ABOUT FRENCH CHOCOLATE FOR RAMADAN
Ramadan chocolate is a phrase that evokes a mesmerizing mix of thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It’s not every day that you get to see a worldly indulgence and a religious observance as juxtaposed words.
Ramadan reminds people of fasting, abstinence, tradition, and charity. Chocolate sometimes signals feasting, craving, temptation, and luxury. Add a touch of French savoir-faire to this atypical pair, and voila! You get a concoction of contrast, curiosity, and creativity called French Ramadan chocolate.
Which then begs the question: “Are French chocolates perfect for Ramadan?”
Let’s take a quick gastronomic adventure and explore the top five reasons why enjoying French Ramadan chocolates upon the backdrop of one of the most meaningful months of the year may be ideal after all.
Benefits of Ramadan Fasting
Ramadan is the most sacred month for all the followers of Islam. It is a holy period of fasting, reflection, and prayer. Fasting is required for its spiritual and religious significance. Yet the physical benefits of fasting also make it a way for Muslims to attend to their bodily needs.
Muslims understand this and embrace fasting for its wide array of potential benefits. These include blood sugar management, heart health, brain function, growth and metabolism, disease and cancer prevention, and even delaying aging. Most notably, weight loss is one of the primary good health-related benefits.
Fasting Causes Weight Gain?
Ironically, however, many Muslims actually gain more weight during the month of fasting. A study among a cohort of Saudi families in Jeddah, Western Saudi Arabia, revealed almost two-thirds of the respondents (59.5%) reported weight gain after Ramadan.
When asked about their perspective explanations, 40% of respondents attributed it to the food they eat is rich in fat and carbohydrates. With studies like these, it is understandable why chocolates may not be considered ideal for Ramadan. Most chocolate varieties available in the market are high in sugar, carbohydrates, calories, and fat.
Are Chocolates Innocent?
Reportedly, some Muslims tend to eat more after feeling the pangs of hunger throughout the day. Chocolates, however, are not the culprit. That same study revealed that 97.7% attribute it to dates in the evening while 80.9% say it’s rice in the early morning meals. Another 31.2% attribute it to lack of physical exercise, and 14.5% attribute it to increased food consumption.
Scientific studies have been conducted to study the impact of chocolate on health. Initial results of reveal promising results. People can start to properly weigh the harmful effects against the positive benefits of moderately enjoying chocolates during Ramadan.
Some benefits of chocolates from these studies include the following:
| Supports cardiovascular health | Lowers cholesterol |
| Improves blood pressure | Improves brain health |
| Reduces memory decline | Improves blood flow |
| Lowers risk of developing heart disease | Lowers risk of experiencing and dying from stroke |
| Lowers risk of heart disease | Benefits fetal growth and development |
Not All Chocolates Are Created Equal
Naturally, not all chocolates have the same ingredients and health benefits. There are still risks and harmful effects of unhealthy chocolates or even overeating healthy ones. Consumers are highly encouraged to check each label and to practice moderation. Yet, it cannot be denied that with all these potential benefits of chocolates, it may be best not to rule Ramadan French chocolates out immediately.
Choose only the finest French chocolates made with all-natural ingredients, with no alcohol or animal fat. When enjoyed conscientiously, Ramadan zChocolat might just be more beneficial than pure fasting for weight loss.
Ramadan Virtues
Ramadan is the time for Muslims to intensify their devotion to Islamic values. It’s all about resisting vice and pursuing virtues. These virtues include sacrifice, discipline, patience, penance, mindfulness, introspection, reflection, and other spiritual virtues.
During the fasting period, Muslims are prohibited from regular eating and drinking. They are also required to abstain from drinking any type of liquids, uncharitable deeds, bad habits, smoking, sexual activity, or other indulgences. Deprivation of worldly pleasures is the means to an end goal of developing spiritual virtues.
Ramadan Chocolates: Vice or Virtue?
