Easter eggs: which ones and how to choose?

Easter is coming and it is impossible to give up a good chocolate egg to eat in the company of your family or friends. But how to choose quality Easter eggs?

Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerous

Easter arrives and it is impossible to give up a good one chocolate egg to eat in the company of your family or friends. But style="text-align: justify;"> how to choose Easter eggs style="text-align: justify;">quality?

Not everyone has the desire or time to try their hand at making a homemade Easter egg, so most people go to the supermarket to buy one or more chocolate egg to keep at home or as a gift.

Read also: EASTER EGGS: THE RECIPE FOR DO-IT-YOURSELF CHOCOLATE EGGS

Index

name="how-to-choose-the-easter-egg">How to choose the Easter egg

As always, it is good to choose a higher quality product read the labels and nutritional values carefully shown on the gaudy packaging in which these typical Easter products are contained. The choice of Easter eggs is really great: they are in fact at dark, milk, white chocolate, enriched with hazelnuts, gianduia, etc.

The list of ingredients listed should not be too long, pay particular attention to the quantity of chocolate (which especially in the milk variants is very low), al fat used which should be cocoa butter and not palm oil, shea butter or coconut butter and the quantity of sugar which is often very high (in some cases over 50% of the total).

Le dark eggs must contain at least 35% of total cocoa dry matter (but better if the percentage is higher), at least 18% of cocoa butter and not less than 14% of defatted dry cocoa. As for milk chocolate eggs, on the other hand, they must contain at least 25% of total dry matter of cocoa, 14% of total dry matter of lactic origin and 25% of total fat.

If possible it would be better to choose Easter eggs from fair trade.

This will avoid financing the exploitation of cocoa workers (often also children) by multinationals.

name="easter-eggs-beware-of-surprises-too">Easter eggs, beware of surprises too

We then make a final mention regarding the surprises contained in Easter eggs, we refer in particular to those dedicated to children: pay attention to the labels in which the age for which the surprise is suitable is specified, in fact in some cases inside there are games made with small pieces, dangerous as children under 3 years could ingest them.

But let's go back now to the choice, to help you make a more conscious shopping in comparison the best known chocolate eggs, the ones that you probably also have at home or have ever bought.

name="comparing-labels">COMPARING LABELS

Big surprise – Kindergarten

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Dark dark 72% cocoa - Novi

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Fine milk chocolate - Balocco

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Double surprise dark chocolate - Lindt

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Lindor milk chocolate - Lindt

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Superior milk chocolate - Bauli

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White chocolate - Galak

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Smarties - Nestle

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Baci Perugina Fine milk - Perugina

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Baci Perugina dark - Perugina

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Fine milk chocolate - Motta

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Milk Chocolate - Precious Sweets

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Black Gianduia - Pernigotti

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Gianduia - Pernigotti

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Easter eggs, the organic alternative

Antica Norba 72% gluten-free extra dark chocolate egg

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Easter eggs, fair trade alternatives

SOLIDAL Extra Dark Chocolate Egg 60% 220 g

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ingredients:

Cocoa mass, Cane sugar, Cocoa butter, Emulsifier: soy lecithin, Cocoa 60% minimum, GLUTEN FREE, Cocoa mass, cocoa butter and cane sugar compliant with Fairtrade standards. Total: 99.75%, May contain traces of nuts, milk and derivatives

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INGREDIENTS: * ° Cane sugar - ° Milk powder - * ° Cocoa butter - * ° Cocoa mass - Emulsifiers: soy lecithin - ° Vanilla extract. Cocoa: 32% minimum
* Ingredients of Fair Trade
° Ingredients from organic farming

NUTRITION TABLE:
Average nutritional values Amount per 100 g * Per portion% ** AR per portion
Energy (kJ) 2330,00 468,00 6

* Per Serving: 20 grams
** AR: daily reference intake of an average adult (8400Kj / 2000Kcal)

NEW WORLD - DARK CHOCOLATE EGG - BIO - 270G, organic and fair trade

INGREDIENTS: * ° Cocoa mass - * ° Cane sugar - * ° Cocoa butter - Emulsifiers: soy lecithin - ° Vanilla extract. Cocoa: 60% minimum
* Ingredients of Fair Trade
° Ingredients from organic farming

NUTRITION TABLE:
Average nutritional values Amount per 100 g * Per portion% ** AR per portion
Energy (KJ) 2327,00 465,00 6

Easter eggs, the labels in comparison

Now let's compare specifically the main characteristics of chocolate eggs: the percentage of cocoa, the saturated fats, amount of sugar, the other ingredients present and calories per 100 grams. This comparison table will make it easier for you.

To view the enlarged table and download the PDF click here

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Easter eggs, the expert's opinion

Regarding the choice of a quality chocolate we asked Barbara Ziparo, nutritionist biologist, to give us some advice. Here's what he told us:

"The quality of the chocolate depends on the raw material as well as from the cocoa beans manufacturing process. The best chocolate should only contain cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar in modest amounts. The percentage indicated on the label includes cocoa mass and cocoa butter. In the case of dark chocolate, the first place in the list of ingredients must be cocoa mass which must be greater than 43% and which determines its aroma. A good chocolate should contain no fats other than cocoa butter (which must be at least 28%). It is added to make the chocolate softer, but because it is very expensive, it is often mixed with other vegetable fats which by law can be added up to a maximum of 5%. The most used is palm oil, but also shea butter and other cheap fats which, however, significantly lower the quality of the chocolate. After cocoa butter we find sugar, in fact, by law, chocolate must contain at least 1% sugar. Some manufacturers add sweeteners, but better to choose a chocolate with little sugar, perhaps cane, or at most with natural sweeteners such as stevia rather than with synthetic sweeteners ".

What can they be the other ingredients present?

“In addition to the 3 main ingredients, chocolate can contain flavors. However, it is always better to choose one without any aroma, to better appreciate the taste of chocolate and also because it could be artificial flavors. It is different, for example, that it is present vanilla pods rather than vanillin, chemically produced substance. In chocolate we can also find lecithin, a substance that is added as an emulsifier and which is natural, extracted from egg yolk, soy or sunflower. It is used both for processing and for storing chocolate. In its absence, higher percentages of cocoa butter are needed with a consequent increase in the cost of the product ".