Category Archives: South America
Pacari is king of Ecuadorian chocolate
No discussion of chocolate from Ecuador would be complete without visiting Quito-based Pacari Ecuadorian Organic Chocolate who won no less than nine International Chocolate Awards in the 2012 Chocolate Week competitions in London, England. Pacari won a variety of top awards such as Best Chocolate Maker and a number of awards for its dark chocolate bars which are USDA certified organic, Kosher, soy and gluten free, and Biodynamic.
What is Biodynamic chocolate, you ask? Pacari claims to have the only Biodynamic chocolate in the world and explains it as being an integrated farming system that views the farm as a living organism. All operations on the 200 cacao farms that are part of the certified Pacari group are chemical-free and designed to rejuvenate the farms through interplanting and preservation of cacao’s genetic diversity. It is the ultimate in sustainable chocolate.
Fortunately for chocolate lovers, the line of Pacari “tree-to-bar” chocolate bars are sold in 26 countries. They have a location in Sedona, Arizona that fills the orders for North America.
My favourite Pacari bar is the 70% Raw Chocolate with Salt and Cacao Nibs. ”Raw” means it is made from cacao beans that have not been roasted. The bit of saltiness with the crunch of the cacao nibs makes this a flavour-packed bar that is fun to eat and good for you and environment all at the same time.
Do you specifically look for organic chocolate when you buy chocolate? Are Kosher, soy free, or gluten free labels that you look for? Have you tried raw chocolate? Please let us know if you’ve tried Pacari dark chocolate from Ecuador and if you enjoyed it.
And please join us back here the week of December 3rd when we’ll have our next new post and the first-ever guest post on Diversions with Doreen.
back to Ecuador for more delicious chocolate travel
It’s been fun sharing stories with you about chocolate in my neck of the woods, but I’ve got much more to share about our chocolate travels in Ecuador.
We explored Old Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in this post and got detained in a mudslide in this post. You met ex-pat (American) chocolatier Jeff Stern and Elizabeth Hendley, an ex-pat (Canadian) cacao grower and owner of the Chocolate Jungle Lodge in these posts.
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journey to the chocolate jungle
Our journey to the Chocolate Jungle Lodge near Misahualli, Ecuador was an exciting one! Where else will you find the town greeters to be monkeys? There’s a tribe of capuchin monkeys that live on the beach at Misahualli and entertain themselves by hanging out in the small town square. They’re a hilarious band of hooligans, and if you don’t give them something, don’t be surprised if they pickpocket you! No way were they getting my chocolate!
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dealing with unexpected delays when you travel
I was going to call this post Mosquitoes and Mudslides, as they were a prevalent part of our visit to Ecuador. But then I realized that was part of a bigger picture: what happens when your trip is delayed or impacted by an unexpected event or occurrence?
Making the most of unexpected travel delays
We had both factor into our one-week visit to Ecuador. We lost a full day at the Chocolate Jungle Resort (more on that destination in the next post) because the road we were travelling was closed for eight hours due to a mudslide. And my travelling companion was experiencing strange symptoms that made us think of malaria, so we spent a day in a Quito hospital while she was tested for everything under the sun. It turns out her ailment had nothing to do with those pesky mosquitoes, and Virginia’s condition was treated by the capable staff at Hospital Voz Andes. Here she is playing Drama Queen of Quito for the camera.
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ex-pat discovers the world of chocolate in Ecuador
I hope you enjoyed our introductory post on Ecuador. Those pictures certainly brought back some memories, none of which would have happened without the help of our gracious host, Jeff Stern, a chocolatier from Quito whom I’d met online and who helped plan our Ecuadorian itinerary of chocolate travel.
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Capturing the Colours of Ecuador
I admit to not having a clear idea of what to expect from Ecuador during our chocolate travels. It seems to be a quieter cousin to Peru, whose vibrant images are quite widely broadcast around the world. I knew I was on a chocolate quest, and that Quito-based chocolatier Jeff Stern had lined up a pretty exciting itinerary for me. And I knew (via warnings I’d received) that there was a high risk of being pick-pocketed in Quito if I was careless with my belongings. But other than that, I was ready for a week of new experiences and a chocolate journey that would blow my mind.
I’ve chosen to use this introductory post about Ecuador as my entry to the “Capture the Colour” contest being sponsored by TravelSupermarket. Full details at http://www.travelsupermarket.com/c/holidays/capture-the-colour/.
Our mission in the contest is to feature five photos — each displaying one of the five chosen colours in the contest criteria:
blue
white
yellow
red
green
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Pairing Pisco with chocolate? You bet!
A good times gal like me would be remiss without mentioning the Pisco and chocolate tasting we experienced at Xocolatl during our chocolate travels in Lima.
I had always thought a deep dark chocolate went best when paired with a big red wine like Malbec. But I’m now learning that there are many other libations that pair very nicely with chocolate, and chocolatier Giovanna Maggiolo wanted to be sure we understood that the Peruvian brandy was no exception.
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Chocolate from Peru is second to none
I hope the last post helped whet your appetite for the many flavours of Peru. Chocolate travel is not just about tasting chocolate, but about tasting all the complementary flavours of the local cuisine and libations.
Giovanna Maggiolo of Xocolatl
In this post, I’d like to feature two of my favourite chocolatiers from Lima. I already introduced you to Giovanna Maggiolo in the May 17th post, but today, I’d like to take you to her chocolate shop in Miraflores and tempt you with the amazing flavour selections you’ll find at Xocolatl.
The first thing that will greet you when you walk into Giovanna’s shop is the burst of colour! I happened to be there right before Easter, so colourful Easter eggs and treats tempted me at every turn.
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Lima’s culinary scene does not disappoint
I’ll confess. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Peruvian cuisine, although I had heard it was good and gaining global attention. I wasn’t just impressed. I was WOWed.
During our few days of chocolate travel in the Peruvian capital, we visited a good variety of restaurants in Lima and did not have one meal that I didn’t enjoy. Some wowed me more than others, but all were all creative, enticing and satisfying.
A few of Lima’s fabulous restaurants
Our first visit was to one of Giovanna’s personal favourites: Delcino Mar Pescados y Mariscos, an informal fish and seafood where friends gather to enjoy libations and culinary masterpieces that are simple, yet expertly prepared and presented.
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Visiting Lima, Peru will excite your senses
After leaving Tarapoto, we headed back to Lima, the Peruvian capital, for several days of intense tasting. The base for our chocolate travel was the Casa Andina Select Miraflores, a new property of the Casa Andina brand most conveniently located in the trendy Miraflores district of Lima.
I’d highly recommend this boutique hotel as it’s relatively small, has an abundantly helpful and cheery staff, a good breakfast buffet and is walking distance or a short cab ride from just about anything that might interest you.
We were fortunate to be under the wing of chocolatier and former pastry chef, Giovanna Maggiolo, a native Peruvian with amazing connections in the food industry. (We’ll talk more about Giovanna’s talent in the world of chocolate in a future post.) …
