Chocolates are something everybody likes. There is also a fad among health conscious people who do not want to eat animal food and meats and they ask very simple question: “Is dark chocolate vegan?”. They would like vegetarian items. The question is whether vegan chocolates fulfill the bill of not using animal fats or meats. We must remember that chocolates come from beans which in turn come from the pod of the cocoa tree. The fact that the source of chocolate is a plant makes the sweet candy a vegan. In case more of cocoa is used the chocolate is often referred to as Vegan Dark Chocolate. Though chocolate comes from a plant and can be strictly classified as vegan, yet in the manufacture process lecithin, sugar, milk, milk fat and sometimes vanilla are added. A really dark chocolate will have more of cocoa powder and no additives. Cheaper quality of chocolates will have food starch and artificial flavorings and more of milk solids or milk fat.
Vegan chocolates are healthy as they have no animal fats and are a richer source of cocoa. So while most chocolate cannot be classified as vegan for the simple reason that additives are added to it, yet there are many dark vegan chocolates are available. Vegan chocolates are dairy free, whey free and casein free. These are available at the local store as well.
Is Dark Chocolate Vegan?
Sometimes Dark Chocolate may seem a vegan as it is usually made with a certain percentage cocoa solids, sugar, oil or coconut butter, maybe soy lecithin and natural flavorings. The real problem is whether any animal products which are so much a part of our food chain system like whey, casein, rennet, and carmine have been used at any stage. We all know that sugar is used in dark chocolate, but many people will not know that this sugar can be made with bone char and natural flavorings which can have animal ingredients. For this reason some makers of dark chocolates do not list them as vegan. The simple reason is that these chocolates are made in the same plants that process milk chocolates.
A dark chocolate made without the above mentioned substances can be called vegan dark chocolate. Bear in mind that better the dark chocolate, the chances are fewer the ingredients. In case a dark chocolate is made without milk products, milk fat, dairy fat, whey, and casein than one can safely reach a conclusion that the chocolate is vegan dark chocolate.
Thus in case you are fastidious about eating vegan dark chocolate it is best to be informed and that means reading and knowing a little more than normal about chocolates. The best thing is to reach the customer department of the chocolate manufacturer and get the information. More than likely this won’t be listed on the wrapping.
To be on the safe side a host of manufacturers like Nicobella, Endangered Species, Intemperate and Wei of Chocolate have these products.
Vegan dark chocolates are the in thing among chocolate lovers. They are healthy and have a distinct taste of their own.
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