07

Many of us enjoy the sweet, bitter, buttery, milky taste of chocolate. The more adventurous will enjoy the caramelised, nutty, and fruity flavours that add to the savoury taste of your chocolate piece. Today, there are many other flavours of chocolate that give chocolate their own outstanding characteristics. In 2024, the special day falls on a Sunday. There are also many chocolate products including spreads and drinks that help colour one’s life. The first chocolate day fell on 7 July 2009, with the intention of celebrating the anniversary of the opening of the first chocolate bar in Europe in 1550. So, you might want to gift a chocolate bar or boxes of chocolate to your loved ones today. As a side note, remember to enjoy the usually-loved sweet in moderation.

Belgian Chocolate

Produced in Belgium, it has high cocoa content compared to most international products. It is known to be more buttery, medium in sweetness and has medium-level bitterness. Belgian dark chocolate is highly nutritious.

Barley Crunch Chocolate

When on Jeju Island in South Korea, I was impressed by the kinds of sweets and chocolate that they had. Crunchy square pieces, the barley taste is light, grainy and distinctive, as evident from the wheat-like, bread-like taste.

Orange Chocolate

These are actually tangerine chocolates, which I remember bringing home from Jeju Island in South Korea. It’s also known as Hallabong chocolate. Tangerine farms are aplenty in South Korea, by the way.

Mozart chocolate rounds

Their shape remind me of Ferrero Rocher. Got this as a gift from someone who was holidaying in Europe. The variant I got has pistachio, marzipan and what seems like milk chocolate. The original version, from my research, contains dark chocolate. Originally from Austria and associated with Paul Furst, the bonbons were invented as a homage to the composer.

Whittaker’s chocolate

New Zealand-based, the chocolate used are known to be palm-oil free. They have been producing the finest chocolate since 1886. Their range include the classic blocks, slabs and mini slabs. The peanut slab and almond gold chocolate are my favourites. The Whittaker’s brand is now available in major grocers in Malaysia.