Easter weekend seems a good time to write about chocolate (although, as a Christian, I do consider Easter to have a far greater significance than that). I am an unashamed chocaholic, so when I moved to the UK, I was happy to find myself near the land of Cadbury and Terry's Chocolate. I thought I would be awash in delicious chocolatey goodness. And at first it went very well: I found myself in my own version of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory when I saw the two-storey chocolate fountain in Birmingham.
However, it all came crashing down. I soon discovered, much to my surprise, the chocolate didn't taste right. It was too sweet, too creamy, too...mooshy. The chocolate in Canada held together better and had a bit of an cocoa-y flavour to balance the sweetness.
Of course, this was not a popular opinion. People thought there was no way on earth I could prefer Hershey to Cadbury. I think there were some who considered deporting me. So when I went home for Christmas, I returned with lots of samples for them to try.
They thought it tasted like vomit.
I was shocked, and also quite interested. Why would we have such different reactions to chocolate? Why would chocolate taste different in different countries? Are the manufacturers so clever as to recognize subtle differences in taste in the population of particular areas, or is it for some other reason?
It turns out there are differences in how chocolate is made in North America vs Britain, and it has a lot to do with...of all things...climate. Apparently, an ingredient that helps keep chocolate from melting in the heat is also found in vomit (although Hershey denies this). But that still begs the question...why do I still prefer a Hershey's Kiss to a Cadbury Dairy Milk? Shouldn't I be repulsed by the taste as my friends are?
I think I should do more research into this. Bring on the sweetness.
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