White chocolate

White chocolate is a confection of sugar, cocoa butter, and milk solids. The melting point of cocoa butter is high enough to keep white chocolate solid at room temperature, yet low enough to allow white chocolate to melt in the mouth.

In contrast to the usual dark color of cocoa, white chocolate is pale yellow or ivory in appearance, which has led to the popular belief that white chocolate does not contain cocoa.

However, since it is in the form of cocoa butter rather than cocoa solids derived from chocolate liquor (a necessary ingredient in all types of chocolate), white chocolate is not actually chocolate as defined by the US Food and Drug Administration.

White chocolate is made of cocoa butter, milk, and sugar. Most often, the cocoa butter is deodorized to remove its strong and undesirable taste that would negatively affect the flavor of the finished chocolate.

Regulations also govern what may be marketed as "white chocolate": In the United States, since 2004, white chocolate must be at least 20% cocoa butter (by weight), at least 14% total milk solids, at least 3.5% milk fat, and less than 55% sugar or other sweeteners.

Before this date, U.S. firms required temporary marketing permits to sell white chocolate. The European Union has adopted the same standards, however there is no limit on sugar or sweeteners.

Although white chocolate is made the same way as milk chocolate and dark chocolate, it lacks the cocoa paste, liquor or powder.

Some preparations that may be confused with white chocolate (known as confectioner's coating, summer coating or Almond bark) are made from inexpensive solid or hydrogenated vegetable and animal fats, and as such, are not at all derived from cocoa.

These preparations may actually be white (in contrast to white chocolate's ivory shade) and will lack cocoa butter's flavor.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_chocolate



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