PETA thinks they have a good way of boosting the morale of U.S. troops, saying that they’re going to send them some vegan chocolate with an image of Osama bin Laden imprinted on the front.

The “bin Laden Bites” are made by Harbor Candy, a chocolatier and long-time supporter of PETA, who say they were inspired to make them after reading an article about how hard it is for troops to get chocolate in Afghanistan. Biting off bin Laden’s head is just an added bonus, I guess.
PETA says they’re using the chocolates as a way of protesting bin Laden’s “torture and …read more

Just in time for the cooler weather, Caribou Coffee is introducing a new line of chocolate coffee drinks, made with all-natural Guittard chocolate!

Beginning November 12, guests at the Caribou Coffeehouses can have their mochas, chocolate lattes, hot chocolates, specialty beverages and cold beverages made with either white, milk or dark Guittard chocolate at all Caribou Coffee locations nationwide. Caribou Coffee team members will steam real pieces of premium chocolate into milk to make the handcrafted hot beverages such as mochas, chocolate lattes and hot chocolates.
This reformulation marks a major difference from other coffeehouse operators because almost all coffeehouses, including …read more

It’s hard to believe that today is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany, and one Parisian chocolatier has been planning his celebration for several months already!
Award-winning chocolatier Patrick Roger has been working for the past four weeks to create a replica of the Berlin Wall made entirely of chocolate! The monument, made of “black chocolate,” has been constructed in sections, spans 15 meters (nearly 50 feet) and weighs about 1,984 pounds.
Roger has paid great attention to the detail of the original wall, with replicas of the drawings like “the fraternal kiss” between the …read more

We know that research is being done on how chocolate can help in the recovery from a heart attack, how chocolate milk can help sore muscles heal, how it could prevent malaria, protect against dementia, keep your bones healthy, and help with headaches, and now we can add one more to this ever-growing list: wrinkles!

Research published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology is showing that the same antioxidants that are good for your heart are also good for your skin, and that a daily dose of dark chocolate could very well keep you looking younger. Sounds like my kind of …read more

A recent proposal by Steven Maranz from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York could mean some very sweet health news worldwide: Studies are currently being conducted to see how chocolate can help to prevent malaria!

Malaria is one of the most common infectious diseases, affecting upwards of 350–500 million people per year, mostly in Sub-Sarahan Africa. Five species of the parasite affect humans, and the illness is typically spread by infective mosquito bites.
The parasite feeds on blood fat, and the theory is that chocolate can help to fight the parasite because chocolate sticks to cholesterol which would ultimately weaken the …read more

This week, more than 400 exhibitors are in Paris, France for the 2009 Paris Chocolate Festival. The event, which runs from October 14-18th, kicked off last night with a chocolate fashion show. And yes, everything that was worn was either made with or layered in chocolate!

The five day event will feature the latest innovations from chocolatiers around the world, and will include cooking demonstrations, a cocoa show dedicated to the cultures and countries that produce cocoa, tasting sessions and even an awards show.
Last night’s fashion show featured French celebrities, including models, actors, singers and television personalities, who strutted down …read more

Scharffen Berger chocolate is teaming up with Tuttifoodie.com for their third annual Chocolate Adventure Contest.

Anyone can enter the contest, which encourages creative recipe creations for both sweet or savory dishes. The recipes must include Scharffen Berger Chocolate and at least one suggested ingredient from the “Adventure Ingredients” list, which includes fresh mint, crystallized ginger, pandan leaf, banana leaf, sumac, raw honey, cacao nibs, fresh or whole dried chili pepper, malbec, peanut butter, black-eyed peas, rice flour, papaya, cumin, paprika, and smoked sea salt.
Two grand prizes of $10,000 each will be awarded, one for a sweet dish and one for …read more

This is actually one chocolate product I never knew existed: chocolate cigarettes. I remember the bubble gum cigarettes from when I was a kid — they were thin white sticks sold in packs made to resemble cigarettes, and blowing on one end produced a puff of sugar “smoke” from the other end. You’d pretend to “smoke” it for a minute before the lure of bubble gum took over and it was devoured.

Now that flavored cigarettes (as in real cigarettes) have been recently banned, the idea that the nostalgic candies even resemble the now-banned items have some fans of the candy …read more

I first wrote about Bubble Chocolate over two years ago, and it’s only now being released to U.S. markets!

The chocolate bars, which are available in 60% dark and milk chocolates, are loaded with tons of tiny little bubbles, which make for an interesting texture experience when eaten.
The makers, who say they were inspired by the European aerated bars, say they were tired of waiting for the air-filled chocolate to hit the US, and decided to finally take matters into their own hands.
I’ve had Canadian Aero Bars several times, and while I like them about as well as anything, …read more

Having grown up in a household where several family members suffered from migraines, I learned early on that some foods can be a headache trigger. One sibling gets hit when he eats turkey, another when she eats certain cheeses. Added to the list of things they should generally avoid (provided by the family doctor) were chocolate, dairy, certain breads, and a few other meats.

Being a teenager at the time I couldn’t imagine giving up such staples as chocolate and bread, but I also hadn’t suffered from a migraine yet! Thankfully, the occasional ones I do get now aren’t food triggered, …read more