A group of us Chocolatiers noted with alarm that there was some discussion among some French culinary practitioners, in Paris, to declare French cuisine a part of UNESCO World Heritage.Of course that is quite absurd.The only thing quite international about French food is probably French Fries. But that was invented by the Belgians. Indonesian cuisine is much older, more sophisticated, more complex and more varied.But we put that aside for a while.
However we felt that if any food should be declared as part of the UNESCO World Heritage it should be chocolate or cocoa.Here are our reasons. UNESCO please take note.
1)Chocolate has been a thrilling, multi-dimensional, monument to man's ingenuity for 3000 years.
2)Chocolate is "exceptional in its universal application.It now belongs to all the peoples of the world." Not to Switzerland nor to Belgium.
3) Chocolate begins with the humblest and most needed segment of mankind--the smallholder farmer. Fifty million of them located along the equator, around the world.
4)Chocolate is the world's biggest "monument" in the world, stretching from Mexico to
the South Pacific islands.
5) Cocoa and Chocolate continuously challenges and excites the creativity of a community of millions of artisans, hobbyists, home industries, manufacturers and scientists and technologists.
6) Chocolate is the world most loved and respected flavour.
7)A potential exists for Chocolate as an universal food solution: nutritious, satisfying and uplifting.
8)Today it has acquired and has been absorbed into the cultural characteristics of the hundreds countries in which is enjoyed.
9)Chocolate and Cocoa have enhanced more foods round the world than any other flavour or food.
10)There is always a chocolate for every person. From a mini bar or wafer costing 5 cents to $250 per praline.
There is obviously no other food that deserves to be declared a world treasure and part of UNESCO World Heritage.
Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts
Sunday, 2 November 2008
Thursday, 21 August 2008
AFFORDABLE LUXURY CHOCOLATE.
I was just beginning to get seriously worried that chocolate will indeed be beyond the wallets of ordinary Joes, when I recalled Steven De Vries. Chocoholics will know De Vries as the man who took chocolate a hundred years back at his factory and shop in Denver Colorado, USA. A long way from Java Island but his existence is reassuring.
De Vires began by working closely with small plantations in Mexico, Costa Rica and Venezuela. Being a small artisan manufacturer he goes directly to small growers with very good beans. But in such small quantities that they don't interest the big manufacturers who have to buy big. De Vries goes to growers that grow on ten acres or less and produce one to two tons of dried beans per year.
He hit upon the artisan technique when he was in Costa Rica seven years ago. He brought back 30 kilos of dried beans in his bags. He roasted some in his oven. Peeled them by hand and ground them in an old grain grinder. The chocolate that emerged was gritty but full of "complex" flavours that he had never tasted before. He decided that he was not going to miss out in the "complexity and intensity" of these chocolate flavours in the production of his chocolates.
De Vires inspired by his "discovery" took classes in chocolate making in California, scoured libraries throughout the country and all the way to Amsterdam and Spain. He visited dozens of chocolate factories. He says that he discovered that the people who made the best chocolates used the oldest equipment. With slower operating speeds and lower temperatures the old machines, he says, nurture flavour development.
De Vries monitors the first crucial points of processing. He does not want the beans ever to be rushed. Fermentation and sun drying stretches over two weeks. Later low temperatures and slow roasting preserve the aromas that can be burned up by high temperatures. De Vries then winnows cracked shells by hand to avoid husk being blended with the chocolate.
De Vries's recipe is simple:77 percent cocoa. The rest is sugar."Dark and intense," says a reviewer,"it pushes the upper limits of portability." Lately he has begun to age his blocks of chocolate for two months before releasing them for sale.
In tasting sessions at Berkeley California, De Vries chocolate took top spots over the big, big names.
At the moment he has been sourcing from Mexico, Venezuela and Costa Rica. But he says, he is certain that many more flavours are currently available. I have made it a point to email him about cocoa beans in our region.
He has not blended beans yet. He says he has his hands full with single origin cocoas at the moment.
Finally, what does De Vries chocolates cost? He told an interviewer once that"Chocolate is the only product where the difference between a run-of-the-mill chocolate bar and the best chocolate is only about five bucks."
And since he says his aim is to make the best chocolate in the world, it is certainly reassuring for us ordinary Joes. It is wonderful if great chocolate can remain egalitarian.
De Vires began by working closely with small plantations in Mexico, Costa Rica and Venezuela. Being a small artisan manufacturer he goes directly to small growers with very good beans. But in such small quantities that they don't interest the big manufacturers who have to buy big. De Vries goes to growers that grow on ten acres or less and produce one to two tons of dried beans per year.
He hit upon the artisan technique when he was in Costa Rica seven years ago. He brought back 30 kilos of dried beans in his bags. He roasted some in his oven. Peeled them by hand and ground them in an old grain grinder. The chocolate that emerged was gritty but full of "complex" flavours that he had never tasted before. He decided that he was not going to miss out in the "complexity and intensity" of these chocolate flavours in the production of his chocolates.
De Vires inspired by his "discovery" took classes in chocolate making in California, scoured libraries throughout the country and all the way to Amsterdam and Spain. He visited dozens of chocolate factories. He says that he discovered that the people who made the best chocolates used the oldest equipment. With slower operating speeds and lower temperatures the old machines, he says, nurture flavour development.
De Vries monitors the first crucial points of processing. He does not want the beans ever to be rushed. Fermentation and sun drying stretches over two weeks. Later low temperatures and slow roasting preserve the aromas that can be burned up by high temperatures. De Vries then winnows cracked shells by hand to avoid husk being blended with the chocolate.
De Vries's recipe is simple:77 percent cocoa. The rest is sugar."Dark and intense," says a reviewer,"it pushes the upper limits of portability." Lately he has begun to age his blocks of chocolate for two months before releasing them for sale.
In tasting sessions at Berkeley California, De Vries chocolate took top spots over the big, big names.
At the moment he has been sourcing from Mexico, Venezuela and Costa Rica. But he says, he is certain that many more flavours are currently available. I have made it a point to email him about cocoa beans in our region.
He has not blended beans yet. He says he has his hands full with single origin cocoas at the moment.
Finally, what does De Vries chocolates cost? He told an interviewer once that"Chocolate is the only product where the difference between a run-of-the-mill chocolate bar and the best chocolate is only about five bucks."
And since he says his aim is to make the best chocolate in the world, it is certainly reassuring for us ordinary Joes. It is wonderful if great chocolate can remain egalitarian.
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