Two countries separated by chocolate

BBC News: The great transatlantic chocolate divide.

Anyone who has performed a chocolate taste test will know that compared with its British counterpart, American chocolate has a distinctly different flavour. To many, Hershey's chocolate has a more bitter, less creamy taste than its British equivalent, and seems to have a grittier texture.  It all comes down to what exactly chocolate is.

In the UK, chocolate must contain at least 20% cocoa solids. In the US, on the other hand, cocoa solids need only make up 10%.  A Cadbury Dairy Milk bar contains 23% cocoa solids, whereas a Hershey bar contains just 11%.  Much of Europe would scoff at either definition. The continental preference is for richer, darker chocolate, with a significantly higher cocoa solid count. Many European chocolatiers make chocolate with upwards of 40% cocoa solids, a world away from our elevenses bar from the newsagent.

I grew up with Cadbury's Dairy Milk, Cadbury's Bourneville Dark, and Nestlé Galaxy.  I don't like Hershey's chocolate at all, it tastes like something is missing, or something went wrong with the milk. Hershey's Dark is good, Green and Black's is good (a Cadbury brand that made it to the US), Dove is good (re-badged Galaxy chocolate).