Chocolates: An Indian affair

Pushpesh Pant

Advertisement

As the witty quip has it, “Life is like chocolate. You should savour it piece by piece allowing each piece to melt slowly in your mouth.” There are others who believe that its ecstasy matches any erotic high without the hazard of unwanted pregnancy or hard to cure distressing disease. For us, most profound and insightful is the observation of a French epicurean who wrote, “Chocolate is one of the most powerful restorative… Let any man who finds the air damp and time long, atmosphere difficult to tolerate, let any man who is tormented by an obsession that prevents him from thinking clearly, let all those men dose themselves with good half a litre of amber-coloured chocolate and they will see a miracle.” Having experienced the uplifting miracle more than once when down in dumps, we can’t agree more.

Montezuma, the brilliant Aztec ruler of the tract of land now known as Mexico, enjoyed an ambrosial post-dinner drink that was called Xocotal. Roasted cocoa beans were mixed with spices, aromatic substances and fortified with musk and ambergris believed to have aphrodisiac properties. Sometimes the hot beverage served in cups of gold was sweetened with honey. His subjects made do with a paste that blended powdered cocoa beans with corn flower. It was the Spanish conquistadors who fell in love with the exhilarating tonic and introduced fellow Europeans to the joys of what the world now recognises as chocolate.

From drink to confection has been a long journey. Cocoa and chocolate stared as a drink and it was in England that milk replaced water as the base. The next step was to add sugar and nuts and enjoy it as a sweet. Swiss believe they make the best chocolates — a claim hotly contested by Belgians.

Our very own chocolate factory

We in India have had to make do for ages with pale imitations of the real stuff — not cloyingly sweet and overtly milky — that is beloved of the connoisseurs. Cadbury was the brand that became synonymous with what continue to be labelled as ‘dairy milk chocolate’. There were not many other options till recently. There were minor variations within the overarching milk chocolates-like nuts and dried fruits like raisins. With spiralling rise in prices, use of imported chocolate beans became prohibitive and content of cocoa beans and butter were stretched by ‘filler’ additives. This was born the ‘Five Star’— a chewy bar with chocolate-coated caramel core. Nutties and Gems appeared as miniature globules, more pocket friendly than a block, to make the children and their guardians to at least indulge in a lickworthy incarnation of chocolate.

Nestle, a Swiss food giant, had decades ago bravely launched a white chocolate only to learn that there were not many takers for the vilayati barfi. It couldn’t expand its market share in chocolates despite being a household name, thanks to the popularity of its other products — coffee, baby food, condensed milk, and not to forget the Maggi noodles.

Amul, the legendary milk cooperative from Gujarat, has dared to challenge the domination of multinationals by entering the marketplace and, after a few abortive forays, has succeeded in carving out a niche for its dark chocolates pushing the envelope by unveiling delightfully bitter up to 90 per cent dark variety. (Cadbury had offered Bournville years ago but the time was not yet ripe for dark thoughts then.)

Creative minds in the world of advertising have constantly exerted to nudge the customers away from the desi halwai towards the swanky ice-cream parlour with campaigns as lovingly crafted as pralines and petit fours. Who can forget Big B tempting viewers with hilarious cameo ‘Pappu Pass Ho Gaya!’ and ‘Kucch to Meetha Ho Jaye!’ The chocolate scene in India changed only when a new generation of intrepid globetrotting youngsters demanded more.

As the narrative changes and the nation leaves behind the cliched world of chocolate cakes and pastries to splurge on a mind-boggling range of chocolates, we drool dreaming of what is in store for us in days to come. Chocolates evoke the nostalgic memories of innocent childhood and loss of innocence in youth. They in old age rekindle dying embers of desire. We agree wholeheartedly with whoever asserted that like diamonds, chocolates are forever.

The new-age chocolatiers are here

Radhika Dang, a talented young media professional, introduced us to the growing tribe of amateur chocolate makers who have taken pains to acquire professional competence. Her parents, during a posting abroad, took a course in chocolate-making and started gifting these to family and friends instead of Delhi mithai. Soon they were flooded with requests to supply them with the exceptional stuff.

Gitana Singh of Delhi specialises in bespoke chocolates as per her clients whims and fancies. Her boutique brand is Cocoa Bark and the lady offers a delightful range of handcrafted thin-skinned bark like-minded dark and fair beauties. Some are topped with dried fruits and nuts other flaunt colourful citrus adornments. The talented young professional chocolate maker started following her passion in 2017. She juggles her time between pursuing her other artistic interests — music and painting.

Praveen Agarwal is a Delhi-based bon vivant par excellence. Scion of a legendary family in food, and some time producer of feature films, Praveen was bewitched by chocolates enough to take a master chocolatiers course abroad. At Chocovaan, he is striving to raise the chocolate game in this country to another level. Some of his creations have more than a whiff of India — mango truffle, 24 carat gold, saffron and pistachio are part of this collection. Then there are even more irresistible temptations — the liquor-filled chocolates enriched with neutral drops of Hennessy VSOP.

Nishant Choubey, a young chef who consults at the Michelin quite often and dares to choose the road less travelled, has for quite sometime been experimenting with chocolate to create mithai that is rooted in native soil and pays a tribute to tradition. He has presented rasmalai in a flambéed chocolate cone and won accolades for white chocolate and coconut malai dessert. Our personal favourite is the bundi in a dark chocolate dibiya (casket). Not content with this, he has not shied from using camel milk chocolates and pairing these exotic chocolates with unusual partners like chillies. But then didn’t both chilies and chocolate share a common birthplace? Nishant has showcased his improvisations on the chocolate theme from Tokyo to Toronto and some curated feasts at home.

Cocoa-traits is a startup in Chennai that has created more than ripples in the southern metropolis. They specialise in vegan and organic chocolates that are produced in a environment-friendly sustainable manner. Plastic is eschewed; the packaging uses recycled paper that is totally bio-degradable and is screen printed with vegetable dyes. The chocolate block is wrapped in extra thick aluminium foil that can be reused many times. Cocoa-traits sources cocoa beans from southern India and has established ‘chocolate lover clubs’ in metros and enjoys an interesting web presence. They have contributed significantly to spreading awareness about chocolates demystifying them and initiated many youngsters to ‘chocolate tasting’.