What is Ruby Chocolate & What Makes it Pink?
You may have first noticed it on the “Great British Bake Off,” a pink substance called ruby chocolate that indeed blushes with a demure hue compared to its more experienced chocolate counterparts. It has also made appearances on Netflix’s “School of Chocolate,” as well as the recently re-booted “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend,” a key ingredient in a chocolate-themed episode. Whether or not you’ve yet encountered ruby chocolate personally in bar or confection form, one thing we know for sure: ruby chocolate evidently has star power.
Ruby chocolate is much more than just camera-ready, however, though it is undeniably a knockout, and it’s definitely not as simple as just pink chocolate. Here we get to know the ins and outs of this new, “4th chocolate,” aided by Chef Martin Diez, Director of Chef Services for Barry Callebaut Americas.
What is Ruby Chocolate?
Martin Diez photo courtesy Barry Callebaut
First introduced in 2017, ruby chocolate is a pink-hued chocolate crafted by Switzerland’s Barry Callebaut, the leading chocolate manufacturer worldwide, whom we recently profiled after their rollout of “second generation chocolate.” Following dark, milk, and white chocolate, it is being promoted as the world’s 4th unique chocolate type.
Its pink hue comes from selected cocoa beans with a specific processing technique applied, through research that Barry Callebaut took a number of years to complete. Though the company is being (rightfully) vague about the details of its proprietary production, it offers the following statement on ruby chocolate’s development: “The ruby cocoa beans, which are sourced from different regions of the world, have a specific set of attributes that Barry Callebaut managed to unlock through an innovative process.” (Basically, if you’re a chocolatier looking to harvest and process ruby chocolate on your own, you’re going to have to start from scratch with your own years-long research.)
Ruby cacao pod photo courtesy of Barry Callebaut
The rose-colored hue occurs naturally from the selected beans and the subsequent processing, but otherwise results in a chocolate that behaves similarly to other chocolates. “The texture and viscosity of ruby chocolate are the same as any others,” says Diez. “Ruby chocolate melts perfectly and I usually temper it around 30°C, close to the temperature curve of a milk chocolate.”
What Does Ruby Chocolate Taste Like?
“The tasting experience is fantastic,” says Diez. “There is a real tension between the berry, fruity notes and the velvety smoothness of the mouthfeel.” Ruby chocolate’s flavor is often attributed to berries by those who’ve tasted it, with a slightly higher acidity than that which is perceived in other types of chocolate. There’s a sweet serendipity of a berry-colored chocolate tasting like actual berries, though Barry Callebaut makes clear in their materials that no coloring or flavoring is added to the product.
Its unique taste opens it up to a range of inclusions and applications, according to Diez, some of which aren’t obvious matches for other forms of chocolate. “I usually pair ruby by association with ingredients that match the tasting profile,” he says, “such as fruits like red berries, passion fruit, and apricots, or herbs like basil, mint, or rosemary.” Classic chocolate companions can also easily harmonize with ruby chocolate. “Nuts work very well also,” says Diez, highlighting pistachios for not only their sympatico flavor with ruby chocolate, but dynamic color contrast. He even recommends a bit of an iconoclastic clash-up: ruby chocolate with cacao nibs, so long as their volume is kept to a level that doesn’t overpower the ruby.
Ruby Chocolate in the Wild
“Ruby is now truly considered as the 4th type of chocolate within the chefs' community and can be found in different shops and restaurants across the globe,” says Diez, citing ruby chocolate’s frequent appearances in everything from bonbons to cookies to ice cream. (In “Iron Chef,” it even made an appearance in Caesar salad.) Look for it in your local patisserie or chocolate shops, or you can experiment with ruby chocolate for yourself, as it is regularly available in bar or button form. In the US, Barry Callebaut supplies select chocolatiers with ruby chocolate including Charles Chocolate, who pairs it with strawberries and Vosges, who sells a ruby truffle collection.