It is ambiguous whether white chocolate is chocolate or not. White chocolate may contain cocoa butter, but it doesn't have any other ingredient that contains the compound "chocolate liquor" which is made from ground and roasted cocoa beans.
So it's obvious, that it's confusion, and that leads to this question. Let us try to put this issue in a proper perspective. And let's start the same by knowing the white chocolate.
what is white chocolate?
White chocolate contains cocoa butter as its base ingredient and it is a confectionary. It is a combination of milk solids, sugar, cocoa butter, and sometimes other ingredients such as vanilla, fruit pulp, or lecithin.
The name of the chocolate is derived from the color of the chocolate, which will be white in nature. Many industries made white chocolate are pure white which is due to the more artificial coloring agents.
The compound "chocolate liquor" can be found in both dark and milk chocolates but white chocolate on the other hand doesn't have the "chocolate liquor".
It does not contain any chocolate liquor which means it has no caffeine, which is found in Dark chocolate.
What white chocolate is made from?
White chocolate is made from milk solids, cocoa butter, and sugar. In contrast, milk chocolate is made from cocoa butter, milk powder or condensed milk, and sugar. Some brands may add allergens and vanilla to add flavors.
But it does not contain any chocolate solids or cacao beans or cacao nibs. Cocoa butter is extracted from cacao beans. The absence of the cacao bean or cacao nibs in the white chocolate reduces the color of the chocolate to white.
Dark Chocolate vs. White Chocolate vs. Milk Chocolate
Dark chocolate, white chocolate, and milk chocolate can be easily distinguished from their color and taste. Let's have a look at the three different types of chocolate.
Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate contains a minimum of 35 percent or higher concentration of cacao beans which gives dark chocolate its bitter taste. It is in dark color. Active ingredients are cocoa butter, sugar, and cacao nibs.
Milk Chocolate: Milk chocolate is made from cocoa butter, cocoa powder, condensed milk, or powdered milk. This type tastes sweeter than dark chocolate due to the extra sugar added to it. It is light brown in color. Cocoa butter is the active ingredient along with milk powder and milk solids.
White chocolate: White chocolate actually is a combination of sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids, and milk powder. White chocolate does not contain cocoa solids. It is in white or dull white color. Quality white chocolate usually is in dull white color due to the presence of cacao butter.
The most common are dark and milk chocolates since they have different tastes.
Properties of White Chocolate
White chocolate contains zero percent or a negligible amount of cocoa beans contained in regular chocolates.
Real Chocolate has very less fat content when compared to other types of Chocolates. It has about 35% cacao butter. Check out the range of BeeTee's Melt Chocolate to know more and to check the nutritional content.
White chocolate has slightly less than half the fat as milk chocolate and provides almost one-third fewer calories than dark chocolate. It also contains high levels of sugar and saturated fats.
White chocolate tends to melt faster than other chocolates. Unlike dark chocolate and milk chocolate, real white chocolate will not have the problem of fat bloom.
History of the white chocolate
The history of white chocolate stays unclear. The origin of White chocolate isn't known yet, but it can be traced back to Britain around 1750.
After its introduction into the market in Britain, white chocolate stayed there for a long time before it entered the American and European markets during the mid-1900s.
In the 1930s, a popular chocolate manufacturer produced a mixture made from milk solids, milk powder, and cocoa powder but not pure cocoa butter and called it milk chocolate. This bar got an instant hit and became one of the best-selling products.
Today, white chocolates are sold worldwide as confectioneries or ingredients for other foods such as baking and desserts.
Although some white chocolates have been produced by other countries all over the world, Europe remains a large manufacturer of white chocolates today.
Is White Chocolate Vegan??
White chocolate is a type of chocolate that does not contain any cocoa beans. However, it contains sugar and milk as well as other types of sweetening agents.
White chocolate is made from cocoa butter which provides the flavor and color to the white chocolate. White chocolate is not vegan chocolate.
Some brands may add allergens such as eggs, peanuts, soybeans, dairy products, etc., to their white chocolates while some won't have these additives at all due to allergies or personal preferences.
