Learn, Travel, Art: 2014-11-02

Hello World Travelers! Today is going to be a short post about the different types of “international” chocolates that I have eaten in my young life. By international chocolates, I mean those that have been made all over the world—from Argentina to the United States to the United Kingdom.

Delicious Velvety Nugget #1

The most “exotic” of foreign chocolates I have eaten is one that was produced and sold in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The chocolate was fluffy and rich with a nice dollop of peanut butter in the middle. My friend, Alesia, who lives in Mexico City, actually went to Argentina in the last couple of months and gave this chocolate to me. The company is called “Bocadito Marroc Fel Fort,” and the sweet is available online here. The company was started in 1938.

Elysian Fields in a Bite #2

It was because of this German chocolate that I was inspired to write this yummy food post. I popped one of these pistachio marzipans (or “Pistazie Marzipan”) into my mouth, and ah! Pure bliss in a wrapper. My mother’s co-worker went to Germany in the last few weeks and picked up a few chocolates for us. This candy had a deep green pistachio filling; it was thick, creamy, and smelled like the nut as well. The company that produced it is called “Niederegger Lübeck,” and it was founded in 1806. Their website is glitzy and racy (a zebra print background?), but it does include an online store. Check it out here.

Oh My Lord That’s Good #3

Although it was originally a European delicacy, Nutella has rapidly become an international phenomenon. This chocolate hazelnut spread is simple delightful, and I sometimes like to take a spoon, gouge out a sizeable amount from the jar, and slowly devour it. However, my first contact with Nutella was in Europe. In Paris, at the comfortable Nova Hotel, they served a breakfast consisting of buttery croissants and little Nutella packets that were meant to go with the pastry. Talking of chocolate croissants, as my family and I were driving across the French Riviera in 2013, we happened to stop at a road (and sea)-side bakery. The pastries were delicious, and the chocolate was mousse-like and gritty (in a good way). I browsed the website of Nutella, and I discovered that it was originally from Italy. Pietro Ferrero created it during the 1940s; he used hazelnuts because other ingredients were in short supply during WWII. Read about it here.

A Cone Full of Delectableness #4

Chocolate Gelato. That one word just gets my heart racing because it tastes so yummy. In Italy, of course one has to greedily eat gelato everyday because it is one of the foods that Italy does best. The chocolate concoction melts in your mouth and is a welcome reprieve from the scorching Italian heat in the height of summer. Although I tended not to eat chocolate gelato (I preferred vanilla or mint), my sister and mother certainly ate boatloads of it. There were no regrets whatsoever. We also consumed Nutella flavored gelato in Lugano, a town in Switzerland that shares a border with Italy.

Chocolate Makes Me Loco #5

Let’s face it: everyone knows that England has pretty terrible food. But one food they do know to make is biscuits (wafers that usually accompany afternoon tea). My relatives in England and Scotland always have a package of Digestives ( a biscuit made by McVities) on hand, and they also buy us a few packages whenever we travel to their neck of the woods. Last year, my family bought chocolate covered McVities (a departure from the usual “original” option). As I expected, they were addictive, and I brought a few packages home to snack on during the year (however, they disappeared within a few weeks…) The McVities’ website is….unusual to say the least. It appears that fluffy kittens are their mascot, so they appear frequently on the screen. Kittens and McVities? Awesome.

Guilty Pleasure Bars #6

We are back to discussing German chocolate, and just how amazing it tastes. Of course, Germany is the European country with the best food (Italy is #2 in my opinion), so it isn’t surprising. My grandparents always brought Ferrero Kinder Chocolate to me when I was young, and I still enjoy it today. This is the same Ferrero that discovered Nutella—that early sugar-high pioneer was certainly creative and a change-agent in the food industry. “Kinder” means “children” in German, so the mascot for this chocolate is a clear-skinned youth. I had a particular affinity for white kinder chocolate, although it was pure sugar. Browse all the different kinder chocolates here.

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Thursday, November 6, 2014

Picture and Word of the Day 11/06/14

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Picture and Word of the Day 11/05/14

Monday, November 3, 2014

International Chocolates I Have Eaten