I admit it: I’m attempting to cook my way into the hearts of my new Parisian neighbours. And bar a minor accident with an exceedingly boozy beef bourguignon (at least they won’t remember it), all seemed to be going to plan.

So with National Chocolate Day in mind, I decided to push the boat out and have a stab at making some salted-caramel truffles.  And finally, success, I found myself surrounded- a throng of clearly smitten moths were drawn to my cocoa-dusted flame.

This was perhaps less a testimony to my culinary skills, however, than to the potency of Paris’ love-affair with chocolate. Since the first chocolatier opened its doors back in 1659, the city has boasted a top-quality boutique industry with an unrivalled capacity for gastronomic innovation.

Popular culture has romanticised the notion of chocolate and its production and elevated it to a seemingly magical status. However, the reality of the chocolate factory outside Europe is far from sugar-coated. Willy Wonka’s workshop brought one lucky family out of poverty and his Oompa-Loompas never went on strike; but in a real-world cocoa industry which seeks to support not one family but a mass of 50 million people, corruption is widespread and exploitation rife. Child labour is commonplace and with over 40% of the world’s cocoa sourced in the Côte d’Ivoire, a French ex-colony, the ethical concerns raise an issue close to home.

Perhaps this was the influence behind Paris’ contributions to the Journée Mondiale du Caco et du Chocolat this week. A tasting session with Chloé  Doutre-Rousse, author of ‘The Chocolate Connoisseur’ and chocolatier Alexandra Whisnant, for instance, unexpectedly opened my eyes to a self-conscious, responsible and ethical world of modern Parisian chocolaterie. True, it may be exclusive, and at times, excessively poncy (there was no way I could taste ‘notes of mushroom’ in that ganache), but their admirable emphasis on ethical production was a more than worthy return. Their audience was warned: “you just can’t buy crap any more”.

Furthermore, the revered Patrick Roger currently boasts a window display easily mistakable for that of an art gallery; yet his 7m-long edible sculpture featuring a montage of giant Hippopotami in fact serves primarily to spread awareness of the environmental issues which affect the West African countries where his cocoa originates, such as climate-driven animal extinction.

Despite the shining example set by these independent entrepreneurs, the issue of exploitation continues to fester in the world of corporate, large-scale production. And as such, a day of designated decadence left a taste in my mouth too bitter for even the darkest of chocolates to account for.

But heaven’s sake, don’t give up on choc. This delectable disguise of brain-boosters and flavonoids is after all, practically medicinal. In fact I really fancy one of those truffles- just as well I smuggled a few back into the fridge. Please, join suit, indulge away, but try to do so ethically. Like the French, indulge in quality and at the same time, in food for thought.