Showing posts with label cocoa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cocoa. Show all posts
Saturday, 28 April 2012
A CHOCOLATE SCHOOL IN JAKARTA,INDONESIA?
Yeah, yeah I know. It is the last place in the world chocolate enthusiasts expect to launch into a chocolate career by going to a school. The chances are that if you have dreams of becoming a great chocolatier, you would be considering going to school in Belgium or France. Indonesia? You must be mad, they will tell you to even allow such a thought to cross your mind.
The fact is Jakarta is a great place to go to a chocolate school. And its not because I live here. Jakarta has a long history of cocoa. I fact we had plantations here in the 1700s and were exporting cocoa to Europe in the late 18th century. Great plantations exist three to four hours from here. And it well worth a trip to just to go and look at them. They actually exist on the slopes of central mountain range and the drive up there in the morning is delightful. And the breakfast places along the way serve healthy bowls of great Java porridge. But lets get back to talking about chocolate careers and good chocolate schools.
The Chocolate School is located in Central Jakarta. Just 15 minutes from the main street down town.Here there are a variety of courses offered; A 3-Day Basic Course, Professional and Gourmet Praline Courses and even courses that tell you how to start and market chocolate. The big surprise is the faculty is headed by an experienced and professional Belgian Chocolatier. Those who has discovered the school are delighted to have discovered a "secret" where they get, as even the snootiest French visitors admit, a superior chocolate education at incredible fair tuition prices. The School has drawn students not only from all over Indonesia but also from the Philippines and from the parsimonious Singaporeans on the look out for the best bargains.All chocolate used in the courses are premium couvertures.
The school is owned by FreyAbadi, a chocolate ingredients manufacturer; a joint venture between Petra Foods, Singapore and Fuji Oil of Japan. Which are excellent credentials; Petra Foods is the fourth largest manufacturer of chocolate ingredients in the world and Fuji Oil the world's number one producer of edible vegetable fats. For more information on the School you may email me for sensible guidance; mervynpereira00@gmail.com
Sunday, 13 July 2008
$2,600 A POUND CHOCOLATE
If you love chocolate that much then perhaps you may be interested in this Chocolate Truffle created by Chef Fritz Knipchild from a culinary school in Denmark. He uses only his bare hands to make this. This comes in an approximately 4cm diameter with French black truffle inside. Made from 70% Valhrono cocoa it blended with truffle oil into a creamy ganache. It is finally dusted with cocoa powder. One piece will cost you $250 if you don't want to buy it by the pound.
CHOCOLATE AND CHILD LABOUR
Should every bar of chocolate carry an assurance that no child labour was ever involved in its production. Considering that hardly a day passes without a glimpse of of chocolate, if not its enjoyment, it is fair to ask manufacturers for such an assurance.
After the signing of the Harkin-Enoel Protocol in 2001, there are still doubts whether children are being exploited in cocoa farms, especially in West Africa. Disturbingly photographs of cocoa plantations in these areas often picture children who seem to be not just onlookers but part of the labour force. Indonesia, the world's third largest producer of cocoa, fortunately has been free from any allegations of child exploitation.Considering many of the farms, especially outside Java, are small family owned holdings, it is comforting that children are in school most of the working day.
Child labour is a disturbing issue. Especially these days when media reports exploitation of children widespread in all kinds of dreadful sins the chocolate industry, particularly must free itself from any such stigma. If manufacturers are reluctant for reasons that it may be inconvenient, the consumers must take the imitative. Can we ask that the next bar of chocolate we enjoy guarantees that a child wasn't exploited in its production. Considering the wretchedness of the the problem it is not too much to ask of manufacturers. Perhaps it it also be worth while, and certainly aid to our addiction to chocolate, if the bar we are enjoying in some way contributed to the welfare of a child in the cocoa growing areas.
It does well to remember that cocoa was first cultivated some 3000 years ago and treated with great reverence. Now that we are adequately civilised we do have responsibility to ensure that the food of the gods is not in any way tainted by misdeeds.
