There was something I ate a few times in France that I totally did not recognize. It was a white-purple vegetable that was somewhat spherical. Well, as close as natural food ever gets to spherical. Then yesterday at the store, I saw the same colors. On turnips. I was surprised, but realized I'd probably never paid any attention to turnips. It's one of those things that I wouldn't know what to do with. I went home and looked it up and, indeed, it was turnips! In France they were sold with the leaves all cut off and the long stringy root bit cut off, too, so I just didn't recognize them at all.
Also, I was looking at one of my cookbooks, and it had a recipe for dark chocolate or for milk chocolate. I know that milk chocolate there does not equal milk chocolate here. I also know that the percent of cocoa beans is always included on the label in France. I'm not sure if it's required, or if people just won't buy it without that info. So I looked up the percentage of cacao mass/chocolate liquor (the English terms for reduced cocoa beans) in one of my favorite brands of chocolate chips. Yeah, according to their site, in the US milk chocolate is only required to be 10% cacao. That is... amazing. No wonder Hersheys is so lame. Luckily, the brand I like has 38% in their milk chocolate. And chocolate only needs 35% to be called 'semi-sweet' or 'bittersweet' - the choice being left to the manufacturer. Crazy, crazy...
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You used to eat turnips as a child, your dad likes them, esp in soup ;-}
ReplyDeleteThe 35% to be semi sweet, is that US or in general? I am thinking US since you follow it with "Crazy, crazy..." Your siblings are vigilant about finding chocolate that is 70% and 80%, Le and JE in particular.
love you ! ! ! xoxoxox
my previous wv was 'ecinge'
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Yeah I heard quite some time ago about a movement to get the US to have standards for chocolate. It is like a big deal with chocolate people because some companies want to relace ALL the cocoa butter with vegetable oil and still call it chcolate. The rules are called the Standards of Identity if you gogole that and chocolate you can see the current rules. Which btw do not define dark chocolate... I also rememebr Mars was one of the few companies against lowering the standards.
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