We got to make our own chocolate today!<\/p>\n
Dad didn\u2019t, but he still gets to enjoy the results, which were 12 little pyramids, 11 Reese\u2019s Pieces-style chocolates, and six chocolate bars. We could choose from twenty-two flavors to stick in our creations at ChocoMuseo, but I only used thirteen: pink marshmallows, sprinkles, coffee beans, Oreos, Peanut M&Ms, nibs (bits of cacao bean), mint, cloves and cinnamon, chili, sea salt, coconut, and quinoa. I could have used coca but decided not to. Some of the women who worked there were making \u201cexperimental\u201d chocolate bars: white chocolate bars with coffee beans, coca, chili, or coconut. The museum doesn\u2019t actually sell full-sized white chocolate bars, so they were definitely experimental.<\/p>\n
At the beginning of our \u201clesson,\u201d Manuel took us upstairs (us being Mom, Ethan and I\u2014we were thankfully a small group) and asked us which country was the leading producer of cacao.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeru,\u201d someone guessed.<\/p>\n
\u201cVenezuela.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIvory Coast,\u201d I said. (I was right, of course.)<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the second-largest producer?\u201d Manuel asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrazil.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEcuador.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s in Africa,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGhana,\u201d I answered. (Right again!)<\/p>\n
It was also interesting to learn that, on average, a Swiss eats more than 11 kilograms of chocolate a year, while Americans (on average) eat only 5.3. I can\u2019t wait to get to Switzerland!<\/p>\n
Ciao!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We got to make our own chocolate today! Dad didn\u2019t, but he still gets to enjoy the results, which were 12 little pyramids, 11 Reese\u2019s Pieces-style chocolates, and six chocolate bars. We could choose from twenty-two flavors to stick in … Continue reading