Tag Archive: Salon du Chocolat
Salty Chocolate
March 13, 2012
Salon du Chocolat, the largest trade fair devoted to chocolate, takes place every November. A unique fashion show is part of the event in which models walk down the runway wearing little but chocolate. Last year, there were chocolate basques and skirts, gowns imbedded with truffles, and even handbags made out of 70% cocoa solids.
The rest of us eat chocolate instead of wearing it, but there will always be a strong connection between chocolate and fashion. Chocolate never goes out of style. However, the forms in which we want to consume it incessantly change.
The latest trend for chocolate is to taste salty. Odd, eh? During the late 90's, chocolate combined with chilli was all the rage. Today, the combination of chocolate and salt seems to be in. It is said to have started around 2003, the time Gerard Coleman of Artisan du Chocolat devised sea-salt caramels which are tiny orbs of salty toffee covered in dark chocolate and dusted in cocoa.
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Chocolate, A Rising Star In Japan
October 28, 2011
Japan’s confectionery world may be centuries late in regards to using cocoa, but they sure are keeping up and doing very well at it. “Japanese chocolate” may still come off as strange, but cocoa is definitely a rising star in Japan. The once foreign flavor is now starting to become a staple.
Japanese chocolatiers and pastry chefs were the star guests at the 17th Salon du Chocolat which was held in Paris. One of them, Susumu Koyama, even won as the "Best Foreign Chocolatier". Japan was able to outshine other renowned chocolate-making nations such as Belgium and Switzerland. Susumu was born to a family of pastry chefs and claims to be relying on “instinct” and “nature” in practicing his passion.
Since chocolate made from the cocoa bean has reached the Land of the Rising Sun 250 years later than the West, almost all of Japan’s famous and well-loved pastries have zero chocolate content. But today, the number of Japanese chocolatiers is on the rise, and Susumu says he is doing his part to heighten the interest of his fellowmen in chocolate even more.
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