cheesecake, Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Roll and White Chocolate Coconut Cream Bars.

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The Italian government recently voted, almost unanimously, to uphold its decision to allow only products made with 100% cocoa butter to be labeled as "pure chocolate". Other fats are allowed in the products, such as those from milk, fruits and nuts, but the European Union currently allows up to 5% vegetable fats to be present in a product labeled as "pure chocolate". In both sets of definitions natural flavors and soya lecithin (non-genetically modified, in Italy) are allowed to be present in chocolate.

Italy introduced this definition of "pure chocolate" in 2003 in order to protect traditionally produced Italian chocolate from competition with imports, which were less expensive due to their partial use of non-cocoa fats. Italy, which may have to face the European Court of Justice because of its failure to recognise the European standards, is planning to petition the EU to obtain Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) status for its chocolate. Achieving this status would mean that the EU would recognise the Italian "pure chocolate" label and its assurance of 100% pure cocoa butter products made in a traditional manner.

Italian chocolate makers and cocoa growers have supported the government's efforts wholeheartedly. Chocolate is a 350 million euros ($424 million dollars) per year business in Italy, with the average Italian consuming nearly 10 pounds per year, a number which doubled in the past ten years and continues to grow.

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