“What’s lucuma?!” My friend asked while we were sharing this bar of chocolate today. Embarassingly I had to admit that I didn’t know, but it was fun to watch her eyes bug out when I said I didn’t know. Well – now we BOTH know, because inside the wrapper was more info about the included sundried lucuma powder in the chocolate as well as the goldenberries and some very interesting info about the endangered toucan. All of this of course makes great picnic conversation too. Lucuma is a native Peruvian fruit that has maple-y sweet potato-y flavors. It’s a popular flavoring for South American desserts and interestingly is a great source of beta carotene, B3, B6, and other b vitamins. Mmmmmm It’s related to a similar sounding tropical fruit that a client brought back for me from Miami last year – the mamey – which is VERY sweet potato like in it’s flavor. I enjoyed that very much. Goldenberries (another native Peruvian)- the source of the bright, tart bursts in this chocolate bar are also nutrient and vitamin rich. I first encountered goldenberries in Germany of all places – they were in their little leaf-like calyx on an exec. level fruit platter. If there’s one thing I love – it’s a fruit I have never tried! The goldenberry is actually related to the tomatillo and that is very evident from that thin, papery calyx enclosing it. The berry is also purported to have anti-inflamatory and antioxidant constituents, not to mention a long history as a useful herb in many traditions of folk medicine. The berries are super tart when dried and really make this chocolate bar special.
The 70% cacao organic chocolate brings both flavors together in a surprisingly mellow way. You might not want to share this one – it’s incredibly rich and full of interesting character. Definitely try it if you can find it!
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