Some are making vegan white chocolates with specific ingredients. Unless it is specially mentioned, white chocolate is not vegan.
Regulations of white chocolate
Popular countries around the world have different standards to define the confectionary as chocolate. Some countries have regulations on labeling chocolate as white chocolate. Let's see some of the famous regulations,
United Kingdom
The Food Standards Agency in the United Kingdom states that white chocolate is a form of chocolate because it contains cocoa butter - an ingredient that belongs to the food category "cocoa and chocolate", but the product fails to meet the standards for being "milk chocolate" due to its low milk content.
Europe
The European Food Standards Agency stated that white chocolate should not be labeled as chocolate since the product doesn't have cocoa solids which are necessary for being classified as chocolate.
United States of America
The percentage of cocoa content that must be present for the product to be called "chocolate" according to the US Food and Drug administration standard is 25%.
Unless the chocolate contains more than 25% of cacao content, then the same cannot be called chocolate, and then it can be called white chocolate.
India
In India, there is no specific regulation to regulate the labeling of chocolate or not. Because of the same, many brands label the confectionary as chocolate even though the confection may not contain a decent amount of cacao butter or cacao nibs or cacao beans in it.
Controversy of the white chocolate
There are many confusions about white chocolate.
It can be easily identified as a combination of cocoa butter, milk solids, and sugar. White chocolate has no resemblance to dark or milk chocolates. They have different tastes since they are made from different ingredients.
The compound "chocolate liquor" can be found in both dark and milk chocolates but white chocolate doesn't have the "chocolate liquor".
Definitely, there are two different world views that explain everything about this matter. One says yes, while the others argue against it.
To discuss both opinions, let's look at what makes up the main ingredients in each point of view: Cacao and Cocoa Butter.
Cocoa butter comes from cacao beans and it's solid at room temperature due to high saturated fat content. It contains a high level of antioxidants and it's a fatty acid that helps in reducing blood pressure.
It is also stated that cocoa butter is good at softening the skin and hair, as well as making you feel full.
Accepting view
Much white chocolate has a good amount of cacao butter, which makes it chocolate. Cocoa butter is made from cacao beans and it is the main ingredient for chocolate making.
If it's made up of almost 20-25% cacao butter, then the product can be called chocolate. But if the percentage is less than that, then it should not be called chocolate.
Rejecting view
White chocolate doesn't have any trace of cocoa solids, which are very important in being labeled as chocolate. Therefore it cannot be called chocolate.
If the chocolate doesn't contain any cacao content, then White chocolates also do not contain many antioxidants that can be found in dark or milk chocolates.
And most of the industry-made chocolate has no cocoa content at all. Therefore the same can never be termed as chocolates.
Is white chocolate popular?
Yes, white chocolate is one of the most popular chocolates in the world. The availability and popularity of this confectionary have increased rapidly over time, making many people love it more than before.
The demand for white chocolate is always increasing each year which makes it one of the most popular chocolates in the world.
Nowadays, users can easily buy it at a local grocery store or ask their online stores to send them a pack of white chocolates. As a result, there are many brands that produce high-quality white chocolate for their customers.
Because of its popularity, there are many recipes that include white chocolates. White chocolate can be combined with cake or fruits, or it can be more imaginative and creative and can be used as ingredients to cook some spicy cuisine.
White chocolate has many uses and serves as one of the main ingredients for baking cakes or cooking food as well as making some mouthwatering decorative sweets such as cupcakes, which you would definitely love seeing on any occasion table.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be observed that white chocolate is not legally considered chocolate unless it contains a decent amount of cocoa.
White chocolate has only traces of these antioxidant-rich ingredients while real chocolates have a considerably higher level of them.
Nonetheless, white chocolate should be included in your diet since it contains little amounts of antioxidants and vitamins A, B6, and E which are important for maintaining healthy skin, hair and treating cardiovascular illnesses. White Chocolate also contains trace amounts of magnesium, iron, zinc, and potassium.
The consensus about this argument comes from Dr. Fran McCullough who said "I tell my patients to eat more dark chocolate but I don't care if they eat white".
Visit BeeTee's Melt to check out and know more about cocoa butter, cacao, and real chocolate.