Chocolates, on the other hand, are guilty pleasures for most people. Hence, chocolates are not immediately associated with the spirit of fasting or abstinence during Ramadan. Yet, considering all the health benefits of chocolates, it may be good to enjoy them and use them as an opportunity to derive physical and spiritual benefits throughout the season.
Enjoying Ramadan chocolates in moderation helps one focus on contentment over consumerism, gratitude over gloom, celebration over somberness, and generosity over gluttony. Sharing them with family, friends, and the community fosters belongingness, acceptance, unity, and communion. Giving them as peace offerings promotes courage, humility, and forgiveness.
Obligatory Charity
Islam has another important pillar called Zakat, or almsgiving. Translated from Arabic, Zakat connotes growth, increase, purification, fertility, and abundant blessings. Almsgiving, which ranks next to prayer in importance, is treated as a religious obligation. It is a duty for all Muslims who meet the necessary wealth criteria to help those in need.
Because charity to the less fortunate is not only an option but also an obligation, communities and organizations receive donations to distribute them to the people who need them the most. They give them to orphans, families in dire poverty, or innocent people suffering from conflict or natural disasters.
Voluntary Generosity
Beyond the obligation, Ramadan is a perfect time for Muslims to practice empathy and unity with their less fortunate Muslim brothers and sisters through voluntary generosity. Given its universality, generosity is something that even non-Muslims can and should practice all year round. It should not start and stop in the month of Ramadan.
While the month of Ramadan is when Muslims give special attention to charitable deeds and random acts of kindness, every day is an opportunity for anyone to be generous. A personalized Ramadan chocolate gift can go a long way. Or, if you want something more luxurious and memorable, bestseller gifts are perfect tokens of appreciation for specific persons.
zChocolat’s Commitment
Participating in this universal act of generosity, zChocolat leads by example. With every order of Ramadan chocolate gift boxes, zChocolat is doubling the amount of chocolate at no extra cost. Customers can choose to send the additional chocolates to the same recipient, donate to a hospital or charity, or save it in their account to redeem at a later date for themselves or someone else.
Moreover, zChocolat has partnered with prominent hospitals and organizations, particularly Dr. Samir Abbas Hospital in Jeddah and Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital in Dubai. Such partnership makes it highly convenient for anyone to practice generosity through the act of chocolate gift-giving during the time of Ramadan.
Participating in this universal act of generosity, zChocolat leads by example. With every order of Ramadan chocolate gift boxes, zChocolat is doubling the amount of chocolate at no extra cost. Customers can choose to send the additional chocolates to the same recipient, donate to a hospital or charity, or save it in their account to redeem at a later date for themselves or someone else.
Moreover, zChocolat has partnered with prominent hospitals and organizations, particularly Dr. Samir Abbas Hospital in Jeddah and Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital in Dubai. Such partnership makes it highly convenient for anyone to practice generosity through the act of chocolate gift-giving during the time of Ramadan.
Ramadan Traditions
One of the common misconceptions of Ramadan is that it’s a time focused on fasting, abstention, somberness, reflection, introspection, and prayer. All of which are more personal practices of devotion. People often forget that Ramadan is also about celebrating family and community traditions.
Meal traditions during Ramadan include the Suhoor, the Iftar, and the major Festival of Fast-Breaking called Eid al-Fitr. There is also another practice that Muslim families with children are starting to embrace today.
First, there is Suhoor, the meal before dawn. It is a hearty and healthy meal to provide the much-needed energy before embarking on a full-day fast of around 12 hours. This traditional meal ends when the fajr or morning prayer starts just before sunrise.
Secondly, Iftar is the meal to break the day’s fast after Maghrib prayer when the sun sets at the end of the day. Many Muslims eat dates before beginning the Iftar meal to break their fast. They are following how Prophet Muhammad ate to break his own fast.
