Chocolates From Around the World

!±8± Chocolates From Around the World

Chocolates from around the world vary in taste, flavor, and potency depending on their country of origin. Below are the top chocolates in the world, by country.

Mexican chocolate
Mexico is the birth place of chocolate, from the drink "chocolatl," a luxurious drink which was available as early as 400 AD. The drink was made from liquefied cocoa beans, spiked with chili pepper, vanilla, and annatto. Today, chocolate is a staple and highly valued commodity for Mexicans, and is most often made to a hot drink. In fact, hot chocolate is considered the national drink of Mexico and almost everyone in the county drink it every day, flavored with some pepper and spices.

Spanish chocolate
Chocolate was introduced in Spain during the 16th century by Hernán Cortés Pizarro, who discovered it from the Emperor of Mexico while having breakfast with him. For almost a centrury, the Spanish kept "chocolatl" a secret from the rest of Europe and only the royal family and the well-connected had access to this richly delicious drink. To increase its deliciousness, the Spanish added cane sugar to it. Today, Spaniards prefer theirs as a hot drink that is thick and creamy, flavored with cinnamon, and served together with churros. Popular Spanish products include Chocovic and Choclates Valor.

English chocolate
The first ever chocolate house was opened in London during the 17th century. Hans Sloane, a physician, concocted a milk chocolate drink, which soon became popular to those who could afford it (During that time, it was expensive and only the rich could afford to buy). Today, there are many English chocolate widely recognized by consumers all over the world, including Cadbury, Green & Black's, Divine Chocolate, and J.S. Fry & Sons, Ltd.

U.S. chocolate
The U.S. is one of the biggest producers and distributors in the world. Chocolate production in the U.S. boomed during the Industrial era with the first factory opening in 1765. It was also used by the U.S. Military as an emergency ration and was made part of the diet of U.S. astronauts. Hershey's is one of the most widely known U.S. Brand.

French chocolate
Chocolate did not get a warm welcome in the French market when it was first introduced during the sixteenth century. The French referred to it as a "noxious drug" and a "barbarous product." But it was the wife of King Louis XIV, Maria Theresa of Austria who shared her love of chocolate to the French people. Today, some of the top quality chocolates in the world are produced and manufactured in France such as Chocolat Bonnat, Valrhona, La Maison du Chocolat, and Jean-Paul Hevin.

Swiss chocolate
Swiss chocolate is one of the main products of Switzerland and is internationally recognized for its high standards and excellent quality ingredients, particularly cocoa butter. It is a way of life in this country, with its people setting a world record of approximately consuming one bar for every person of everyday of the year.

Belgian chocolate
It is the gourmet standard of chocolate and is considered by many to be the best typ in the world, especially their dark chocolate. There are more than 2,000 shops in Belgium that offer handmade chocolates, and there are also a number of chocolate museums.

Chocolates From Around the World

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What is the Most Expensive Chocolate?

!±8± What is the Most Expensive Chocolate?

There's a huge variety of chocolate in the world, from the humble Hershey's bar to high end, exotic chocolaty delights made by experienced chocolatiers. To many people, the colorfully wrapped chocolate bars you see in most stores aren't worth bothering with - they have a low cocoa content, and sometimes they aren't even legally called chocolate. That's what's going on if you see a candy bar described as a "chocolate confection" or covered in a "chocolaty coating". There's chocolate in there, but not much. Who really wants chocolate that is not chocolate? Not me that is for sure.

For those who believe that life's too short to eat cheap chocolate, there's a wide variety of high end products available. Unlike ordinary candy, they don't use inexpensive ingredients made for maximum shelf life. They're going for taste and quality, and using the best ingredients they can find.

However, that results in a very expensive product. High end chocolate can go for more than seventy-five dollars a pound - in some cases a lot more. Here are the most expensive chocolates the world has to offer. If you have the money you will not be sorry for treating yourself to real chocolate like these.

