7th JULY: WORLD CHOCOLATE DAY
On the 7th of July, the World Chocolate Day will be celebrated, Italians adore chocolate, just consider that they consume approximately 4kg per person each year! The fact that is considered as a ‘comfort food’ was demonstrated by the great demand during the lockdown period, with an increase in purchase of 22% compared to the same period of the previous year. As for the world of artisanal gelato “Chocolate gelato was and remains one of the most popular flavours, and today more and more consumers identify the quality level of an ice cream parlour with the quality of this gelato flavour” explains @Carlo Vanni, Group R&D Manager.
How many kinds of chocolate are there and which, in your opinion, are the best?
There are many varieties of chocolate, with a strong tendency, especially in the last decade, to use those of single geographical origins particularly from Central and South America, and Africa. It’s difficult to determine which are the best, as each origin has particular organoleptic characteristics. Certainly, as far as gelato is concerned, the most requested is Santo Domingo.
What characteristics should a chocolate gelato have to be truly good?
Today, more than ever, the balancing of the ingredients and the careful selection of the raw materials is fundamental. In fact, it is essential to guarantee a perfect balance between creaminess and taste, and to prevent the gelato from hardening. The more chocolate there is in the formulation, the greater the taste of our gelato.
When we talk about chocolate, we mean a traditional product that in recent years has experienced interesting innovation, both in terms of taste combinations and the raw materials from which it is made.
Chocolate gelato has evolved becoming, in fact, a dark chocolate Sorbet free from milk derivatives, to enhance the organoleptic properties of each single origin. In addition, there has been a lot of focus on increasingly creative combinations, ranging from those with spices such as cinnamon, pepper and chilli pepper, as well as fruit.
Today we celebrate the International Chocolate Day. Which are the 2021 novelties of the Casa Optima group companies?
In Casa Optima each brand has a specific proposal to make dark chocolate gelato, and more. The line Cioccolati Extra by Mec3 has expanded with Extra Dark Zero, without added sugars, to meet the demand of the consumer who wishes to watch their weight without sacrificing taste. The Cuzco line by Giuso is the perfect partner when it comes to making gelato with real chocolate instead of simple cocoa. Finally, Pernigotti Maestri Gelatieri Italiani has launched 4 new Gelagel’s on the market with cocoa Mass, to make fantastic dark chocolate with single-origin cocoa mass and water, to enhance the aromatic fragrance of each selected origin: Santo Domingo, Madagascar, Ecuador and Perú.