What Is Raw Chocolate?
The chocolate making process begins with a tree called the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao). This tree grows in equatorial regions, especially in places such as South America, Africa and Indonesia. Raw chocolate is the unprocessed cacao bean or nib, which has been dried. It can be used for many different purposes, and is one of the top antioxidant sources available on the modern market. Raw chocolate contains approximately 380 known chemicals, many of them that are extremely beneficial to the body. Dr. Drewnowski...
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Many people are beginning to realize the importance of living well and the health benefits of eating wholesome organic foods. The movement is growing fast, as more and more people learn about the vegan lifestyle and the advantages of consuming raw foods. As such, we should take a closer look at the health benefits that accompany consuming raw cacao (a very healthy and natural bean) and using organically grown, pesticide free cacao nuts in vegan chocolates. Your typical milk chocolate bar is a highly processed...
Read MoreCacao Beans
The word cacao comes from the Aztec language Nahuatl’s word “cacahuatl,” and the cacao bean was very important to indigenous Mesoamericans. Cultivation of the cacao bean was extensive in early Mesoamerica and Aztec lore cites the god Quetzalcoatl as the initial discoverer. As described by ancient texts, it was used for ceremonial, medicinal, and culinary purposes. Cacao was even ground by the Aztecs and mixed with tobacco for smoking. Cacao beans not only provided a ritual beverage to the early Mesoamericans,...
Read MoreIn The Chocolate Factory – From Bean To Chocolate
From The Bean To Chocolate We now come to the remarkable art of chocolate making, a process that is comparable with the skill and finesse of the world’s greatest chefs. The manufacturing process requires much time and painstaking care. Just to make an individual-size chocolate bar, for instance, takes from two to four days or more. Manufacturing methods will differ from plant to plant, but there is a general processing pattern which prevails everywhere. It is this pattern that makes the chocolate industry...
Read MoreWhat Is Animal Free?
The term “animal free” is commonly used to refer to materials and foods that contain zero percent animal products. This of course indicates that the product contains absolutely no meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and dairy products, along with honey, fur, leather, wool, and silk. Anything that came from an animal or was made by an animal can not be considered animal free. Animal free materials also eschew a long list of common animal by-products like gelatin, lanolin, rennet, whey, beeswax, and shellac....
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