Sensuous and seductive, choose chocolate as a gift this Christmas and endear yourself to someone eternally. Denise Rooke goes round the blocks and selects suitable veggie suitors

Small, dark and irresistibly handsome, few people would deny the fatal attraction of chocolate. Our love affair with this smooth, dark foreigner dates back centuries.

The word chocolate, loosely translated, means warm beverage, a name given by the Mayan Indians of Central America, who along with the Aztecs of Mexico cultivated cacao beans to make a drink long before Columbus reached the New World. In the 16th century Mexico was conquered by the Spanish, and among the native delicacies to be taken home and sampled were cacao beans. By the 17th century Italy had acquired a taste for the drink, and a hundred years later cocoa had become a fashionable beverage in London.

Chocoholics quaffed the stuff for a further 100 years before it was transformed from liquid to the more versatile solid block form. Mass production of chocolate blocks began in the 19th century at the newly established companies of John Cadbury and Henry Isaac Rowntree. Today chocolate is produced in innumerable varieties (all of which, you will be delighted to know, should be consumed as soon as possible after purchase because keeping properties are not among chocolate's many virtues). More than 500,000 tons of chocolate are devoured annually in the UK alone.

Chocolate was once believed to be an aphrodisiac and as such was frowned upon by the Church. Owing to its chemical properties, chocolate can be addictive, inducing a state of happiness or euphoria similar to the feeling of being in love. It is also thought to be a mild anti-depressant; American scientists discovered that people suffering from low-grade depression could be deficient in serotonin, a calming brain chemical which is boosted when sugar or starch is eaten.

Chocolate is made from cocoa nibs derived from cocoa beans. Varieties include bitter or plain chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate and cooking chocolate. The classification depends on the amount of cocoa solids and added ingredients used. Lactose, whey powders/solids and animal fats may all be used in the manufacture of chocolate bars, and those which contain a filling may also contain a variety of additives, colourings and animal by-products such as gelatine.

Nutritional Content

Although chocolate cannot be considered a primary source of nutrients and it does contain that bad guy caffeine, it is a good source of phosphorus, vitamin E, calcium, iron and is a moderate source of protein and magnesium. Fat content is very high and produces about 50 per cent of the energy in chocolate, making it an ideal emergency supplement for those who participate in mountaineering, marathon running, cycling or other such physical tasks.

The Vegetarian Society has been assured that all the products listed below are suitable for vegetarians, containing no eggs or animal derived ingredients (except dairy). However the companies do reserve the right to change the ingredients after publication of the lists. If in doubt, read the label carefully and check directly with the manufacturer.

Vegetarian and Vegan Chocolate/Confectionery

Cadburys; PO Box 12 Bournville, Birmingham B30 2LU, Tel: 0121 458 2000

Cadburys Vegetarian

Bournville Bournville Fruit & Nut

Buttons Creamy-White Buttons

Dairy Milk Dairy Milk Miniatures

Dairy Milk Wildlife Flake

99 Flake Orange Cream

Spira Time Out Twirl

Wispa Wispa Shoe People

Golden Crisp Old Jamaica Tiffin

Mint Crisp Nut Crisp

Biaritz -

Rio Night Tropicano