Chocolate has been bringing satisfaction to humans for thousands of years. As production methods have changed, gluten now often gets added to chocolate. If you are a coeliac or gluten intolerant, it’s important to know how to avoid this so that you can still enjoy the rich, decadent goodness of chocolate.
A (very) brief history of chocolate
Cacao beans originally come from South America from the Theobroma cacoa tree. The name ‘chocolate’ comes from the Aztec ‘xocoatl’, which was a bitter drink made by the indigenous people from these beans.
Cacao beans were very valuable in ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures and were used as a form of currency and during rituals, as they were believed to have magical properties.
When the Spanish came to South America, the locals offered them this xocoatl. The conquistadores then took chocolate back to Europe with them, added cane sugar and honey, et voila! The rest, as they say, is history.
What is chocolate made from?
If you looked at a cacao plant, you’d never guess what goodness lay inside. The fruit is large and orangey-yellow. Chocolate actually comes from the seeds of the cacao fruit. These seeds are called cacao nibs and are fermented, roasted, ground and pressed to make cocoa powder.
The purest and highest quality chocolate is made from very few ingredients. You have the ‘chocolate liquor’ (don’t worry, it’s not alcoholic). This is cocoa powder combined with cocoa butter (the fat from the cacao bean). Then sugar and milk is added to sweeten it.
We also add soy lecithin as an emulsifier to improve the coating properties of the chocolate in our enrobing process, plus natural vanilla as a flavour enhancer. That’s it. The darker the chocolate, the smaller the amount of added sugar and milk.
For pure milk chocolate, additional milk is added. For white chocolate, you don’t use the cocoa powder but rather just the cocoa butter (cocoa butter is white).
Couverture chocolate is the name for high-quality chocolate. To be identified as couverture, chocolate must contain at least 35% cocoa solids and at least 31% cocoa butter.
All of our chocolate here at Davies is couverture and is made with cocoa liquor from Rainforest Alliance-certified cacao plantations.
Is chocolate good for me?
Like all sweet treats, moderation is key.
The actual cocoa, however, contains phytonutrients (plant nutrients), which are good for you. These powerful antioxidants get rid of free radicals in your cells and keep them healthy.
Phytonutrients are believed to help the body age healthily and some have been proven to lower the risk of cancers, strokes, heart disease, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Cocoa also contains good amounts of magnesium, copper, zinc, iron and phosphorus. There have been studies to show that chocolate has a mood-boosting effect too.
You do need to moderate your chocolate consumption, though, as it also contains sugar and the fats from the cacao butter, so is meant to be enjoyed as an intermittent treat.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a protein that is found in various grains, such as rye, barley and wheat. It acts as a glue that helps food maintain its shape.
The three main grains that contain gluten are found in a number of products we consume every day:
- Wheat is found in breads, soups, salad dressing, pastas, cereals and some beer.
- Barley is found in malt, soups, food colouring and beer.
- Rye is found in rye bread, cereals and beer.
Many people are intolerant to gluten, meaning that consuming gluten will have adverse effects on their body and/or digestive system.
There are three types of gluten intolerance: wheat allergy, non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NGIS), and coeliac disease.
Wheat allergy is very common, especially amongst children, and it’s not only to gluten but to any or all proteins found in wheat.
It leads the body to have an immune response and can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, irritation in the mouth, nose, eyes and throat, and a rash or hives.
NGIS is an intolerance to gluten that is not as serious as coeliac disease but still causes uncomfortable symptoms, such as headaches, nausea, bloating, gas, abdominal pain and brain fog.
Coeliac disease is a bit more serious. When someone with this condition eats food that contains gluten, their body has an immune response and starts attacking its healthy tissues.
In your intestine, you have villi, which are finger-like protrusions that absorb nutrients. Gluten causes a coeliac’s immune system to destroy these villi and can have major consequences for their health because they may not be able to absorb enough nutrients from their food.
How does gluten get into chocolate?
You’re probably wondering how gluten gets into chocolate if it’s made from only a few gluten-free ingredients.
There are a few factors to consider:
- The quality of the chocolate.
Some lower quality chocolate is made with emulsifiers and flavouring agents, which could contain gluten. Gluten is also often used as a thickener in chocolate.
- The additional extras.
Some chocolate products like chocolate chip cookies have gluten in them. Candies that have a crack or crunch when you eat them often need gluten to achieve this effect.
- The production methods
A lot of the time, the gluten is a trace element that gets into the chocolate because of cross-contamination from using the same equipment that has been used for gluten-containing products. While this may not sound too serious, if you have coeliac disease, this could be hugely detrimental to your health.
Previously, for our chocolate, the only gluten-containing element was the flour we used on our fondant and caramel centres. We used it to prevent the individual pieces from sticking together. To make all our chocolate completely gluten-free and safe for everyone, we have eliminated this flour. We did that by experimenting to improve the process.
How do I recognise gluten products on a food label?
Gluten intolerance can be very dangerous and that’s why it’s important to know what’s in a product and how it is processed.
Be sure to always read the label and familiarise yourself with the many versions of gluten.
Here are some of the common ingredients that contain gluten and should ring a warning bell if you are gluten intolerant:
- barley
- barley malt
- brewer’s yeast
- bulgur
- durum
- farro
- graham flour
- malt
- malt extract
- malt flavouring
- malt syrup
- matzo
- rye flour
- wheat flour
Bottom line, can I eat chocolate if I’m gluten intolerant?
Absolutely! You just need to be careful about where it comes from, what additives have been put into it, and consider the manufacturing process and whether there is a danger of cross-contamination.
When you shop with us, you don’t have to worry, though. All our chocolates are completely gluten-free. We have banned gluten from our factory.
We have a wide selection of products from dark, milk, soft and hard chocolates, to chocolates with ginger or nuts. We also have gluten-free hampers, gluten-free snack bags and we create chocolates for special occasions, such as Mother’s Day, Christmas, anniversaries, birthdays, weddings and parties.
We want everyone to be able to partake in the magical moreish goodness of chocolate without having to worry about the dreaded gluten.
So much so that we test for the absence of gluten twice a year at an external laboratory. We test production surfaces in-house every fortnight. We do that to make sure we keep our customers safe.
Our cocoa is sustainably sourced, and our products are palm oil-free, so you can indulge without the guilt.
Time for a treat? Check out our selection here.