Chocolate for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

The combination of the incompatible Since the 18th century, gourmets have known recipes such as fried liver dipped in chocolate, chocolate soup, and the bitterness of dishes is reduced by adding a piece of dark chocolate to meat or game ragout.

written by Kristina Kardum
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The recipe for divine liquid chocolate was known to the Aztecs hundreds of years before Columbus brought it to Europeans. They adapted the bitter chocolate to their sweet palates, removed the chili pepper, added sugar, and thus chocolate conquered the world. Recently, chocolate has been returning to its roots. The good properties of cocoa and dark chocolate have long been recognized by science, so modern producers necessarily offer chocolate with less milk fat and sugar.

Exotic chocolate cracklings
Moreover, it is fashionable to add chocolate to long-forgotten combinations. Eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Chocolate with chili pepper, a favorite Aztec delicacy, has made a grand return, but new combinations with all kinds of fruits and spices like lavender, rosemary, and even sea salt have also emerged.
Chocolates with cinnamon, vanilla, orange, strawberries, bananas, caramel, or yogurt are well known to most chocolate lovers. Alongside chocolates with classic additions like almonds, walnuts, rice, and hazelnuts, they can be found on most shelves of local stores. Certainly, chocolate is used in countless ways, and the modern world is just as crazy about it as Spanish conquistadors were centuries ago when they brought it to European courts. Modern cuisine has taken the love for chocolate a step further. Exclusive restaurants combine chocolate with spices, and the latest hit is the combination with sea salt, sweet and salty in one bite. Combinations with rosemary, mint, ginger, and lavender are also favorite additions among the greatest culinary masters. – The most unusual combination of chocolate I have ever tried is chocolate with cracklings. Although it is certainly unusual, I personally have many more preferred combinations – said Boris Jurič, president of the Chocolate Lovers Society.

With horseradish and alcohol
The Kraš factory, despite its long chocolate tradition, has readily embraced modern trends. Among the best flavor combinations in Kraš’s treasury of new and innovative products are white filled chocolate with blueberry and carrot and white filled chocolate with orange and beetroot. These are combinations of nutritionally rich fruits and vegetables that contain antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.  – Kraš’s food technologists have also tried numerous other interesting flavors and their combinations – chocolates with horseradish, bay leaf, truffles, sesame, flax, and a mixture of red, green, and black pepper, and in the choco-bar, we sold chocolate with chili, lavender, and tobacco – says Mario Fraculj, director of the Market Development Department. Exceptional combinations occur when chocolate is dipped into a glass of good liqueur. Mixtures with cognac, champagne, and even some brandies are extremely popular as dessert delicacies.

For chicken and game
Given the long history and popularity of chocolate, it is not surprising that this ingredient is traditionally used in the preparation of appetizers and main dishes in many world cuisines. In the homeland of chocolate, Mexico, during wedding or birthday celebrations, Pollo en Mole is served, chicken with an excellent mole sauce made from chili with the addition of dark chocolate. As Coolinarka.com states, the greatest creativity in using chocolate in savory dishes has been shown by the Italians. Thus, since the 18th century, well-known recipes such as fried liver dipped in chocolate, chocolate soup, chocolate pudding with veal, or chocolate polenta have existed. Small amounts of chocolate can be added to sauces for meat or fish dishes, especially in combination with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and spices. To reduce the bitterness of a dish, add a piece of dark chocolate to meat or game ragout. Chocolate has not bypassed the beloved pizza for many. Increasingly, in pizzerias, one can encounter pizza with Nutella or another chocolate cream. However, chocolate much more often appears on the table only at the end of the meal. It is adored as a warm dessert in the form of pudding, chocolate pancakes, ravioli, soufflés, or as a hot drink. Among chocolate desserts, it is truly difficult to choose. From truffles – chocolate balls rolled in cocoa powder, French flaky pies with chocolate cream, dark biscuit cakes, foamy mousse of white or dark chocolate, and rolls to lavish cakes, the selection is indeed rich.

Chocolate toast
Coffee and chocolate have been great friends since ancient times. A popular addition is chocolate syrup in coffee, coffee with milk, or coffee with sweet cream. The combinations are becoming more luxurious and numerous, and they can also be found in an increasing number of cafes and restaurants. With the popularization of chocolate liqueurs like Baileys, chocolate has become a common ingredient at bar counters. Bartenders use it in inventive combinations with liqueurs, rum, and vodka. Of course, blended fruits like bananas and pineapples with the addition of milk, caramel, or honey, and whipped cream on top make cocktail recipes diverse and refined in taste. Whether as a warm refreshment or a summer delight, chocolate successfully defends its position as the first choice of people and, at least so they say, of the gods.