The Flaming Sword of Truth
Taking a hatchet (er ... flaming sword) to chocolate hocus-pocus
Why is this page called "The Flaming Sword of Truth"?
This page was inspired by a comment made by Martin Christy of 70% . He once referred to Chloe Doutre-Roussel as being chocolate's Joan of Arc, with "a kind of fiery, flaming sword of truth".
We decided to name this page, which is dedicated to debunking the myths and nonsense in the chocolate world, in honour of Chloe Doutre-Roussel, who, with exquisite irony, published a book demonstrating her profound lack of knowledge about cocoa and chocolate.
Myth Number 1. Mango madness
According to Kim Severson of the NY Times, "growing cacao trees in the soil of a former mango grove might result in chocolate with a faint flash of the fruit" [1]. Or then again, it might not!
In fact, there is no biological mechanism whereby the ghost of a long-dead mango tree can infuse a freshly-grown cocoa seed with the flavour of mango fruit. This is simply not possible.
But one thing is for sure: when it comes to taste, the power of suggestion is incredibly influential [2]. Maybe this is why some people believe that Michel Cluizel's "Mangaro" chocolate tastes like mango [3]. After all, the word Mangaro sounds rather like mango, and the chocolate is made with cocoa grown "on the land of a former mango tree forest".
You can learn more about where the flavours in chocolate really come from here.
References:
| 1 | Kim Severson (8 Feb 2006) "Chocolate That Flashes Its Passport"
The New York Times, accessed online at: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/dining/08choc.html |
| 2 | Google search results for: "power of suggestion" + taste
Accessed online at: http://www.google.com.au/search?q=%22power+of+suggestion%22+taste |
| 3 | Google search results for: mangaro + mango
Accessed online at: http://www.google.com.au/search?q=mangaro+mango |