Chocopologie - Made by Knipschildy Chocolatier, founded in 1999, this incredibly expensive chocolate costs around two thousand, six hundred dollars per pound. A single dark chocolate truffle costs two hundred fifty dollars, and has a real black French truffle - the mushroom - inside.

They're available only be pre-order, and are made entirely of Valrhona cacao - seventy percent per bar. This is blended into a ganache using real truffle oil, then the truffle itself is hand rolled, with the dark French truffle inside, and dusted with high quality cocoa powder.

Noka Vintages Collection - At more than eight hundred fifty dollars per pound, Noka chocolate is expensive, but also known as some of the finest dark chocolate around. It's sourced from specific plantations in Ecuador, Cote d'Ivoire, Venezuela and Trinidad. The Vintages collection is made of single origin cacao (coming from just one plantation), which makes up seventy-five percent of the bar. Other ingredients include sugar and cacao butter. No emulsifiers are used, and the commonly included vanilla flavor is omitted to give fans pure enjoyment of the chocolate.

Delafee - Delafee's chocolates cost around five hundred dollars a pound, making them less expensive than Chocopologie or the Vintages Collection, but not by much. These sparkling chocolates include edible gold, hand applied to each individual chocolate. Vanilla, coconut oil, milk powder, sugar and cocoa butter are included as well.

Godiva's G Collection - This well known Belgian chocolatier's G collection includes many different flavors, and costs one hundred twenty dollars per pound. Those flavors include Tasmanian Honey, Mexican Hot Chocolate and Palet d'Or, amony others.

Richart - Also at one hundred twenty dollars a pound, Richart chocolate is made from seventy percent Venezualen Criollo cocoa, some of the best in the world. Its mild flavor is paired with high quality spices, raspberries, almonds and more, and the cocoa is ground as finely as possible.

What is the Most Expensive Chocolate?

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Taste of Wisconsin Chocolate

!±8± Taste of Wisconsin Chocolate

Artist/cartoonist John Q. Tullius said "Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies." Long ago, chocolate became the go-to indulgence for a large portion of humanity. We eat it when we're happy, when we're sad, when we're celebrating, and for no good reason at all. Americans consume 11.7 pounds per person annually.

Most chocolate is consumed as candy bars and similar mass-produced treats, but for a growing number, the hunt for high-quality confections made in small quantities by hand using the best ingredients has become a mission.

Even though chocolate has evolved into a year-round treat, holidays continue to be hot spots for sales. So, as Mother's Day, Easter, and other occasions approach, chocolates with a special something are even more in demand.

Maurie's Fine Chocolates and Candy

For some of the best in classic handmade chocolates, you can't do better than Maurie's Fine Chocolates and Candy in Madison, Wisconsin. Owner Cherie Diamond opened her shop in 1991, taking over the business after her father Maurie died. He had been making chocolates since 1941 in his shop in Illinois. Closely guarded family recipes are the secret to some of the best things you will ever put in your mouth.

While Maurie's hand-dipped chocolates and elegantly shaped truffles are sinfully good, Maurie's is unique in that they offer an impressive selection of gift boxes and a mind-boggling selection of molded chocolates. Every season includes holiday specific boxes and containers as well as a standard selection.

A quick scan of mauriesfinechocolates.com shows molds of dark chocolate sailboats, milk chocolate alligators, white and milk chocolate Guernsey cows, computers, swans, and a chess-board with all the pieces. That barely scratches the surface. Each holiday brings its own unique shapes. If you're looking for a special present for the chocolate lover in your life, Maurie's is your one-stop shop.

Ambrosius - Chocolatier

For those who want something a little (or a lot) out of the ordinary, you won't find any place better than Gail Ambrosius - Chocolatier, also in Madison. Gail Ambrosius thinks that bittersweet chocolate is the best chocolate, so that's all she uses. What she wraps that chocolate around is what has made her famous. If anyone can be said to have taken chocolate making out of the ordinary and into the realm of fine art, it's Gail.

