There are several types of chocolate that are recognizable the world over.  Read on to see which is best for your health and taste or the health and taste of the recipient of that beautiful ballotin box full of delicious fine chocolates.

Chocolate contains alkaloids such as theobromine (from the cacao plant) and phenethylamine, which have some physiological effects in humans, but the presence of theobromine renders it toxic to some animals, such as dogs and cats.  It has also been linked to serotonin levels in the brain.

Pure, unsweetened chocolate contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions.  Unsweetened chocolate is pure chocolate liquor, also known as bitter or baking chocolate.  It is unadulterated chocolate: the pure, ground, roasted chocolate beans impart a strong, deep chocolate flavor.  Chocolate liquor contains roughly 53 percent cocoa butter (fat), about 17 percent carbohydrates, 11 percent protein, 6 percent tannins, and 1.5 percent theobromine.

Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining chocolate with sugar.

Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk.

White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids.  White chocolate is formed from a mixture of sugar, cocoa butter and milk solids. Although its texture is similar to milk and dark chocolate, it does not contain any cocoa solids, it  does not contain theobromine, meaning it can be consumed by animals.  Because it has no cocoa solids, many countries do not consider white chocolate as chocolate at all.

Dark chocolate has been promoted for its health benefits, as it seems to possess substantial amount of antioxidants that reduce the formation of free radicals.

Dark chocolate is produced by adding fat (cacao butter and/or plant oils) and sugar to the cacao mixture.  The U.S. Government calls this “sweet chocolate”, and requires a 15% concentration of chocolate liquor.  European rules specify a minimum of 35% cocoa solids. Dark chocolate, with its high cocoa content, is a rich source of the flavonoids epicatechin and gallic acid (gallic acid good stuff and another topic altogether), and are thought to possess cardioprotective properties.  Dark chocolate has  been said help reduce the possibility of a heart attack (helps to lower blood pressure) when consumed regularly in small amounts.

Semisweet chocolate is a dark chocolate with a low sugar content.

Bittersweet chocolate is chocolate liquor to which some sugar (typically a third), more cocoa butter, vanilla and sometimes lecithin have been added. It has less sugar and more liquor than semisweet chocolate, but the two are interchangeable in baking.

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