When Muslims gather together to break the fast, chocolates are the perfect pairings for dried fruits, nuts, and dates, the staple food during Ramadan. This evening meal is usually celebrated with the family or community. Muslims sometimes continue celebrating, eating, and drinking throughout the night until the next day’s Suhoor.
At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr, also known as the “Lesser Eid,” the three-day Festival of Fast-Breaking. It is one of two major Islamic holidays. It commemorates the end of fasting. The anticipation of this festival gave rise to a practice of counting down the days to that special celebration.
Ramadan Chocolate Calendar 2024: A New Tradition?
To make the celebration exciting for children, Muslim families use Ramadan chocolate calendars for counting down the days until Eid al-Fitr. These creative, artistic, and educational calendars often come with inspirational ideas, little surprises, sweets, and of course, chocolate to keep the whole family engaged each day throughout the month.
These calendars with Ramadan chocolate dates are not only for children and families, though. Ramadan chocolates can be enjoyed by colleagues, communities, and anyone participating in Ramadan. These Ramadan calendars can be given as gifts and tokens of appreciation to kick off the season, use, and enjoy throughout the month.
zChocolat Ramadan Calendar Chocolates
With over 20 years of tradition creating the most luxurious French chocolates, zChocolat has perfected a delectable pack of 30 of the finest French chocolates from its world-renowned Traditional, Exotic, and Z recipes. Each chocolate piece from the Ramadan chocolate box can be the most succulent surprise for each day of the entire chocolate Ramadan calendar.
At the end of the countdown, giving the most luxurious, personalized, and regal Ramadan chocolate gifts can be the most memorable way to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr. This brings us to our fifth and final reason why French Ramdan chocolates are ideal for the month of Ramadan.
Sweet Surprise: All Treats, No Tricks!
Giving sweets during Ramadan is not uncommon. In fact, in the middle of the Ramadan season, Muslims celebrate the Gargee’an Festival. Children dress in traditional attires, sing songs, and hop from door-to-door to receive candies, coins, and nuts from neighbors.
People recount the story of Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, who gave out sweets. She did this to celebrate the birth of her first son, Imam Hasan ibn Ali, the first grandchild of Prophet Mohammad. Muslims continue this practice to this day to commemorate that event.
Glorious Gastronomic Gifts!
Gift-giving, therefore, is a valuable part of the Ramadan celebration. While the tradition started as giving out sweets, many Muslims also give unique and significant gifts appropriate for the occasion and recipients. Close family members, loved ones, bosses, and clients may receive personalized, luxurious presents with a Ramadan chocolate bouquet.
French chocolates can play a vital role in this gift-giving ritual. They can be the perfect gastronomic gifts during Iftar celebrations with family and friends. When encased in elegant Ramadan chocolate gift boxes, these gifts not only please the palate but also preserve family heirlooms, jewelry, and other valuable items.
For Muslims and health-conscious chocolate lovers alike, zChocolat has a collection of chocolates with all-natural, alcohol-free, and animal fat-free recipes. All chocolate descriptions are translated in Arabic and delivered with all packages in Muslim countries. This Ramadan Chocolate Collection is truly delightfully healthy, safe, religiously observant, and satisfying for any sweet tooth.
Ramadan chocolates may initially evoke different thoughts, feelings, and emotions. After reading these top five reasons, we hope you will give French Ramadan chocolates a try. Family and friends who observe Ramadan might find this as an unexpected, uncommon, yet unparalleled addition to an age-old tradition.
Experience these chocolates first hand then you will be able to objectively judge whether French chocolates are perfect for Ramadan. If your personal experience convinces you, consider making them a unique and essential part of your Ramadan celebration and family gift-giving rituals and traditions.
Whatever your feelings, beliefs, taste, or chocolate preferences are, the zChocolat Ramadan Collection will always have something special for you. Our 100% natural, world-renowned flavors from around the world are sure to impress both the most conservative and most adventurous palates. Whether it is the month of Ramadan or any other special occasion.