It’s World Chocolate Day 2021
Love Chocolate
There are many days throughout the year that should be celebrated and world chocolate day is definitely one of these! Kilkenny is home to some of the finest food in Ireland but today we’re going to focus on chocolate and in particular The Truffle Fairy.
The story behind the Truffle Fairy
“The Truffle Fairy was founded in 2005 by professional chef Mary Teehan, when she discovered her passion for working with the “food of the Gods”, chocolate. Some of the world’s most renowned chocolatiers taught and guided her in the skills of chocolate-making. Add to this training 16 years of experience plus Mary’s creativity and talent in choosing and combining flavours and you get a truly divine creation indeed!
Beginning production in her own kitchen, Mary started selling her chocolates at farmers’ markets. There, she could engage in a direct exchange with her customers. Valuing the insights these exchanges gave her, Mary adjusted and perfected her recipes accordingly and soon could boast a fervent following.
The business has grown since these early days, with 2 boutique-style cafés opening in Thomastown and Kilkenny and production moving to the purpose-fitted kitchen at the Thomastown location. But Mary (and the team that has grown around her!) still value customer relationships and their wishes and expectation of a good chocolate. So it comes to pass that new flavours are always in the making. Though the range of truffles and chocolates on offer is thus always exciting and changing, one thing remains the same: the refusal to compromise on quality and ethical soundness of ingredients.
As a small business that values face-to-face interaction with customers and traditionally sells in physical locations such as markets and shops, the Truffle Fairy has been hit hard by the closures that Covid19 restrictions imposed. The online shop is a new experience for us, and we are thrilled to both expand our horizons in this way and keep serving our customers in times of restricted movements. To all our new and all our loyal customers: Thank you for your custom!”
What is World Chocolate Day anyway!
Every year on July 7th, World Chocolate Day allows chocolate lovers around the world to indulge in their favorite treat without any guilt. The day also celebrates all kinds of goodies made from chocolate, including chocolate milk, hot chocolate, chocolate candy bar, chocolate cake, brownies, or anything covered in chocolate.
Chocolate comes from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia and grows in Mexico, Central America, and Northern South America. The earliest known documentation of using cacao seeds is from around 1100 BC.
Since cacao tree seeds have a very intense, bitter taste, they must be fermented to develop the flavor. Once fermented, processors dry, clean and roast the beans. After roasting, the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs.
The cacao nibs are then ground into cocoa mass, which is pure chocolate in rough form. The cocoa mass is usually liquefied, then molded with or without other ingredients. At this point in the process, it is called chocolate liquor. The chocolate liquor gets processed into two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter.
Most Common Types of Chocolate
- Unsweetened baking chocolate – cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions.
- Sweet chocolate – cocoa solids, cocoa butter or other fat and sugar.
- Milk chocolate – sweet chocolate with milk powder or condensed milk.
- White chocolate – cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids.
Most people love chocolate. In fact, nine out of ten people love chocolate. About 1 billion people eat chocolate every day. Besides the fact it tastes so good, there are some health benefits of chocolate. Chocolate increases serotonin and dopamine levels, which helps to boost the mood. Dark chocolate can also be especially good for you. Dark chocolate is a powerful source of antioxidants, plus it helps to improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of heart disease. Source: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/world-chocolate-day/
So treat yourself or someone else today on World Chocolate Day 2021 and visit the Truffle Fairy to kick on past the hump day of the week!
#worldchocolateday
