• Chocolate Walks Begin This Month
• New: Afterschool Chocolate Creations
• Gift Ideas For Any Occasion
• Visit Our Chocolate Blog
• PDX Choco-Happenings
• Bite of Chocolate History
• Choco-Quote of the Month

CHOCOLATE WALKS BEGIN THIS MONTH

Portland Chocolate Walking & Tasting Tours are set for March 20 (Lake Oswego), April 21 (Downtown Portland), and May 22 (The Pearl). These neighborhood searches for all things chocolate are perfect for residents and visitors alike. Additional dates will be added as necessary, so check our site often. You can call West Linn Parks and Recreation Department at 503-557-4700 or register here. You can also purchase them on our website and please be sure to select the desired route. Hope to see you on the chocolate trail!

NEW: AFTERSCHOOL CHOCOLATE CREATIONS

Know any 8-12 year olds that love chocolate? During this 8-week hands-on exploration into the world of chocolate, we’ll create our very own “Chocolate Laboratory.” Examine the history, geography, and science behind this amazing food. Make chocolate from scratch and produce different creations each week. They will never look at a piece of chocolate in the same way again! Space is limited, so call West Linn Parks and Recreation Department at 503-557-4700 or register online here

GIFT IDEAS FOR ANY OCCASION

Give something unique for the adult chocolate lovers on your list: gift certificates for Portland Chocolate Walking & Tasting Tours. Also be sure to check out our Partners in Chocolate for additional gift-giving suggestions. Please think and buy local whenever you can: The possibilities are endless!

VISIT OUR CHOCOLATE BLOG

Be sure to check out our blog exploring all things chocolate. The most recent post takes a look at delicious Dulce de Leche, inspired by a recent visit to Santiago, Chile.

PORTLAND CHOCO-HAPPENINGS

The Chocolate Story exhibit at the World Forestry in Washington Park is going on now through April 25th. Explore the cacao tree in the tropical rainforest and discover chocolate’s intriguing history. Click here for more information.

MORSEL OF CHOCOLATE HISTORY

A piece of chocolate has “romance” written all over it. Yet frequently when researching the backgrounds of different chocolate companies, one can see that cupid also played a part in their creation. Such is the case with Leonidas Fresh Belgium Chocolates. In the early 1900’s a young Greek confectioner, Leonidas Kestekides, traveled to Belgium to take part in competitions. He did very well and, I guess you can say he brought home more than several medals! A Belgium woman captured his heart and he eventually moved to Belgium. The rest is chocolate history. Do yourself a favor: experience his delicious Old World legacy at the two Leonidas Portland locations. Say The Cacao Nibbler sent you!

CHOCO-QUOTE OF THE MONTH

”Some consider carob an adequate substitute for chocolate…because it can be made to approximate the color and consistency of chocolate. The same argument can be made in favor of dirt.” ~Sandra Boynton

The CBE Challenge

In August of 2003, the Chocolate Directive came into effect in the EU which allows manufactures to add up to 5% of vegetable fats other than cocoa butter into their products. These are known as CBEs or Cocoa Butter Equivalents. CBEs resemble the much more expensive cocoa butter very closely making them very difficult to detect and identify. So how can consumers trust the ingredient labeling on their favorite chocolate bars? Since the EU consumes roughly half of all the chocolate produced worldwide, this was important. In December of 2009, after two years of study, reliable analytical methods for both milk and dark chocolate have been set up, helping in the fight against food fraud.

Candy Tax for Washington State?

Law makers in the Evergreen State are considering a tax for candy and gum to help offset a deficit budget. Many local manufacturers, such as Seattle Chocolates, Brown & Haley, Theo Chocolate, Dilettante, and Fran’s, could be affected. One of the predicaments facing the current 29 states having similar laws is defining what actually constitutes candy. For example, a chocolate covered pretzel is officially a food! Now that’s food for thought at the dinner table! What say you?

Aqua Bar

British researchers at the University of Birmingham say that there is a new generation of low-fat foods on the horizon worth examining. They have found a way replace fat particles with water, air or gel. One product is a super-duper porridge that turns from a liquid into a gel, remaining in the stomach for up to six hours. (Now this can give a hot breakfast a whole new meaning!). Another is a chocolate bar that contains up to 60% water yet retains the taste, smell and texture of a regular bar (Eating will be believing). Not sure when we’ll see these on the market shelves, however, they’ve been discussing their research with manufacturers.