I usually don't love hot food, the kind that makes you weep and yearn for a fire hydrant while your lips triple in volume under the blaze. But lately I have become addicted to "hot" chocolate - the kind that includes chilis, in keeping with the ancient Mexican tradition.The easiest one to find is Dagoba's Xocolatl, which leaves a teasing rasp in my throat and my tongue atingling. But my favorites are by Taza (with Guajillo chilis) and ChocoVivo. Both of these are made with stone-ground beans, a process that has been used in Mexico for over 2 millennia (read more about the process here). This makes for a rather grainy texture that takes some getting used to but once you're hooked, you really don't long anymore for the creamy texture of chocolates loaded with added cocoa butter.
Another bar from ChocoVivo that often buy at the Venice Farmers' Market, where these bars are sold, is the one with almonds and sea salt.
And because all these bars are so hot and spicy, I don't even feel like eating pound after pound to satisfy my cravings. A little chili goes a long way.
Emily Dickinson
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25 comments:
From France i was just looking at a point of vue about Larry Clark the photographer on LUNETTE ROUGES by the web and just fall on "hot chocolate"!
It's very funny,don't you think so?
Eat chocolate little girl,eat chocolate!
I know only one passion,eat chocolate!
You certainly know these first words of Fernando Pessoa in Tabacceria.
Very interesting and poetic blog.
I am from the South west of France and i like very much art?
I practise art and critic of art.
Nice to toucht a little bit of your universe!
I have been tempted by a Vosges bar...but have resisted. (though I admit to a teensy Barcelona bar a few weeks ago). Methinks I shall think again next week. Pretty pictures...temptress!
ANONYMOUS - ha ha ha, yes, the Internet does things like that sometimes...
I heard about that Larry CLark controversy. What's your opinion?
VER - non je ne savais pas que c'etaient les premiers mots de Tabacceria, il va falloir que je regarde ca de plus pres.
Merci de tes gentils mots sur mon blog. Sur Aurea, on peut toujours trouver de l'art mais aussi des gourmandises.
GIULIA - I'm not familiar with Vosges bars. But knowing what I know about you, I'm sure it's luscious and mouth watering.
Tell me more!
Has the gattina ever tasted cocoa? What's her take on this ambrosia?
Oui,c'est exact mais il ne faut surtout pas confondre gourmandise et gourgandine!
Et je ne connais pas la traduction exacte dans votre langue.
A girl after my own heart! Dagoba makes some spicy hot chocolate (the beverage), too. Love.
And I second the Vosges love. You have to try the Barcelona bar: it contains milk chocolate with fleur de sel sea salt and smoked almonds. AMAZING.
though not as tough as my grandpa when it comes to hot spices and chocolate, i've come to appreciate hot herbs and spices in my chocolate, as well.
JOANNA - you always recommend the BEST eats around Santa Monica, so I'll take your word for it. I must get my little paws on one of those bars.
SAME LENGTH - I know what you mean. My father cannot eat ANYTHING without drowning it with chili sauce. The hotter the better.
mmmm .... ready to try .. but Angelina's or Laduree's hot chocolate is a trip to heavenly sensations!
Hi Mary-Laure
It sounds delicious.. well.. perhaps another word... hmm?? decadent!! I don't think my poor little system could cope with chili these days... but yesterday I polished off a whole block of chocolate alone.. naughty .. so perhaps the chili would help my self control.. as you say!!!
Thanks for popping over.. hope your weekend is wonderful.. xxx Julie
oooh... forgot to say... can your mummy make me linen sheets too.. hehehehe
and funny you used the word 'mum'.. not 'mom'... for moi? hehe
I've heard that adding dark chocolate to a chili-con-carne improves the flavour. There is a new chocolate bar out here which has Marmite in it...not sure about that one!
Thanks for dropping by my blog. :O)
I have never tried this kind of hot choc. i am intrigued.
LAURA - I'm not sure you'd like it, actually, but I'll bring you some next time I see you.
RUBY - isn't it nice to be naughty?
BELLABOO - interesting; I know that a Mexican sauce called "mole", with chocolate and chilies, is great with chicken and other dishes.
