Your go-to guide to chocolates
There are four main types of chocolates — white, milk, dark, and ruby chocolate. This universally loved consumable is used to create various types of chocolates, sweets, and also some lip-smacking dishes. But can you differentiate between all the various types of chocolates out there? To help you out, we have described the different types of chocolates in detail below.
White chocolate
Yes, white chocolate is chocolate as it contains cocoa butter, but does not contain chocolate liquor or any other cocoa products. It is easily identified because of its ivory color. White chocolate must contain a minimum of 20 percent cocoa butter, 14 percent milk solids, and a maximum of 55 percent sugar. If stored properly, it has a shelf life of four months.
Milk chocolate
Milk chocolate is light brown in color, has a creamy texture, and has a sweet flavor. It is by far considered the most popular type of chocolate. As per the FDA definition, milk chocolate must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor and 12% milk. Milk chocolate often leaves a vanilla aftertaste. When properly stored, milk chocolate has a shelf-life of about 16 months.
Dark chocolate
Also called unsweetened chocolate, dark chocolate lacks milk solids and has a dry, bitter aftertaste. Regardless of its flavor, 35% of the world's population prefers dark chocolate over other kinds. Dark chocolate is a rich source of antioxidants and it also helps protect one's heart health and improves blood flow throughout the body. When properly stored, it has a shelf-life of about 20 months.
Ruby chocolate
Ruby is the fourth type of chocolate, famous for its pretty pink color. Ruby chocolate is the newest type and was officially unveiled by Belgian-Swiss cocoa company--Barry Callebaut--in 2017. It has a fruity flavor with a tinge of sourness. Ruby cocoa beans are only grown in Brazil, Ecuador, and the Ivory Coast. It has a shelf-life of about 12 months.
Bitter chocolate
Bitter chocolate is pure chocolate liquor, made of ground cocoa beans. It is not meant for consumption on its own and is best used in cooking combined with sugar. Since cocoa beans contain equal amounts of cocoa butter and cocoa solids, bitter chocolate contributes a very rich flavor to baked items. It is also the base ingredient in all forms of chocolate, except white.