After the signing of the Harkin-Enoel Protocol in 2001, there are still doubts whether children are being exploited in cocoa farms, especially in West Africa. Disturbingly photographs of cocoa plantations in these areas often picture children who seem to be not just onlookers but part of the labour force. Indonesia, the world's third largest producer of cocoa, fortunately has been free from any allegations of child exploitation.Considering many of the farms, especially outside Java, are small family owned holdings, it is comforting that children are in school most of the working day.
Child labour is a disturbing issue. Especially these days when media reports exploitation of children widespread in all kinds of dreadful sins the chocolate industry, particularly must free itself from any such stigma. If manufacturers are reluctant for reasons that it may be inconvenient, the consumers must take the imitative. Can we ask that the next bar of chocolate we enjoy guarantees that a child wasn't exploited in its production. Considering the wretchedness of the the problem it is not too much to ask of manufacturers. Perhaps it it also be worth while, and certainly aid to our addiction to chocolate, if the bar we are enjoying in some way contributed to the welfare of a child in the cocoa growing areas.
It does well to remember that cocoa was first cultivated some 3000 years ago and treated with great reverence. Now that we are adequately civilised we do have responsibility to ensure that the food of the gods is not in any way tainted by misdeeds.
A WELL KEPT CHOCOLATE SECRET
It is no secret that the Belgians are great chocolatiers. The Spaniards could be flamboyant chocolatiers,. The French must be stylish. One mustn't forget the Swiss, for they are very serious at choclatiering(new words do keep cropping up dont they?). One didnt take the Japanese very seriously. Chocolate lovers are slowly discovering Japanese chocolate with some pleasure.
In these capitals of chocolate, a mention of Indonesia as a chocolate country will bring a dismissive look that says "Don't be silly." Java, may be known for it distinctive smokey, spicy cocoa flavours. But as a producer of chocolate or chocolate ingredients Java is never taken seriously.
The truth is that Java, besides producing much sought after Origin cocoa can make chocolate ingredients as well as the Belgians, Germans or the Swiss. In fact they already. Which is not surprising. They have the technology, the sciences, the inventiveness, the experience and the expertise.
What is extraordinary is that they even have the history. Cocoa was first grown in the Indonesian islands in the early 17Th Century after arriving on a Spanish ship all the way from Venezuela. By the I8th century the Dutch were already exporting cocoa from Indonesia to Holland. Cocoa press were already making chocolate to drink by the 19th century. By 1950s chocolate manufacturers in Java were already producing milk chocolates that was making a impact on chocolate lovers. Today you can seen the ultra -modern factory of Ceres, the industry leader, in Bandung in West Java. Here they not only produce Van Houten under licence for Barry Callebaut but their own brands. Silver Queen milk chocolate with cashews is a legend in the region. It has a strong cocoa explosion on the tongue, which is a pleasant surprise.Then the sweet milky after tones in a nice combination of flavours.The cashews fragments are a bonus filler. There is also veryrich and pleasant and lingering aftertaste of having experienced somthing rather pleasurable.
Silver Queen was such a success that naturally it had many imitators. Even Cadbury started their cashew range hoping to capture some market share. Silver Queen still reigns supreme. But it not the only chocolate of consequence in Indonesia and the region. There are other brands that have done well. Bakeries have revelled in creating chocolate snacks as have donut outlets and other fast foods. Harvest a new relatively new bakery have a immense variety of chocolate cakes and snacks which not just taste as good as you would experience in Belgium but even look as good as French and Japanese pastry.
Not far from the capital of Jakarta is Freyabadi, a Ceres joint venture with Japan's mighty food innovators and vegetable oil producers,Fuji Oil This is factory with pristine, well organised production floor. It is easy to believe that this factory can indeed produce world-class chocolate. Staffed by experienced professionals, food technologists and microbiologists they run a superbly organised chocolate ingredients production centre. There are others that are also quite impressive for their capabilities.
