Delicacies
Food of the gods for love
By Yu Ran (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-02-13 08:24
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Shanghai
Valentine's Day is that one day in the year when you can shower love and chocolates on that significant other, following a tradition that goes back as far as the ancient civilizations of South America.
Since the days of the Aztecs, chocolate has been used as a gift. Even the scientific name for the tree from which chocolate is derived, Theobroma cacao, means "food of the gods" when translated from the original in Greek.
Nowadays, a box of luxurious chocolate can loudly shout out "I love you" on Valentine's Day because chocolate is more than food. It not only fills your belly but also makes you feel so good.
There are two ways to make the Valentine's Day chocolate meaningful: Find specially crafted chocolate with original and intense taste, or make a box of chocolate with your own hands, seasoned with love and creativity.
"Chocolate has long been associated with passion, romance and love, which we have tried to pass along through our chocolate," says Zhu Yan, the public relations officer of Awfully Chocolate, a local chocolate store which supplies bon-bons with a Singapore twist.
Awfully Chocolate boasts all-natural products with no artificial flavoring or coloring. To celebrate Valentine's Day, Awfully Chocolate designed two types of truffles chocolates along the theme of "simple happiness".
"One pack of chocolate consists of three small chocolate cubes with two characters: I, and U, as well as a heart symbol to express the key phrase for Valentine's Day - I love you," Zhu says.
Two flavors are prepared for the day - a dark chocolate and a chocolate flavored with champagne.
The dark chocolate has an intense, rich and dense taste that lingers on after each mouthful. Hei, the name of the chocolate, is manufactured in Singapore and is carefully selected.
"We added champagne to the chocolate for the first time as it is the best drink to celebrate the Valentine's Day," Zhu says. "The unique taste will definitely complement the romantic atmosphere."
The selected Valentine's Day packs are available at Awfully Chocolate with combinations of heart-shaped chocolate cake and truffle cubes in different flavors.
You can add that personal touch and make Valentine's Day even more special by making your own chocolates for the beloved one.
Ichoice DIY hand-made chocolates and cakes has three stores in Shanghai. During holidays like Valentine's Day and Christmas, all three stores are kept busy with people either queuing to buy or learn how to make chocolates.
"The original Belgium chocolate that we use tastes smooth, with just a light sweetness. The smell of chocolate can easily attract crowds while we're heating up the chocolate and making it," says Mao Yiwei, the owner of the Ichoice DIY.
Currently, there are about 3,000 different molds for chocolate and cakes designed and made by the crew led by Mao. The molds at Ichoice come in all shapes and sizes imaginable.
"We get inspired mainly by customers willing to share their favorite patterns and fashionable symbols, which are then made into chocolate molds," says Mao.
For Valentine's, Ichoice DIY has prepared five pairs of molds for the mainly female customer base who are eager to hand-make chocolates for their boyfriends.
Mao says customers can call ahead and request for certain types of molds to see which fits best into their romantic concepts.
China Daily
(China Daily 02/13/2011 page13)
