Until 2017, the world believed that there were only three types of chocolate: dark, milk, and white (though some experts would fight you on whether white chocolate is real chocolate). Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Barry Callebaut entered the scene with sometime called the “fourth type of chocolate”: ruby chocolate.
This declaration caused quite a stir among chocolate lovers everywhere because it surely had to be an elaborate publicity stunt. Ruby chocolate? More like white chocolate with flavors and food coloring added to appease the millennial crowd, the skeptics said. But no – ruby chocolate is its own thing, and the unique flavors and colors come expressly from the cocoa bean and manufacturing process. So what’s the deal with ruby chocolate? Here are answers to all of your ruby chocolate questions:
(silviarita / pixabay)
What does ruby chocolate taste like?
This is probably the most important – and most confounding – question on this list. Ruby chocolate is a tastebud stumper, for sure, because it has the mouthfeel of white chocolate, but it tastes almost like citrus or berries. Your brain might have a hard time processing that what you’re eating isn’t just a flavored white chocolate bar because it’s so pink and sweet and tangy – completely unlike any other chocolate-colored chocolate bar you’ve ever tasted. But you’ll just have to keep reminding yourself that ruby chocolate is indeed its own thing, and the flavor, texture, and color all come from the bean and the chocolate-making process.
Where does it come from?
Ruby cacao pods currently come from Ecuador, the Ivory Coast, and Brazil. The advertising suggests that they are special cocoa beans since the final result is pink instead of brown, but it’s more likely that the chocolate-making process is what determines the specialized color.
What makes it pink?
Ruby chocolate is sometimes called “millennial chocolate” because its color resembles that “millennial pink” that is so popular with the younger crowd these days. Ruby chocolate also supposedly gives the younger generation the rich, new chocolate experience they’re craving. Since ruby chocolate is heavily patented and the process is a trade secret, no one really knows what makes ruby chocolate the signature pink color. Some people think the pink color comes from a new kind of cacao pod, but since the cacao plants they use are from all over, that’s unlikely. Other people believe the pink color might come from under-fermenting the cacao beans, but who knows?
Who ”invented” ruby chocolate?
The Barry Callebaut Group is a chocolate company headquartered in Switzerland, and though they discovered ruby cacao in the early 2000s, it wasn’t until 2017 that ruby chocolate made its debut to the general public. It then broke into the flavor-fad world of Japanese KitKat bars, and eventually made its way into specialty shops around the world.
What are the ingredients in ruby chocolate?
The ruby chocolate ingredient list is pretty sparse: sugar, cocoa butter, milk products, cocoa mass, emulsifier, soy lecithin, citric acid, natural flavoring. Its cacao content falls just under 50%, which lands it somewhere in the grey area – or should we say tan area – between white and milk chocolate.
What can you do with ruby chocolate?
Isn’t that the question of the hour? So far, the Callebaut Group is the only official manufacturer and supplier of ruby chocolate for the rest of the world. They’ve branched out from their start with Japanese KitKat bars, and you can now find ruby chocolate bars in your local grocery store. Some stores even have ruby chocolate bars flavored with supplementary ingredients like grapefruit or berries.
Chocolatiers worldwide are now trying to figure out how to use ruby chocolate in new and exciting ways. According to many chocolatiers, ruby chocolate tempers similarly to white chocolate, meaning that it is more susceptible to burning than dark chocolate and needs to be tempered to a lower temperature. The zingy, almost yogurt-like tang works well with a multitude of other flavors. According to Barry Callebaut, ruby chocolate pairs well with pumpkin, sweet potato, rosemary, caramel, salmon, scallops, camembert, blackberries, mango, cherries, apples, elderflower, pepper, and whiskey (to name just a few).
The ever-popular Great British Baking Show aired an episode a couple of years ago where one of the contestants used ruby chocolate in a challenge. Until that episode, most people hadn’t heard of ruby chocolate, but the show’s innovation and exposure brought ruby chocolate into the public eye. Since then, several other viral cooking and baking shows have introduced challenges with ruby chocolate as the special ingredient. Its sweet, tangy, fresh flavor appears to work well with sweet, spicy, and savory, so there are very few wrong answers when you’re experimenting with flavor combinations. So go ahead – send some of this unique chocolate in your next round of care packages or gifts by mail, and surprise someone you love with its novel and delicious flavor.