Chocolate of the Day
Cru Chocolate
Purple Corn Pinole 60% Drinking Chocolate
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total box of 2 "wheels"
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 wheel
Cost: $8.99 for 1 box of 2 pieces
Purchased from: FarmFresh, online order
Buenos dias and welcome to Day #19 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment -- a week that includes food, chocolate, storytelling and lore from various cultures. The chocolate stories coming from Central America where cacao origins run deep are particularly meaningful.*
Today's Purple Corn Pinole 60% Drinking Chocolate was made in Cru Chocolate's kitchen in Roseville, CA.
Cru Chocolate founder, Karla, grew up in Honduras, a country full of interesting cacao stories--some of which is printed on product packaging and for more, check out the company's website.
Aroma and flavor notes for these drinking chocolate wheels included: cacao and corn (mild cornbread) suffused with warm, appealing spices (cinnamon, allspice).
The ground purple corn mellowed out the cacao -- and both the chocolate and corn harmonized beautifully with the spices.
Prepared with almond milk or dairy milk, this was a lovely winter warmer. And as an eating chocolate I was able to access the undiluted, flavorful and relatively sweet dark chocolate.
Maker's tasting notes: "Intensity: Light. 60% cacao; Style: Mesoamerican; Body: Thick & Hearty; Nose: Warm Spices; Mood: Satisfied and Happy; Suggested liquid: Almond milk.
Ingredients: "Fermented cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic heirloom purple corn, organic cinnamon, organic aniseed, organic allspice"
Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on equipment that processes peanuts and milk."
Cacao & Corn pairing
This week I'm "pairing" (enjoying) chocolates with selected movies, music videos, animated shorts, and other forms of entertainment.
I listened to a video of the "Chocolate" song (aka "Bate, Bate (El) Chocolate") on YouTube; and then watched a video about purple corn (maiz morado). Both cacao and corn were considered gifts from the Gods by the Maya and other ancient cultures.
*The Eastern/Caribbean side of Honduras is likely where Christopher Colombus and crew first spotted cacao beans (being transported in canoes by locals), around 1500 A.D. (on one of their later voyages).
