The Chocolate Unwrapped Show 2010

For every one who wasn’t aware, it was Chocolate Week 2010 all over the UK from 11^th to 17^th October. As one of the UK’s biggest and most indulgent chocolate celebrations, heaps of chocolate shops, chocolate companies, department stores, bakeries, hotels and restaurants all got involved to create events ranging from chocolate dinners and truffle making classes to chocolate tasting adventures and the unveiling of new chocolate brands! In particular, a featured event and highlight of Chocolate Week was the Chocolate Unwrapped Show that was held at Vinopolis in Borough, London. This took place on Saturday 16^th and Sunday 17^th October and I managed to attend the Saturday Show…

As soon as I arrived at the show venue, I was immediately greeted by a human-size chocolate wall where you could sign your name with a scraper-pen! This was a great way to kick-off the event and the smell of chocolate emanating from the wall really prepared you for the indulgence ahead. Moving through a wide corridor into the main rooms of the event, there were tables displaying information of the history of chocolate, samples of cacao beans and details of how chocolate is made.

When entering the main room, you were instantly overwhelmed by the vast range of chocolate stands lining the room. Each had their own individual and for most, extravagant displays to entice you to their stand. I obviously didn’t want to miss any out so chose the most luxurious-looking stand to begin my route around the entire room! Every chocolate brand had keen representatives who provided details and samples of their products and the following were particular highlights: -

Cacao Sampaka 
First introduced in Spain, specifically Barcelona, this brand was distinguished by its eclectic creations such as Jamaican pepper, curry, fried corn and parmesan cheese chocolate. At the stand I was able to taste their best selling Gin & Tonic chocolate, which had a smooth texture to the chocolate with fizzy crystal-like pieces that were gin flavoured. Since the chocolate contained no alcohol, the essence of gin I could taste had been created from the aromatic, bittersweet and piny taste of juniper berries. In addition to this, I tried their blackberry flavoured dark chocolate and dark chocolate covered freeze-dried raspberries, which were extremely fruity and definite favourites of mine.

Patchi
This stand was probably the best presented brand and has come along way from their original opening in Beirut in 1974. Their unique methods of chocolate making and designing have made them somewhat of a trendsetter and today Patchi is a global brand. It is not surprising that I was impressed with their stand display, as one particular service they offer is chocolate arrangements that are creative and gracefully set to reflect occasions. There was such a large range of chocolate to try, but I was most drawn to their selection of chocolate covered nuts and the almond and pistachios were especially delicious.

The Rabot Estate
As Saint Lucia’s (West Indies) oldest cocoa estate established back in 1745 and home to the sought after Trinitario bean, The Rabot Estate was bought by the original founders of Hotel Chocolat 5 years ago. This enterprise enabled the taste of Saint Lucian chocolate to be tasted for the first time ever and the use of recipes that do not contain vanilla, allowed the true flavour to shine through unimpeded. The brand now has a chocolate café and chocolate shop in Borough Market and their stand at the Chocolate Unwrapped Show stood out from others as they offered samples of Cocoa Tea. Unlike other cocoa based hot drinks, Cocoa Tea is not sweet or as strong as our well known hot chocolate, however still has the distinctive cocoa flavour.

 Artisan du Chocolat
Having already experienced their sea salted caramel range of chocolates with extraordinary flavours of peppers, balsamic vinegar, lemongrass and sage & thyme, amongst many others, I was already aware of the inventiveness of this brand. At the event, however, I was drawn to their stand by the beauty of their South Sea and Tahiti Pearls. Obviously inspired by the natural wonders of luxurious pearls, these chocolates looked almost too good to eat! The use of edible pearlescent pigments gave the truffles real sparkle and they would be ideal gifts for the ladies.