Gail studied with the renowned French Chocolatiers, Valrhona and the Cluizel family. Returning to the USA, she opened her shop on Madison's east side, applying what she had learned with a vengeance.

Gail recommends eating her chocolates within two weeks since they are made with only the highest-quality ingredients and include no waxes or preservatives. They look like other upscale treats but that's where any similarity ends. These chocolates are an educational experience for your palate. Unexpected and unlikely flavor combinations dance to an extraordinary finish in your mouth, creating the most interesting, unusual, and delicious morsels I've tasted in a long time. My favorite was Cinnamon/Cayenne dusted with cocoa powder. I expected a good deal of dissonance but the Cinnamon and Cayenne proved a mellow and satisfying combination. The distinctive finish from the cocoa powder provided an extra bonus.

Her offerings include Maharajah Curry with Saffron and White Chocolate shavings, Om (a fruit from Madagascar) with green tea and jasmine blossoms, Cognac topped with baby Candied Ginger, and Rose Garden tea topped with fresh petals.

Gail is always looking for new flavor ideas and encourages the submission of suggestions. Gail Ambrosius stands firmly on the cutting edge of chocolate creations. Her candies are the kind that make life complete.

Candinas Chocolates

Two chocolatiers we visited prove that fine chocolates don't just come from large cities. Candinas Chocolates hails from Verona, Wisconsin. Markus Candinas apprenticed with Swiss chocolate makers for six years, learned his craft well, returned to Wisconsin, and opened his factory in 1994. Candinas Chocolates are made without preservatives, using only the finest ingredients. This means they have a fairly short shelf life. In fact, the only place they are sold is at the retail boutique at their factory, a new location on Madison's Capitol Square, or online.

What they lack in durability, they more than make up for in taste. These chocolates can only be described as a sensual experience. The exquisite chocolate flavors are rich, complex, and make your tongue want to jump for joy. Consumer Reports agrees. They rated Candinas Chocolates as the best traditional chocolates in the country. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, Candinas Chocolates are proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

The Chocolate Caper

Oregon, Wisconsin is the home of The Chocolate Caper. Their game is Swiss pralines. Many confectioners claim to make pralines but those made by The Chocolate Caper are a whole different animal. Owners Ellen and Claude Marendaz make their pralines in small daily batches, cutting them by hand. Only the best goes into Chocolate Caper's goodies, including chocolate from California, almond butter from Missouri, and hazelnut butter from Oregon. What they do with those ingredients is a thing of beauty.

Claude came from Switzerland with his recipes and a passion for his craft. His pralines come with two distinct layers, a top layer of pure chocolate and, on the bottom, chocolate mixed with almond butter, hazelnut butter, or toffee. The combination creates a flavor as unique as it is delicious. I was surprised by the snap when I first bit into one of Claude's pralines and delighted by a flood of flavor that embraced my taste buds in a warm chocolate hug. The almond and hazelnut pralines are infused with a subtle nut flavor that is by no means intrusive and will please even those who are not nut fans.

You don't have to buy a pig in a poke at The Chocolate Caper. If you stop by the store, you can sample before you buy. For something totally different, but no less decadent, don't forget to get some glaceed Australian Apricots dipped in bittersweet chocolate, peanut butter cups made with natural peanut butter, chocolate-dipped raspberry or Marian blackberry gels, turtles, or beautiful, imported Swiss truffles.

Baraboo Candy Company

For pure fun and silliness, you can't beat the offerings from the Baraboo Candy Company. Since 1981, they have produced award winning, high-quality chocolates daily in small batches with the best ingredients. Whether you stop at their factory, buy online, or get a treat at a store, you'll have no trouble recognizing their specialties.

Cow Pies are their flagship treat. Imagine a turtle on a grand scale. Caramel is loaded with pecans and the whole thing is covered in chocolate. Moo Chews are fresh caramel dipped in chocolate, and Udder Fingers (my favorite name) are toffee covered in chocolate and liberally sprinkled with chopped nuts. It doesn't end there. Baraboo Candy Company also makes a Cow Lick sucker, a walleye made out of solid chocolate named Wally Walleye, Chewy-Gooey Pretzel Sticks, Green Bay Puddles, and an excellent selection of traditional chocolates. There's nothing fancy here, just good traditional chocolates; kind of the chocolate equivalent of comfort food and, best of all, they're available almost everywhere.

