The connections between Scandinavia and chocolate - what reference do people have?
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Opinion
Sonja, you are right, Sweden should not be forgotten on the map of chocolate! After all, the cacao plant was first given its botanical name by Swedish natural scientist Carl von Linn (*1707-1778), who called it "Theobroma cacao ("cocoa, food of the gods"). This was the first contribution of Sweden to the world of chocolateSweden has an old traditional chocolate company in the style of Lindt: MALM CHOKLADFABRIK. There is also CLOETTA. But for most of people in America Swedish chocolate means MARABOU or DAIM, two large mass market brands now owned by Kraft Foods. MARABOU was founded in Sweden in 1916 by a Norwegian who had great success with FREIA in Norway (Norway was part of Sweden until 1905). DAIM was created by the same company in the 50's. DAIM is by the way Pierre Herm's favorite chocolate "sin".Besides these well known companies, one should mention the Swedish chocolate balls (chokladbollar), a classic chocolate recipe in Sweden that you can find everywhere.But nowadays, Sweden developed a new craze about chocolate - this time darker & more refined - and stores are opening all over the place. Here I would like to mention great chocolatiers like ROBERT E's Choklad, Emanuel ANDREN and specially MLARCHOCOLATERIE. Unfortunately, none of them is available in the United States.Sweden has also cocoa farmers like Duane Dove, who owns a plantation in Tobago, and us, with our plantations in Madagascar and Brazil. This year we launched our small and exclusive brand of organic single plantations chocolates, KESSON'S Chocolate (
www.akessons-organic.com ). It should be available soon at the Food Emporium and Chantal Coady already made pictures for her next book soon to be published.As you see, the Swedes do not only make "chocolate moose"...
