Recent Read

Although the author is a self-professed cacao elitest, this was an interesting read.



Rosenblum, focuses on the European (as well as African, Latin Americas, and Eastern Rim) areas of chocolate growing, making and consumption. Of course, he lightly taps into what Joël Glenn Brenner's book was about, the competition between Hershey and Mars for domination of the American (then international) chocolate market. (Which, by the way, she did a wonderful job in writing about it.)

I'm not all that picky about my chocolate. Okay, I don't particularly care for Hershey's (even as a child, preferring to eat my mother's bittersweet baking chocolate blocks) chocolate, but I'm hardly considered a chocolate snob.

I enjoy eating my Dove dark chocolate pieces (although it's sweeter than a dark chocolate would normally be, but Americans like their chocolate sweet), my Lindt dark chocolate truffles, as well as their 70% dark chocolate bars.

And even if Rosenblum turns his nose up at Godvia's chocolate (the title of his chapter on Godiva reads, THE EMPRESS IS ALL CLOTHES), I have my favorites among the beautiful little gold boxes.

Then, corvidophile turned me on to Bernard Callebaut. Astounding! I have to admit, it beats the hell out of my Godiva favorites!

Some of the chocolates that Rosenbum writes about in his book, I've tasted and enjoyed immensely when visiting Germany and Belgium a few years ago. Neuhaus was nicely dark and satisfying. However, for hazelnut and dark chocolate, I really liked the Galler chocolates (cats tongues and the Chocolate Noir 85%). Then there's the hazelnut chocolate spread, Nutella that I don't dare keep around my home, as I'll eat the entire jar in three days. Again, Bernard Callebaut makes a hellaciously divine version of their own, which I'm completely enamored with... (thanks again to corvidophile)

I recommend the read of Rosenblum's, if for nothing than to educate yourself about where chocolate comes from, the difficulties in growing chocolate, and the miraculous food stuffs that it's created into and then melts in our mouths. Of course, I'm adding it to my personal library collection.

And now it's 10:51 on a Sunday morning, bambinos -- go get your reading frolic on... it's too damned hot here to do anything frolicking outside.