Other local Wisconsin chocolate sources

A couple of additional local Wisconsin chocolate sources include:

Amy's Candy Kitchen, Cedarburg, WI. Confections made with the best Belgian chocolates. Caramel and award-winning caramel apples are their specialty.

End of the Trail Candy Shop, Waupun, WI. One of the best traditional chocolate shops run by the third generation of chocolate makers. Stop by their place, have a gourmet coffee, some ice cream, and watch them turn out chocolate masterpieces.

All these chocolate makers barely scratch the surface of what's available out there. New chocolate makers are springing up all the time in towns both big and small. Someone once said that the best chocolate is the one you haven't tasted yet. Fortunately, chocolatiers make sure the best is always lurking just down the road.

If You Go:

Candinas Chocolates, 2435 Old PB, Verona, WI 53593, (800) 845-1554, candinas.com

The Chocolate Caper, 105 S. Main St., Oregon, WI 53575, (608) 835-9294, chocolatecaper.com

Maurie's Fine Chocolates and Candy, 1637 Monroe St., Madison, WI 53711, (608) 255-9092, mauriesfinechocolates.com

Gail Ambrosius - Chocolatier, 2086 Atwood Avenue, Madison, WI 53704, (608) 249-3500, gailambrosius.com

Baraboo Candy Company, 10891 Co-op Lane, Baraboo, WI 53913, (800) 967-1690

Taste of Wisconsin Chocolate

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Eating Dark Chocolate Can Lower Your Blood Pressure

!±8± Eating Dark Chocolate Can Lower Your Blood Pressure

I love chocolate! I believe many would say the same thing. But until recently, I did not know that not all chocolates are created equal. I read studies that "dark" chocolate contains cocoa phenols which have shown to lower blood pressure. Not to mention it is rich in anti-oxidants which help fight free radicals, destructive molecules which contribute to heart disease and other ailments.

Now milk chocolate and white chocolate on the other hand contains very little or no health benefits whatsoever. It's delicious and palatable, I know but it is believed that the milk interferes with the delivery of any health benefits that dark chocolate possesses. Oh, and you may want to forget about washing down that healthy dark chocolate you ate with a glass of milk, also.

But how do you get pass that bitter taste that dark chocolate has? If you're like me and have a sweet tooth it is tough to enjoy a piece of dark chocolate because of that bitter taste. So let's get creative. One way I found to enjoy dark chocolate is in a recipe called Warm and Soft Chocolate.

It is a recipe for a chocolate cup cake where inside contains a warm molten dark chocolate that oozes out when you cut into it. It is amazing! It makes the dark chocolate more palatable.

Here is the recipe for the Warm and Soft Chocolate:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus more to butter the molds
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably Valrhona
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons flour, plus more for dusting

Method:

1. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, heat the butter and chocolate together until the chocolate is almost completely melted. While that's heating, beat together the eggs, yolks, and sugar with a whisk or electric beater until light and thick.

2. Beat together the melted chocolate and butter; it should be quite warm. Pour in the egg mixture, then quickly beat in the flour, just until combined.

3. Butter and lightly flour four 4-ounce molds, custard cups, or ramekins. Tap out the excess flour, then butter and flour them again. Divide the batter among the molds. (At this point you can refrigerate the desserts until you are ready to eat, for up to several hours; bring them back to room temperature before baking.)

4. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Bake the molds on a tray for 6 to 7 minutes; the center will still be quite soft, but the sides will be set.

5. Invert each mold onto a plate and let sit for about 10 seconds. Unmold by lifting up one corner of the mold; the cake will fall out onto the plate. Serve immediately.

Eating Dark Chocolate Can Lower Your Blood Pressure

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