)
which ensured that every retailer who sold Nestle chocolates had a
freezer box for the chocolates (kinda radical for Indian retailers
at the time). ). Americans (and Canadians
) tend to prefer a lighter
variety of chocolate. And then, there's Brian Bailie ... who
actually doesn't like chocolate ... <sigh> ... So how about a little history of the stuff, courtesy of my ex-employer, Nestle (a charming bunch of guys, and one of the most fun companies I've worked for).
Nestle began their entry into India with chocolates during my
tenure with them (chocolates, specifically; they had long since
established a presence for their other brands in the country).
Alas, they had an uphill task there: the Cadbury's brand name was
so deeply entrenched in the Indian mentality that it became synonymous
with chocolate. We even had instances of children asking for Nestle's
Cadbury's (i.e he wanted a bar of Nestle's chocolate, but mentally, he
associated chocolate inseparably with Cadbury's). Nestle also ran into
a problem with its composition. Normally, their chocolates are prepared
with a melting point of 37 degrees Centigrade, which is just below
human body temperature; this ensures that the chocolates literally melt
in your mouth. Unfortunately, India's summertime temperatures can shoot
up as high as 46 degrees Centigrade, which meant that the chocolates
were melting just about anywhere. This led to a persistent retailer
campaign by the company (stubborn cusses )
which ensured that every retailer who sold Nestle chocolates had a
freezer box for the chocolates (kinda radical for Indian retailers
at the time).
But let's move away from history, and take a look at what's obtainable to tempt your palate:
One of my favourite Chocolateries is Richart, with their dizzyingly magnificent range of designer chocolates. Richart never fails to please: they experiment with a wide range of flavour and ingredients, mixing them along with the best Criollo chocolate, to produce their final confections. While not all of them are uniformly to my taste (I confess to not caring particularly for the tobacco chocolate, though I was assured it tasted much better if it was consumed fresh, just a day or two after preparation), some of their others are unrivalled (their mango/passion-fruit ganache is probably my single favourite creation).
Bow down low in their praise for a moment, before we move on ...
My esteemed Californian hosts, Pankaj and Prerna, introduced me
to the wonder of the Napa Valley's freshly-filled Champagne chocolates,
when I was visiting them a few years ago. On one of their pilgrimages
to the Valley, they had noticed these sublime confections, a solid
splash of Codorniu Napa champagne sealed in a tight sphere of chocolate.
Not imbibers themselves (but conscientously thoughtful of those who
are, like myself), they marked the place and brought me to it on my
next visit. Gaspar and Kay, at the winery, gave me a tasting of their
wine, and their still more delightful chocolates, to my immense
happiness. And I order more, every so often, from the cheerful
surroundings of the East Coast.
Kentucky bourbon chocolates
Annnnnnd ... there's this Monastery down South in Kentucky, Fudge
Singapore
Chocolate sandwiches (those marvellous Basque ideas)
Lindt
Basques / Uskady / chocolate soup
Mexican rice and chocolate: chocolate mole
For more up-to-date news and discussion on chocolate, go right ahead and check out these two newsgroups: alt.food.chocolate for discussions and rec.food.chocolate if you're more interested in recipes