Chocri
Founded in 2008, this newborn chocolate company was the only stand to have a chocolate fountain. As a taster of what their company has to offer, I was given a shot of melted chocolate and a choice of ingredients including pretzels, nuts, gummy bears, strawberry bits and coconut that I could add to the shot as I wished. Their company’s aim is to create ‘great tasting premium chocolate customised to the wishes of their customers’ and they have a range of over 100 toppings to choose from. This is the first ‘create your own chocolate bar’ company I have come across and seems perfect for personalised presents.

In addition to the chocolate stands, the final room of the event was an exhibition of chocolate sculptures and this was also where talks from top chocolatiers, experts and authors were held. The sculptures were amazing and I will let the photos speak for themselves…

In addition to tasting a huge range of chocolates, I was able to attend plenty of the talks available at the show. These included:
- A presentation from Keith Hurdman, Master Chocolatier of Thorntons.
- A cooking demonstration with Micah Carr-Hill, Head of Taste at Green & Black’s
- A chocolate tasting session conducted by Paul A Young
- Chocolate personality readings from Murray Langham; and
- A talk from Niki Segnit on her book- The Flavour Thesaurus.

Discover: The Moon Cake

From hotels on the moon and Apollo 11 to… full moon parties in Thailand and harvest moon celebrations, it’s clear that there is definitely a spotlight on the moon! Having recently received a tin of moon cakes as a gift from visiting relatives, I started looking further into the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. This festival is also known as the Moon Cake Festival (Zhong Qiu Jie) and takes place every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its peak brightness for the year. The custom of moon worshipping dates back to ancient Xia and Shang Dynasties from 2000 B.C and this year, the festival fell on the 22^nd September.

In the present day, Chinese people will generally celebrate the Moon Cake Festival with entertainment, feasting and moon-gazing, but the most important and central element of the festival is the moon cake. Moon cakes are around the size of a palm and can be either round or square in shape. Inside traditional moon cakes is lotus seed paste with one or more yolks from salted duck eggs placed within the paste. These represent the full moon or phases of the moon and the filling is encased in a golden brown crust that is usually decorated with symbols of the festival, either by hand or more commonly by moulds. 

The moon cake is a delicacy that is so far from normality in the UK that it highlights just how different the Chinese and British cultures are. I believe that everyone should be adventurous with what they choose to eat and if you have the opportunity to try something new, you should go for it and experiment! You may even gain some insight into the history of another culture in addition to a new favourite food.

Those who have tasted a moon cake may describe it as an acquired taste; however, I think they are extraordinary. Since the filling is a paste and the crust is only thin, moon cakes are quite dense and very rich in flavour. The saltiness from the egg yolk contrasts with the sweet lotus paste, which gives an enjoyable balance of flavours. Typically, the moon cake is cut into segments and shared around, since a few pieces can be rather filling.

Along with lotus seed paste; red bean and black bean pastes are also common fillings and over the years, a vast range of moon cakes have been created with differing fillings and crusts. It is not uncommon to now find dates, nuts, fruit, Chinese sausage, pumpkin, yam or seeds in moon cakes. They are fairly difficult to make, so most choose to buy them when they become available in Chinese bakeries or supermarkets around mid-August.

Although moon cakes are innately unique and essential to the Moon Cake Festival, their existence has played a more legendary role in Chinese history. The story slightly resembles the Trojan War (a Chinese one!) with moon cakes embodying the ‘Trojan Horse’ which brought about a revolution. During the Yuan Dynasty (from 1280-1368 A.D.), China was under the oppressive rule of the Mongols for almost a century. In this time, the common Chinese suffered extensively and any attempt of a rebellion was cruelly punished. An intricate plan was therefore formulated to overthrow the Mongols and the Chinese baked hundreds of moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival in preparation. However, instead of the fillings we would expect to find today, messages inciting people to join an impending rebellion were hidden inside and they were distributed among family and friends. As the Mongolian people did not eat moon cakes and paid no attention to them, they were completely taken aback by the well designed rebellion and it lead to the abrupt demise of the Yuan Dynasty.

A giant Moon Cake created for the Mid-Autumn Festival