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From Berhael's article:

Quote:

Violet Smarties were previously dyed with cochineal, a derivative of the Cochineal insect which is listed in the ingredients as carminic acid. Its presence meant that these Smarties were neither kosher, halal nor vegetarian.

Ah yes, good old cochineal, it's an old pigment (or rather dye) made from crushed cochineal beetles. I believe lots of pink foodstuffs are (or used to be) dyed with cochineal.

Jude wrote:

Have another look. Despite their name, blueberries are more dark purple.

I meant the outsides, which are clearly blue. I've looked at blueberries before.

Am I the only person here who likes M&M's plain? Just straight up, ordinary, milk chocolate?

No. They're my favourite too. I prefer Minstrels though. The same, only bigger and just plain brown. "They melt in your mouth, not in your hands."

Don't know if you get them in the US, but the chocolate is actually chocolate, not the US chocolate-flavored sugar crapfest so favored by Herseys et al. Hershey's Kisses? More like Hershey's 'pour pure sugar down my throat, babe'. Ack. I'd heard of these when living in the UK and was looking forward to trying them when I first visited the US. I now know why they don't market them in the UK. Chocolate vs American chocolate is the same is a meal vs Pot Noodle.

Maybe that's why I could tolerate plain M&M's in the US. They were so small that the shell/volume ratio was such that you couldn't really tell how bad the chocolate was.

Update: Minstrels are milk chocolate buttons with a hard glazed shell sold in several countries including the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Cyprus, and Spain. The brand replaced the similar Chocolate Treets.

They originally had the slogan "They melt in your mouth, not in your hands", the same one used by M&M's in the United States (also used to market M&M's in the UK in the 1980s and 1990s).

In line with Mars' re-branding, Minstrels have been repackaged and are now sold as "Galaxy Minstrels", referring to the use of Galaxy chocolate in them.

There are some excellent chocolates made in the States, they're just not the cheap kind like Hershey's.

Godiva is owned by Belgians, btw. I've yet to find a mainstream US company that sells chocolate.

From http://www.americansoda.co.uk

Quote:

Chocolate connoisseurs will truly appreciate the products that we’ve sourced. Sure, the Swiss have mastered the art of making Swiss chocolate but no-one makes American chocolate quite like the Americans now do they?

And thank God for that.

elfshadow wrote:

Blueberries, Holby?

Blueberries are most certainly not blue. They are a shade of purple.

Lidless wrote:

I've yet to find a mainstream US company that sells chocolate.

Ghirardelli is most certainly mainstream now.

http://www.ghirardelli.com/about/

Dove chocolate is pretty good as well. I sent some to Ber and Mr. Ber since Mr. Ber didn't think any American chocolate could be good. He was proven wrong IIRC.

So you can stop putting down American chocolate. It's not all crap.

Scharffenburger Chocolate is very good, and made in California, or at least is was until recently, when Hershey's bought it.

And Dove isn't all that bad, especially the half pound bags (burp).

Blueberries have a powder on the surface that is a structural blue. Crush them and they turn purple.

Do green smarties have the same effects as green M&M's?

Erunáme wrote:

Ghirardelli is most certainly mainstream now.

I'd forgotten about Ghirardelli. That is excellent chocolate.

Although its origins are indeed in the US, it's now the US division of Lindt. Swiss owned. They know good chocolate when they see/eat it.

That's not to say British chocolate is great. I love Cadburys (Estel doesn't) and Galaxy, but they are nothing in comparison to Belgian/Dutch/Swiss chocolate.

laureanna wrote:

Do green smarties have the same effects as green M&M's?

What are the effects of green M&M's?

Less pollution, surely.

I miss the old-school blue Smarties.

Give me my e-number fix.

-Pips-

Ghiradelli's was good before they got bought.

Jude wrote:

What are the effects of green M&M's?

http://www.snopes.com/risque/aphrodisiacs/mandms.asp

oooh old thread

I hate indigoberries.
Actually I like them but they hate me.

I'm actually not that fond of Cadbury's. It's not all that great. Galaxy is good though.

I have to say I prefer M&Ms over Minstrels.

Blueberries are blue. At most, I will say they are blue-violet. They are not purple.