Chocolate Christmas Gifts

Chocolate has a very long history, starting in the Amazon around 2,000 BC. The role of chocolate in society has greatly evolved, and now chocolate is available anywhere and at any time.

It’s believed that chocolate was first introduced as an acceptable Christmas gift in 1900, when Queen Victoria sent bars of chocolates to English soldiers who were fighting in the Boer War.

Since then, giving chocolate gifts at Christmas has become more and more popular.

Today, there are candy baskets, chocolate bouquets and gift hampers available that make great presents for people who love to indulge in this delicious confectionary.

High quality gourmet chocolate can taste amazing, and you can certainly tell the difference between a piece of Belgian or Swiss chocolate compared to the mass produced bars available at supermarkets and convenience stores.

The good thing about this substance made from the cocoa bean is that it also has health benefits. For instance, dark chocolate can help decrease your blood pressure and also lower your cholesterol level. It contains antioxidants, which help stave off the aging process.

Dark chocolate also contains serotonin, which means it can also act as a mild anti-depressant. Not only that, but it stimulates your level of endorphins, which is why you may feel happy or more cheerful when you’ve eaten some chocolate.

There are three main types of chocolate:

• White chocolate
• Milk chocolate
• Dark chocolate

White chocolate doesn’t contain any cocoa solids but it does have cocoa butter, sugar and milk. Chocolate experts regard white chocolate as more of a confectionary than real chocolate.

Milk chocolate is made with cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar. The percentage of cocoa may be as low as 15 percent, although in Europe there must be a minimum of 25 percent cocoa solids to qualify as milk chocolate.

Dark chocolate is darker in colour and can be less sweet than the white and milk versions. In Europe there has to be at least 35 percent cocoa solids. It’s made with cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar.

Some versions of dark chocolate contain 85 percent cocoa solids and are almost bitter in taste compared to the sweeter milk chocolate. However, true aficionados prefer the 70 and 85 percent versions of dark chocolate as they view it as being a lot purer than the milk chocolate which only has a low percentage of cocoa.

These days, chocolate is regarded as an everyday food. Not only can you grab a bar from the supermarket when you feel a craving coming on, but you can also drink it in the form of hot chocolate or cold milk.

However, for a true experience, then sampling gourmet chocolates is hard to beat, especially at Christmas. A gift basket for a chocolate lover is sure to be a hit, whether they prefer white, milk or dark.

So if you want to buy a fabulous Christmas gift for a cherished friend or family member, why not consider a chocolate hamper? Your friend or relative will certainly think of you when they savour the fine gourmet chocolates you’ve given them.