Take a Trip Around the World through Interesting Flavour Combinations by Theo

Bread and Chocolate? How did they come up with that one? And what about Coconut Curry and Chocolate?

I am having a new love affair with Theo chocolate.  I recently found myself captivated by Vosges' line of chocolate bars for the very same reason as why I am loving Theo right now: chocolate bars created with a vast array of interesting flavours that take you on worldwide cultural explorations.

In January, I ordered some Theo chocolate from Chocosphere.com.  The two chocolate bars that I found most interesting were Theo's Bread and Chocolate bar and their Coconut Curry Milk Chocolate bar. I was most curious about the bread and chocolate combination for nostalgic reasons. When I spent a year in France seven years ago (one of the happiest years of my life) ,  I took an alternate walking route to school one day and came upon the tiniest little 'Boulangerie'.  Being unable to resist any bakeries in France, I went in despite being a little late for school. What I discovered inside that bakery was a bin of baguettes. But these were not normal baguettes. They had dark chocolate chips baked right into them! I had fallen in love with true French bread and dark chocolate since arriving in France, and so on that morning on the way to school, I had found my two favourite foods all baked into one yummy loaf.  From that point forward, I never took the other route to school again. So when I saw Theo's chocolate bar stating that French crusty bread was combined with dark chocolate, I was compelled to buy it.

Although it was nothing like the long baguette filled with chocolate chips that I had loved eating so much on my walks to school, Theo's Bread and Chocolate bar did not dissapoint. I found it very difficult to put away half of the bar for later.  It had a bold salted flavour with the coolest crunch that I have ever experienced. I highly recommend trying it.  It is a great "snack" food when you are looking for that sweet and crunchy treat. 

I especially find it interesting that someone at Theo came up with this idea. Perhaps I am not the only one with a memory of French bread and chocolate combined, or perhaps they just thought it would be a good combination because the French are known for their bread and for their chocolate, so it would make sense that they should go together.  Either way, they got the crunch just right - just like the crust on French crusty bread. I wish there was a store close by that sold these chocolate bars, because I would eat one every day!

The Coconut Curry bar is unbelievably good.  The curry flavour is the strongest that I have tasted in any chocolate, and at the very first bite I have to admit that I thought, "why am I eating this?".  But in an instant, it grew on me and then I wanted to eat the entire bar. The inside of the wrapper was even stained yellow from the curry powder!  The sweetness is just right and paired well with the curry spice.

This chocolate bar made me think about dinner time, and how I should maybe consider making coconut curry chicken, since there are no Indian restaurants here on this cold Island in the great North. Or perhaps I should just sit here a little longer and savour another piece of curry-flavoured chocolate. Who needs flavourful dinners when there is flavourful chocolate?

Here are the package details from the two Theo chocolate bars that I tasted today:

Bread & Chocolate, Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao, 2 oz/57g
Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA)
http://www.theochocolate.com/
Ingredients: Cocoa Beans*+, Sugar*+, Cocoa Butter*+, French Bread* (Organic wheat flour, filtered water, yeast, sea salt), Butter* (Milk), sea salt, ground vanilla bean*. *Organic +Fair Trade Certified
Contains wheat and milk.  Manufactured on shared equipment with products containing milk, wheat, eggs, peanuts and other nuts.

Coconut Curry Milk Chocolate, 45% cacao, 2 oz/57g
Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA)
http://www.theochocolate.com/
Ingredients: Sugar*+, cocoa beans*+, milk powder*, cocoa butter*+, toasted coconut*, yellow curry powder (coriander, turmeric, mustard, cumin, fenugreek, paprika, red pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves), ground vanilla bean*. *Organic +Fair Trade Certified
Contains milk and tree nuts (coconut).  Manufactured on shared equipment with products containing milk, wheat, eggs, peanuts and other nuts.