White chocolate - chocolate that isn''t really chocolate

Is white chocolate chocolate at all?

White chocolate is certainly a speciality among chocolates. Because of its composition, it should not be classed as a true chocolate, as it is completely free of the non-fatty parts of the cocoa. According to European legislation, which Slovenia follows, only food containing at least 2.5% dry, non-fat cocoa solids can be considered chocolate. White chocolate, on the other hand, contains only cocoa butter, which is not part of the dry, non-fatty cocoa solids, sugar and milk particles, which are dominated by vanilla and other additives.

Thus, white chocolate actually contains substances that are produced from the cocoa tree. However, white chocolate is not classified as real chocolate under the legislation which stipulates that, to be classified as chocolate, chocolate must contain non-fat cocoa solids.

However, because white chocolate is so similar to chocolate in that it tastes sweet, is brittle and also looks like chocolate, it has acquired the name ''chocolate'', which it cannot get rid of today.

The unique composition of white chocolate also results in the interesting fact that white chocolate is the most breakable type of chocolate.

Cocoa butter - the reason for the strength of white chocolate

It is the cocoa butter, with its appropriate melting temperature, which causes white chocolate to be solid at room temperature and to melt in the mouth, leaving behind a pleasant taste.

Historically, in order to reduce production costs, manufacturers have often added vegetable or animal fats to various chocolates instead of cocoa butter. This brought about changes in the strength and taste of the chocolate in particular. Another problem with this substitution is that animal and vegetable fats are no longer healthy after heat treatment and are a burden on the body itself.

In the case of white chocolate, replacing cocoa butter with vegetable or animal fats makes even more sense for manufacturers, as white chocolate contains a much higher proportion of cocoa butter than milk or dark chocolate. To prevent these substitutions, many countries have adopted restrictions that require white chocolate to contain at least 20% cocoa butter. This means that chocolate manufacturers have to comply with certain standards in their own production to ensure that the white chocolate they buy is of good quality and that it will not have harmful effects on consumers'' health.

Chocolate lovers can easily distinguish whether the white chocolate they have bought contains cocoa butter or vegetable fats. Quality white chocolate containing cocoa butter will have a creamy to ivory colour. On the other hand, white chocolate containing vegetable or animal fat substitutes will be completely white. Such white chocolate will also taste worse, be more brittle and be less healthy than white chocolate containing cocoa butter.

Using white chocolate

Because of its special taste, white chocolate is very useful in culinary applications. It can be used in many desserts and dessert recipes, where it gives the final product a sweet taste as well as a nice, white appearance. It can also be used with dark or milk chocolate, where the white chocolate creates an eye-pleasing contrast.
Believe it or not, white chocolate is not only used for sweet dishes. White chocolate, as well as milk and dark chocolate, can also be used in savoury dishes, where its use has been known for many years. For example, the Aztecs realised over a thousand years ago that the combination of hot spices and chocolate was a perfect combination, and they used it to great effect in their chocolate drinks, to which they added chilli. Thus, to this day, all types of chocolate are used in Mexican and European cuisines, especially in combinations with spicy meat dishes, where they are an excellent additional spice to enhance the flavour of the main dish.

However, it is important to remember that chocolate, whether white, dark or milk, is still a food that is high in carbohydrates, as well as fat, which can put a lot of strain on the body when consumed in large quantities. It is therefore important to eat this delicious confection called chocolate in moderation, in small bites and without feeling guilty about eating too much.