Now if only we could curb your Amazon gluttony that easily...
Ho,you mustnow taste a solid snack!For example the" macaron" called Dita Von Teese from Angelina of Paris...aux accents d'orange infusée au gingembre,garnis de ganache au chocolat au lait et cointreau!
You can also have a look at the image of that marvellous thing on:"Le blog de David Genzel".
Good visual appetite!
Versubtil
Thanks for the info on Hot Chocolate it is perfect timing as in my corner we are headed towards the cooler weather. Enjoy! xo
Oh! I love this, I love chocolate and I know what you mean by the "HOT" chocolate, I have not had any for a while, but you have my mouth watering :-).
xoxo
What a lovely blog! Thanks so much for leaving me a cooment so I could discover this space. I see we have lots in common, a fascination with the 20s and 30s and an admiration for Plath and Dickinson among others. Actually, I'm not much of a spicy fan but hot chocolate with chilli hits the sopt for me every time, especially on colder days. Last winter, I went for a walk by a frozen lake on possibly the coldest day of the year and by the time I came inside, was shivering. Luckily, there was some Mexican hot chocolate to revive me.
Mary-Laure--Giulia evinces absolutely no interest in chocolate (or indeed anything on the human's plate). Probably good as I don't think it's good for them (as w/pups).
I can't remember when I first became enamored of Vosges (& yes, that Barcelona bar of which Joanna writes is superb. It even comes in sugar-free & that is something that those of us with diabetic friends know we can give them. Big huge treat. They have one other sugar-free spicy bar. Surprisingly good. A sister & I taste-tested on Easter & we could not believe how good it was. We're far behind in these matters.)
I bet I was attracted first by the name as I lived near the Vosges Mts. in France rather long ago. Anyway, next week I hope to have things together enough to buy a bar near AFI & finally go see "Never Let Me Go" as you recommended.
Just watched a Happy Birthday John video on Imagine Peace website & it was lovely. Happy John's birthday to all. (GG loves The Beatles -- well most music -- but she especially likes classic songs. I refuse to say 'oldies.')
ciao-meow to all. happy & peaceful weekend. Now off to visit some of your newer commenters.
xo
Susan (& sleepy Giulia)
PS: We're awaiting Benjy the Oracle's visitation with great anticipation.
GEYSER - ahem, well, THAT has been getting worse lately.
VER - ah, I love Angelina! And I'm a fan of ginger and ganache, so I'll try that next time I'm in Paris. Thanks for the tip!
VANESSA - I too am smitten with your blog. We have a lot in common, it's great! I'll visit you again soon.
GIULIA - I want to taste those chocolate bars! And believe me, I will.
As for Benjy, I have kept him away from anything cocoa. He once snatched a tiny bit that fell on the floor, but that's it. Anyhow chocolate is very bad for dogs.
I really hope you enjoy Never Let Me Go. I'd like to see a new biopic about Lennon's teen years, Nowhere Boy. Maybe you've heard about it.
This post makes me want to eat lots of chocolate and see Chocolat with Juliette Binoche:-)
Here the italian version of Tabaccheria :
"Mangia cioccolatini,piccina;mangia cioccolatini!
Guarda che non c'è al mondo altra metafisica che i cioccolatini.
Guarda che tutte le religoini non insegnano altro che la pasticceria.
Mangia,bambina sporca,mangia!
Potessi io mangiare cioccolatini con la stessa concretezza cui li mangi tu!
Ma io penso e,togliendo la carta argentata,che poi è di stagnola,
butto tutto per terra,come ho buttato la vita.
Ma almeno rimane dell'amarezza di cio che mai sara
la calligraphia rapida di questi versi
portico crollato sull'impossibile.
Ma almeno consacro a me stesso un disprezzo privo di lacrime,
nobile almeno nell'amplio gesto con cui scaravento
i panni sporchi che io sono,senza lista,nel corso delle cose,
e resto in casa senza camicia.
Just for poetry,
versubtil.
The almonds and sea salt would be my pick, but then I'd also have to try the rest. I love the way eating good chocolate means you only need a small amount.
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