Where Does Chocolate Milk Come From? Not From Brown Cows
Innovation Center of the U.S. Dairy surveyed to understand the knowledge of American citizens about chocolate milk. In addition, they were asked where chocolate milk comes from, and the results were surprising. So, here is where chocolate milk comes from.
Chocolate milk is a human-made product primarily of milk, cocoa, and sugar. So no, it’s not made of brown cows, as 7% of American citizens believe. Different countries prepare it differently as some put chocolate flakes, coconut milk, or spices. But overall, most of the recipes are similar to each other.
Are you curious to know the origin of this beverage and how it is made in different countries or cultures? If yes, this article is for you.
How Is Chocolate Milk Made?
Chocolate milk is made by mixing milk with cocoa powder and sugar. This is the most basic and standard way, but chocolate milk is prepared differently in different cultures.
The Regular Version
The regular version of chocolate milk is mixed in a blender with cocoa powder, sugar, and milk. If you want it in a hot version, you can boil the three ingredients together and stir well for some minutes. In the cases when you want it cold, you can shake it with a shaker and ice cubes. The regular version is pretty basic, but there are more types of chocolate milk made by different gastronomic cultures.
Mexico
Mexican style is quite similar to the traditional version with some small modifications. First, you put it together in a standard mixer or Nutribullet milk, cacao, and one egg. Then you blend for one to two minutes until it is entirely homogenized and chocolate milk is ready.
You have to be careful to choose the freshness of the egg as it will be consumed raw, and if it is not of the best quality, it may give side effects such as diarrhea. Pregnant ladies have to avoid this drink at any cost. You have to consume this version cold.
Belgium
Chocolate milk in Belgium indeed contains cocoa powder, and a small quantity of Belgium chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla flavor. Besides that, you have to add more unsugared cocoa powder and extra sugar. In this type, you will find the taste of the chocolate and maybe a little sweeter.
Jamaica
More than chocolate milk, Jamaican people call this Chocolate tea, and it is prepared with a mix of water and base plant milk like coconut and a combination of chocolate bars and cacao. They use spices like nutmeg and cinnamon to add extra flavor, and in the end, vegan condensed milk sweetens to taste.
You can also add other spices to make it perfect for you. This is very healthy as it contains coconut milk and organic sweetener instead of regular sugar.
Vegan
An excellent way to use vegan chocolate milk is to interchange the regular milk with soy milk. This is a good base, but to improve the mild taste of soy, you can add more ingredients like cinnamon or a little coffee powder.
Also, you can choose how much cocoa you put in, depending on how sweet or bitter you prefer. Another way to sweeten it may be maple syrup.
Korean
Probably the most complex chocolate milk recipe is the Korean version. Completely atypic from other types, milk chocolate is trendy in Korea. First, you have to mix flavored chocolate jelly with water and boil it until it’s cooked. Then, put the mass in a baking pan and let it chill and thicken.
In another bowl, melt a bar of whole chocolate and mix it with condensed milk and a large quantity of water until it is a homogeneous mass. In the end, divide the chocolate jelly into pieces and drown them in the homogeneous chocolate mass.
The jelly pieces will melt, and in the end, you will have fantastic chocolate milk in Korean style. Not very sugary, but an authentic recipe worth trying.
What Is in Chocolate Milk?
Depending on the recipe used, a wide variety of ingredients can be present in chocolate milk. However, the most common ones used are chocolate and cocoa powder. From the name chocolate milk, you may think that the primary ingredient is chocolate, but most of the time is just cocoa powder. This is the key difference between milk chocolate and hot chocolate which utilizes actual chocolate.
Although, some versions contain chocolate flakes or melted bars of chocolate for extra flavor to improve the texture and make it creamier.
The usual milk used is the regular one, but there are versions of chocolate milk with coconut, oats, or almond milk.
To make the chocolate milk sweeter, you can use white or brown sugar, but instead, you can also use organic sweeteners. And in the end, chocolate milk may have spices like cinnamon or nutmeg to give extra flavor.
Does Chocolate Milk Come From Brown Cows?
Do you know that around 7% of American citizens think that chocolate milk comes from brown cows? This is undoubtedly a myth and not the truth, but approximately 16.4 million people don’t know that.
The truth is that all cows, besides their body color, produce white milk. There is not a thing such as natural chocolate milk. Chocolate milk is human-made.
Who Invented Chocolate Milk?
The first evidence of its existence goes back to 1494 when according to a Jamaican historian, Jame Delbuogo, Jamaican people boiled cacao shavings with milk and cinnamon.
According to another source, the Natural History Museum, the credits for bringing it to Europe belong to Sir Hans Sloane, who tasted it in Jamaica in the early 1700th. Initially, in Europe, this beverage was used as medicine.
How Is Chocolate Milk Good for You?
This is a tricky question. I am starting with the good ones. Due to the milk present in this recipe, chocolate milk has protein to help the body recover after a workout. Some scientific research proves this. [1]
The nutritional value of this beverage is relatively high as it contains 7 grams of protein and 30 grams of carbs. In addition, it has small quantities of calcium, zinc, selenium, iodine, and magnesium, which positively affect bones and teeth. [2]
Also, it is suggested to be drunk by the kids to increase the vitamin D in their bodies. However, it gets complicated with the sugar level, which is also relatively high, around 15 grams. This sugar is not natural but added sugar, which may increase the risk for heart diseases.
If you like to drink it without sugar, that should be fine; you can obtain good nutritional values and avoid the harmful effects. Also, if you are intolerant to milk, your body cannot digest it, making you sick.
Where Does Strawberry Milk Come From?
Chocolate milk is the most common and most popular in history, but you can use strawberry milk in everyday life for kids and adults. It’s very famous in Japan and consumes a lot to hydrate and feel fresher in the summertime.
The Japanese version of Strawberry milk is made by blending strawberries in an electronic mixer. Strawberries can be fresh or frozen. Some more strawberries need to be cut into chops to be added at the end and some good portion of milk. You can choose the type of milk you want, but coconut milk is highly recommended.
All those ingredients, together with some sugar, which is optional, need to be boiled, and then the mass can chill in the fridge. Finally, you can top it with whipped cream, ice cream, or different types of syrups.
The regular and most common version is a little easier as you mix milk with frozen strawberries, sugar, and regular milk, mix them well, and voila, it’s ready. From this point of view, I feel like the Korean style is more delicious and of high quality, and the regular version is if you want something quick and cheap.
