Quick. Think for a second about where great chocolate comes
from? You probably thought to yourself
“Belgium” or “Switzerland.” These places produce enviable chocolate, but they
couldn’t be farther from chocolate’s origins.
Chocolate, as many people know, hails from Latin America. It was a common food of the Mayans and Aztecs
and even used as a currency. Of course, foods like Mexican hot chocolate (a hot
chocolate drink made with cinnamon and/or chili powder) hark back to the
ancient origins of cacao. Yet, for the most part, chocolate seems estranged
from its pre-Colombian roots. Can chocolate be elevated to an art form and
still express its Mesoamerican heritage?
Arcelia Gallardo is doing just this from her store Casa des Chocolates in Berkeley, CA. We
stopped by her store last Sunday. As you enter through the front door, the
intoxicating aroma of spices and melted cacao hits you. Beautiful boxes of truffles and wrapped bars
with flavors from Peruvian espresso to cinnamon are on a center display. Approaching
the glass case, one is quickly impressed by the range of different bonbons
(chocolates with filling).
Arcelia’s mission is to express the heritage of chocolate
through special ingredients and fillings while presenting them in an artful and
creative way. Certainly, chocolate
combinations like mole or chipotle caramel highlight the essence of this
chocolate. We were impressed by the richness and dense quality of the truffles
and the complex spiciness of the Mexican hot chocolate that came in the shape
of a Mexican day of the dead image (right).
Also delicious, was the tres leches cake, which is soaked in
three milks and cinnamon. If you are in the Bay Area, you can find Casa des
Chocolates near the corner of Ashby and College Avenue in Berkeley or order online.