ChocolateBet: June 19, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Saratoga Chocolates
Le Jardin de Chocolat (dark)
Very Good
Weight: 3 oz. (~84.9 grams)
Calories: ~ 450 calories (estimate)
Cost: $7.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: (Draegers?), in CA

I am always excited to hear about a local chocolate I haven't tried yet. This dark chocolate version of the Le Jardin de Chocolat bar contains dried apricot, ginger, orange peel, almonds, and pistachio nuts. I like the combination of ingredients that all have a connection to this area of California.

For all those who roll your eyes at nostalgic food memories, you can stop reading here. But, I lived the list of local Bay Area/California ingredients in this bar.

• Apricots: I grew up on a street with remnants of apricot orchards. Apricot fights anyone?

• Almonds: I attended Almond Elementary School, located on (where else) Almond Avenue.

• Pistachios: Pistachio nuts purchased at the local supermarket back then still had shells that were dyed red, but I remember prying open these nuts and ending up with red fingers.

• Oranges: Yes, we had a big fat orange tree in our back yard. This was California after all.

• Ginger: My exposure to candied ginger came later, mostly through Asian-American friends and shops, and eating delicious Chinese food in downtown Mountain View (which was much more rustic back then).