White Chocolate - Is it Really Chocolate?

White chocolate falls into the classification of "chocolate" only because of its cocoa butter content. Surprisingly, it is not considered "real chocolate" because it does not contain any chocolate liquor. It is made of sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids, sugar lecithin, and flavorings such as vanilla. It is often called confectionery or summer coating because according to the Food and Drug Administration of the United States, products labeled as chocolates should contain cocoa solids from chocolate liquor.

Chocolate liquor is the result of fermenting, drying, roasting, and grinding cocoa beans. Those that are considered to be "real chocolates" are dark chocolates and milk chocolates which contain considerable amounts of cocoa solids and chocolate liquor. However, this creamy version is still popular with people who have a preference for this sweet product. Several big names in the chocolate industry also have their own line of this form of gourmet chocolate, including Hershey's, Cadbury, Ghirardelli, Godiva, and Nestlé, among many others.

It must contain cocoa butter to retain its quality. Otherwise, it is considered an inferior brand especially if instead of cocoa butter, vegetable fat is used to create a confectionery similar to white chocolate but of a lesser taste and quality.

To know the difference, you must take note of its color. This creamy chocolate made with cocoa butter is ivory-colored while those with vegetable fat are white-colored. You will also know if it is a high quality gourmet chocolate if it has a rich and creamy texture and has a sweet and subtle flavor.

This rich chocolate treat does undergo the same procedure that creates dark chocolate and milk chocolate. However, sugar and milk are the only ingredients added to the cocoa butter to produce this creamy chocolate instead of re-blending the cocoa butter with the cocoa solids. This also means that compared to dark and milk chocolates, these chocolates do not contain caffeine and theobromine since these are found in the cocoa solids. Since 2004 the FDA in the U.S. regulated the manufacturing and marketing of these chocolates. For it to be considered a true gourmet chocolate, it must contain at least 20% cocoa butter, at least 14% total milk solids, at least 3.5% milk fat, and less than 55% sugar or other sweeteners.

This creamy version has also gained a considerable amount of popularity in recent years. It has become so popular that many well-known chocolatiers also have their own line of white chocolate products both for eating and baking purposes. Some of these include:

* Lindt
* Baker's
* Ghirardelli
* Cadbury
* Godiva
* Hershey's
* Kit Kat
* Toblerone

While white chocolate is considered to be not a "real chocolate," it is still on the top three of the most popular varieties of chocolates along with milk chocolate and dark chocolate In fact, many chocoholics will vote it to be their favorite chocolate without really knowing that it isn't "real chocolate." Its sweet "chocolate" goodness is enough to make it real.