I ordered some chocolate the other day. Since I can’t eat sugar, I ordered a block of unsweetened 99% cacao.
The other day, when I was feeling really lazy and really craved chocolate, I sliced (okay, it required a mallet and a knife) off a bit and ate it.
What I expected was a pucker. What I got was the most fascinating taste.
I know that chocolate is often used without sugar in recipes such as chicken mole. Or that it was used in Central America as a bitter, spicy beverage. Did you also know that the cacao bean was also used as currency? Or that chocolate originated in the New World? Just imagine, all those years of being without chocolate in Europe.
This was the first time I’ve ever eaten plain chocolate and appreciated the complex flavors of it.
I’m looking forward to trying chocolate without sugar in different recipes.
How about you? Ever taste plain chocolate?
EDITED TO ADD:
The first draft of this post was rife with errors. My only excuse is that, well, I don’t have an excuse. In my world, everything needs to be edited.
Chocolate is amazing in all it’s forms. I have tasted it without sugar. It was an intense hit.
Okay, Mary, what time is it in Australia when you comment?
And you’re right – that’s the word for it – it was a “hit”.
I had a craving one day, all I had was unsweeted chocolate for baking. I managed to get off a corner and it was Yucky.
Want be trying that again.
Theresa, I thought the same thing when I tasted unsweetened baking chocolate. Maybe it was different this time because this chocolate was 99% cacao. Don’t know.
I’ve never tasted chocolate without sugar except for baking chocolate and I didn’t like it. I love my sugar.
I really think the cacao percentage has to be high. I’ll have to check out baking chocolate.
I love dark chocolate too. I have to laugh because one of my sons used to “swipe” the baking chocolate from the pantry and eat it because he liked that better than milk chocolate. The darker kind is better for you. Eat away! You’re helping your heart!
I love dark chocolate above anything else!
I am allergic to chocolate. Well I should say, chocolate made in hte USA. There are preservatives and they give me the biggest, worst migraines you ever want to have. But chocolate made in Switzerlalnd does not. So I have not have this sinfule but ohhh so yummy treat in the last 30+ years.
The chocolate I bought is German, Christiane. I wonder if it makes a difference?
I LOVE chocolate, milk or dark, I’m in heaven!
I did once nibble on baking chocolate….NEVER again!
I believe I’m one of those people that has to have the sugar in it. Even if it only has a small smidgen of sugar, I need the suagr.
My son once bought me some chocolate from Switzerland, man, what a difference! That chocolate was FANTASTIC!!
Not sure what was in it, or I should say, what wasn’t in it, but it was super yummy.
I was told that here, in America, the makers of chocolate, mess with ingredients too much. They add extra or different chemicals to ‘stretch’ production. Too bad, sometimes it’s better to leave things alone.
I have noticed that my buying of chocolate has changed. I’m a bit choosier now, I sometimes do pay a little extra for a better brand. When I eat chocolate, I want to taste ‘chocolate’ . Good thing that’s not too often!
I melted some of this stuff, Dalila, and poured it onto vanilla ice cream (no sugar in either). Yum.
I LOVE Dark chocolate!! Maybe you could sweeten yours with one of those new natural sweetners like Agave? Highest percent cocoa I go for is about 85% – then it starts tasting like Bakers Chocolate. Had some dark chocolate flavored with chili once – it was yummy!
I’m with Dalila – I’d rather have a bit of really good dark chocolate than a lot of milk chocolate.
I’m most definitely a dark chocolate kind of gal.
LOVE, love love dark chocolate. I’m dangerous with it
Not so much milk chocolate. I will eat it, but prefer the dark. Everytime I go to the drug store, I head to the candy section. (I know, I know, I shouldn’t with the diabetes) They have these dark chocolate bars that have a high percentage of the cacao and I have fell in love with them. Let us know how it is in the recipes.
I’m not a fan of chicken mole, so I doubt I’ll be doing that. I wonder if I can make a sugar free hot chocolate with it?
I have never heard of chicken mole (going to google that) but it sure doesn’t sound like it would whet my appitite,lol! YUM at trying to make hot chocolate with it.
I learned that chocolate came from the new world in the Angelique series. Truly amazing what you can learn from historical romances huh?! I’m one of those baking chocolate tasters, ick. Although my favorite brownie recipe is loaded with extra chocolate
Connie’s story of her son’s swiping chocolate from the pantry reminds me of a story from my childhood. I was begging my mother one day for a can of tuna fish. She kept saying NO! and I kept begging. Well finally she gave in and decided to teach me a lesson. Back then tuna was only packed in oil. She opened the can and gave it to me WITHOUT DRAINING IT FIRST. It was icky and I didn’t know why as a child. I never begged for a can of tuna again and I thought twice before I ate the next tuna sandwich she made me for lunch
I had a very smart Mother.
When we lived at Randolph AFB here in San Antonio, we had a maid to do the ironing. One day, I was home sick from school and my mother had an art class. She asked the maid to make me a tuna sandwich for lunch. I could only eat half the sandwich because it just didn’t taste right. Later, my mother found the cat food can in the garbage and told me that the poor maid probably couldn’t read. She saw the picture of the fish on the can and decided it must be tuna.
So, that’s my first and last experience with cat food (please God). Really, considering it was cat food, it wasn’t all that bad. (And, yes, I can still taste it.)
I am laughing hysterically right now!!! (wiping tears)
Oh my gosh!
It did remind me of my ex putting a can of cat food on the heater in the kitchen to warm it up (don’t ask :\ ) and forgot about it. I heard a BOOM and went into the kitchen to find cat food all over everything. From the ceiling to the floor and everything in between. Guess you know who had to clean that up. I can still smell it (wrinkling nose).
I love dark chocolate. Like Diane, I can’t go much higher than about 85% cocoa before it’s too nasty!
Had a friend fix chicken mole for us once…could live w/out eating it again. Not what I call a keeper. Had another friend give me dark chocolate covered caramels w/ French sea salt this year. Man, that was so amazing. Will be getting more of those. Middle son likes the really strong dark chocolate and the ones with chili. As much as I love chocolate when I crave it’s always sour that I want.