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The health benefits of chocolate
For our ninth episode, we’re going to talk about chocolate!
When I’m asked which approaches I advocate in nutrition, I often mention diversity, making the plate more plant-based, and… pleasure!
“Pleasure is also a production“, Bill Mollison tells us, one of the founders of permaculture. If there’s no pleasure in cooking, everything is dead and disenchanted.
And what better example than chocolate to illustrate how pleasure is paramount?
For most of us, chocolate is a great love affair and indulgence. 12 kilos is the amount of chocolate consumed every second by the French.
That would be equivalent to eight times the weight of the Titanic each year. 93% of French households buy chocolate, including 33% in bars and 19% in spreads. And while 98% of the French enjoy it, 30% of them vote for dark chocolate.
But did you know it also has nutritional benefits?
For a long time, it was consumed for its medicinal properties. In fact, it has been listed in the pharmacopeia since 1886. It has, in particular, stimulating, relaxing, antidepressant, and antioxidant properties.
The guest: Victoire Finaz (or The Chocologist)
Coming from a family of chocolatiers in Lyon, Victoire grew up with a little chocolate spoon in her mouth. From the age of 8, she visited the best chocolatiers with her father.
During her psychology training, she wrote a thesis on Expertise in Chocolate. She then trained alongside some of the greatest chocolatiers.
She travels to cocoa plantations in Bolivia, Mexico and Guatemala and specializes at the Ferrandi culinary school, alongside Pierre Hermé.
Victoire then invents her profession and becomes a Chocologist. She trains individuals and professionals, creates her recipes, and launches her own brand, Les Carrés Victoire.
Ten years later, in 2018, Victoire wrote her first book “SUPER CHOCOLAT”, from which I quote Pierre Hermé’s preface: “Victoire loves chocolate. She loves it so much that she has built her life around it. How could she have done otherwise, she who always has cacao on her lips. Since our first meeting some fifteen years ago, when she was a student and was working on her thesis about the Expertise of Chocolate, Victoire has continually aligned her steps with those of cacao, becoming an essential figure in the field and a chocolate critic recognized among her peers. A Chocologist. The only one in the world to my knowledge.”
My questions
- How did you get into chocolate?
- What does it mean to be a Chocologist?
- To begin, can you tell us in a few words the difference between dark, milk, and white chocolate?
- Can you tell us about the nutritional benefits of chocolate, and in particular of cacao?
- Are there more benefits in raw cacao versus roasted cacao?
- Can you tell us about the diversity of chocolates, their origins, and distinctive characteristics?
- We’ve already talked here about fermentations and sourdough. I believe chocolate also undergoes fermentation. Can you tell us about it?
- How can you properly read a chocolate’s ingredient list?
- What would your tips be for staying in shape while enjoying chocolate?
- How should you taste chocolate?
- What drinks should you pair it with?
- Where can you buy chocolate?
- Can you share with us a savory recipe and a sweet recipe that you particularly like?
Resources for further exploration
- Les Carrés Victoire, Victoire’s chocolate brand.
- Super Chocolat (Mango Editions), their book.
The (R)evolutions Alimentaires podcasts are presented by Louise Browaeys
An agricultural engineer (AgroParisTech) with a specialty in nutrition, Louise has been working for ten years in the agriculture, food, and ecology sectors.
She is the author or co-author of several books on food, ecology, permaculture, and corporate social responsibility. Notably: “La part de la terre : l’agriculture comme art” (Delachaux et Niestlé, 2014), “Permaculture au quotidien” (Terre Vivante, 2018), “Le régime planétaire” (La Plage, 2020).
