Chocolate is made from cocoa beans. It is the skill of the chocolate maker that creates the fine chocolate from the cocoa beans that arrive from countries which grow cocoa. Production techniques have undergone a lot of changes, as the technology has advanced. But the process of making chocolates remains the same. It involves roasting, grinding, refining, conching and tempering. The secret of good chocolate lies in the expertise of the maker, who should follow the process with care.

Roasting: The ultimate quality of chocolate depends on the process of roasting and cocoa seed fermentation. There are several roasting processes.

We don’t think about chocolate moderation when we’re feeling low, sad, angry, or just plain upset. I know that I certainly don’t!

Despite the fact that chocolate is very appealing, a feel-good antidote, can help relieve stress for certain individuals, and is a comfort food, it still contains a lot of calories.

Of course, the amount of sugar that chocolate contains depends on the cocoa percentage of the chocolate. But whether it contains 75% of cocoa powder or none at all, chocolate is still a high-calorie food. (One of the main reasons why it should be eaten in moderation.)

If your looking for a great gift for someone with a sophisticated palate, gourmet chocolates can be the answer for you. Gourmet chocolates offer excellent solutions for any gift giving occasions. This holiday ditch the mass produced chocolates in the candy aisle at your local grocery and opt for the real stuff to put a smile on the faces of friends and family alike.

Why go gourmet?
• Gourmet chocolate delivers a taste not achieved by mass producers of chocolates. Because gourmet chocolate it produced on a smaller scale by professional chocolate makers, often referred to as chocolatiers, the overall quality is far better than those produced in mass quantities by larger companies.

A few weeks ago I thought it would be a good idea to make some gourmet food for a party I was going to arrange. Well I put on my chefs hat and finished up making some truffles, and wow, my friends thought they were fantastic and actually thought that they were gourmet chocolates that I had bought from a quality gourmet food store.

I would like to point out that making gourmet chocolates for yourself is difficult and will take a lot of time, however to be positive it does give you the opportunity to try out some recipes that you probably could not get from the local store.

We have all heard about chocolates made in France, Belgium, Switzerland, or in the good old USA. Things haven’t really changed much in the past decades and yet a country in Eastern Europe still doesn’t get the credit it deserves for its flavored chocolates; we’re talking about Poland.

What makes the Polish variety so special? How about sweets with shells of dark chocolate and pieces of Coconuts as a filling? Flavored Polish sweets have always had a high concentration of natural ingredients, sweets from sweet maker Solidarnosc, have at least 8% of whole pieces of Coconut, Pistachio or even 38% of whole plums or Hazelnuts. All these flavors are surrounded by a shell of dark chocolate with a high concentration of cocoa, at least 45%.

The French have always enjoyed an enviable reputation for their love of gourmet food and their pride in turning premium quality ingredients into delectable, indulgent pleasures for the palate. From fine wines to foie gras, champagne to cheese, French gastronomy is synonymous with excellence.

So to food connoisseurs it comes as no surprise that the best chocolate in the world is made in France. Visit any French city to find an astounding array of chocolateries, each offering tantalising chocolates displayed like fine jewels.