Chocolate - Food or Drug?

Yesterday I had a very delicious experience. I attended the event organized by Edmonton division of Canadian Institute of Chemistry.

The event had a very attractive name - The Passion and Chemistry of Chocolate.

The guest speaker was Brett Roy, who is the founder of Sweet Lollapalooza chocolate shop in Edmonton. I learned a lot about the chocolate and its ingredients, the benefits, and concerns.

We also received a sample bag which stayed closed until the very end of the evening when we were guided through each chocolate sample and learn the differences between some chocolates.

Next were two presentations where we looked at the chocolate from a chemistry point of view. Everyone seemed to enjoy every part of the evening. However, we were pretty excited for the last part - tasting!

In the little bag from the Sweet Lollapalooza Chocolate Shop we each found six chocolates. Every one of them was special and from very rare and high-quality cacao from all over the world.

We tasted one chocolate from Brazilian cocoa, three different samples from Peruvian cocoa, one was from the cocoa region “Sur del Lago” in Venezuela and the last one was from Madagascar.

I honestly did not think I will be able to distinguish between different chocolates. Just because they looked different I did not expect such specific flavors.

It was a brilliant event and I wish everyone would have a chance to attend something like this. If you get a chance, do not think twice and do it!

Have a sweet day everyone :)