My summer was filled with people who inspired me with their personal triumphs, made me laugh with tales of misguided adventures, taught me patience as I learnt to cook something outside my comfort zone. My dinner table became a quasi united nations, travellers from all over the world came to break bread. We had scientists, actors, city managers, decorators, buyers, river guides, chocolatiers, tree planters, fire fighters, herbal healers and even a Princess. It was an exciting summer to say the least...you might be wondering why I am say WAS, it seems summer has taken a leave of absences and the those warm days of lounging around the pool drinking prosecco cocktails...sorry was day dreaming there a second. Those days where I looked out the kitchen window wishing I was outside weeding my gardens instead of canning hundreds of pounds of fruit, Yes, those days are gone. Seems the leaves are turning and I am finding more time in my day...or perhaps I am getting up earlier.
So my hero this summer was Zaap, he was a chocolatier who spent a morning with me learning to can compote. He had many talents, but his first love was chocolate...and together we discovered how to blend our talents and create Petty Catwater Edibles Starry Night Apricot & Blueberry Compote. We chatted about chocolate and what is the best chocolate and how to infuse flavours into the darkest of chocolate. The world of chocolate is changing and here's why:
Chuao is a small village located in the northern coastal range of Venezuela. It was founded in the 16th century. The village is famous for its cacao plantations, where some of the finest cocoa beans in the world are produced. The village is surrounded by mountains and dense rainforests to the south Caribbean Sea near the Henri Pittier National Park the oldest national park in Venezuela created in 1937. There is no road access and visitors must come by boat from the town of Puerto Colombia along the coast, or by foot, crossing the mountains and the luxurious cloud forest from Turmero near Maracay.
In the Chuao plantation there are currently pure Criollo and hybrid varieties of cacao being grown. Criollo beans from Chuao are of very high quality, and are considered Venezuela's finest beans together with Porcelana Blanca beans from Lake Maracaibo (another genetically pure variety of Criollo). Amedei, an Italian chocolate maker, and Chocolate NAIVE, a Lithuanian bean-to-bar chocolate maker, offer chocolate bars made with Chuao cacao. Naive was the winner of the European gold medal at the International Chocolate Awards 2014.[1][2]
In November 2000, the cacao beans coming from Chuao region were awarded an appellation of origin under the title "Cacao de Chuao" (from Spanish Cacao de Chuao)[3] effectively making this one of the most expensive and sought after types of cacao.
French pâtissier Pierre Hermé and the visionary Spanish chef Ferran Adrià have said that Chuao might, in fact, be the world’s greatest chocolate.
I'll be dreaming of my first bite....Chocosphere is my new friend.
Grow, Harvest, Cook and Eat Chocolate
Jenn