The potential for discovery in Java is staggering. Possibly every known spice , flavour and herbs grow in Java. Also a great variety of nuts, and fruits. Its high valconic mountains ranges and equatorial jungles provide a wide variety of climatically facvourable conditions and soils. Java is also home to literally thousands of indegenous snacks most of them surprising in their uniqueness. Many can blend so nicely with chocolate and that' kind of innovation isalready happenning with the small household and medium sized industries all over the island. It is a worthy study for serious, flamboyant and professional chocolatiers.
There have been many innovations in the confectionary, chocolate and pastry industries. But in such a creative profession it is still amazing to find that are still a large number of crusty curmudgeons who must source ftheir ingredients from traditional markets. They are missing out on delivering some wonderful surprises to their audiences. One way is to turn to Java to be inventive with chocolate.
In these capitals of chocolate, a mention of Indonesia as a chocolate country will bring a dismissive look that says "Don't be silly." Java, may be known for it distinctive smokey, spicy cocoa flavours. But as a producer of chocolate or chocolate ingredients Java is never taken seriously.
The truth is that Java, besides producing much sought after Origin cocoa can make chocolate ingredients as well as the Belgians, Germans or the Swiss. In fact they already. Which is not surprising. They have the technology, the sciences, the inventiveness, the experience and the expertise.
What is extraordinary is that they even have the history. Cocoa was first grown in the Indonesian islands in the early 17Th Century after arriving on a Spanish ship all the way from Venezuela. By the I8th century the Dutch were already exporting cocoa from Indonesia to Holland. Cocoa press were already making chocolate to drink by the 19th century. By 1950s chocolate manufacturers in Java were already producing milk chocolates that was making a impact on chocolate lovers. Today you can seen the ultra -modern factory of Ceres, the industry leader, in Bandung in West Java. Here they not only produce Van Houten under licence for Barry Callebaut but their own brands. Silver Queen milk chocolate with cashews is a legend in the region. It has a strong cocoa explosion on the tongue, which is a pleasant surprise.Then the sweet milky after tones in a nice combination of flavours.The cashews fragments are a bonus filler. There is also veryrich and pleasant and lingering aftertaste of having experienced somthing rather pleasurable.
Silver Queen was such a success that naturally it had many imitators. Even Cadbury started their cashew range hoping to capture some market share. Silver Queen still reigns supreme. But it not the only chocolate of consequence in Indonesia and the region. There are other brands that have done well. Bakeries have revelled in creating chocolate snacks as have donut outlets and other fast foods. Harvest a new relatively new bakery have a immense variety of chocolate cakes and snacks which not just taste as good as you would experience in Belgium but even look as good as French and Japanese pastry.
Not far from the capital of Jakarta is Freyabadi, a Ceres joint venture with Japan's mighty food innovators and vegetable oil producers,Fuji Oil This is factory with pristine, well organised production floor. It is easy to believe that this factory can indeed produce world-class chocolate. Staffed by experienced professionals, food technologists and microbiologists they run a superbly organised chocolate ingredients production centre. There are others that are also quite impressive for their capabilities.
The potential for discovery in Java is staggering. Possibly every known spice , flavour and herbs grow in Java. Also a great variety of nuts, and fruits. Its high valconic mountains ranges and equatorial jungles provide a wide variety of climatically facvourable conditions and soils. Java is also home to literally thousands of indegenous snacks most of them surprising in their uniqueness. Many can blend so nicely with chocolate and that' kind of innovation isalready happenning with the small household and medium sized industries all over the island. It is a worthy study for serious, flamboyant and professional chocolatiers.
There have been many innovations in the confectionary, chocolate and pastry industries. But in such a creative profession it is still amazing to find that are still a large number of crusty curmudgeons who must source ftheir ingredients from traditional markets. They are missing out on delivering some wonderful surprises to their audiences. One way is to turn to Java to be inventive with chocolate.
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