Friday, October 05, 2001


the italians are famous for their chocolate, and while in italy, i had the chance to pick up three kinds. . .barrati, domori, and popular local naples producer gay odin. gay odin may not belong on the temples of italian chocolate list, but i had to try them.

i bought a large bar of the gay odin "extra fondante" dark chocolate with cocoa nibs, which did not state a chocolate percentage on its label. but after tasting it, i'd say it's easily a 70% chocolate object. while gay odin is highly regarded in southern italy, i have to say i was slightly disappointed in the bar. first of all, although this is relatively small production chocolate, made only in naples for three stores and sold only in naples, i didn't think it had all the quality i expected in artisan chocolate.

the bar lacked finish, a shiny surface, and a clean snap in the break. it seemed strangely soft. i didn't think this was due to a temperature problem, as i bought the bar on a cool evening from an air-conditioned store. i wasn't thrilled with the mouth-feel either, although this could perhaps be due to the chocolate nib bits. the actual taste of the bar reminded me strongly of scharffen-berger, so i won't say the chocolate is bad. not at all. scharffen-berger fans would love it. i had the chance to taste one of their small candies, which seemed bland to me, but did have a creamier mouth-feel. and the whole concept of a vesuvius modeled in chocolate was a hoot.

the packaging is charmingly art nouveau, especially the boxed candies, with a hilarious illustration of vesuvius erupting. the gay odin stores themselves resemble old-fashioned ice cream parlors, but are more elegant.

turin is known as a chocolate center. not only does it sponsor a famous chocolate festival but it has many renowned artisanal makers. baratti is not an artisan chocolate; you might think of it as an italian lindt. it's made by baratti & milano, which began and continues as a famous pastry and candy store.

i bought a bar of both the 30% milk chocolate and the 55% bittersweet chocolate "extra fondante." i normally dislike milk chocolate, but i was surprised at this one. it was good, although strangely pale in color, nearly caramel. mr. right was instantly addicted to it.

the 55% was heavenly. unwrap it and you'll find a nice shiny bar, with a clean break and good finish. and the mouth-feel: heavenly. it tastes as if it has a larger amount of cocoa butter than many other commercial chocolates. it's just delicious; although not the most intense chocolate taste, you can't stop eating it. it melts in your mouth immediately . . .yummm. those fond of very bitter or intense dark chocolates might not like this "semi-sweet" chocolate taste. i was again surprised at how good it was.

i wouldn't rank it with the el reys or valrhonas of the world, but it is a nice alternative to lindt, if you can find it.

finally, i also got to taste the cult chocolate, domori, made with criolla beans. sad to say, i was a tad disappointed. maybe it just had a too-high expectation from what i had heard about it.

the bars are beautifully finished and crisp, with a sensous dark gleam. however in the tasting it seemed very much like lindt to me (which isn't a bad thing really!) but with a flatish flavor. not quite as good as valrhona and certainly not as good as the el rey. i think the el rey bucare is still the best commercial eating chocolate out there. of course, gentle readers, you may write to disagree. . .

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