June 7, 2007
There is no better place to be in the summer in Ann Arbor than on the patio at Zingerman's Deli. Imagine yourself al fresco. The sun is shining. The patio is bustling with activity, but you are feeling Zen at your little table at the top of the driveway. You've just speared your last, balsamic-soaked strawberry and you decide to wrap up the rest of your #63 (Abra's Nutty Yardbird). You pop in the side-door of the Next Door into an oasis of cool and calm. As you hand your sandwich to the folks at the counter and top off your iced tea, you find yourself gazing at the chocolate corner. What about a little something sweet and sophisticated to finish your déjeuner? Or to take home for the pantry?

Chocolate lover, meet the newly arrived Italian and Spanish chocolates. These are the imported treasures that we've been anticipating for nearly four months, eyes on the horizon, ready to wave our embroidered hanky and welcome them back to Zingerman's. Enric Rovira, Guido Gobino, Dolci Pensieri di Calabria...read more about these and others below.

New stuff Duff is really excited about:
The Italian and Spanish Imports
(1) Enric Rovira: Spanish Bombolas (i.e. "Things covered in chocolate")
As chocolate-lovers, we are all familiar with the panoply of chocolate-covered goodies out there: almonds, dried cherries and coffee bean are the norm. But what about chocolate-covered bacon? Or chocolate-covered cheerios? When you begin considering the list of "things that could be covered in chocolate," the imagination reels.

While you and I just think of possible pairings, Barcelonan chocolatier Enric Rovira actually creates them. Rovira makes chocolate-covered treats, or bombolas, in several varieties. He coats all his bombolas in 70% chocolate and dips them in either cocoa powder or confectioner's sugar. Then he packages them in beautiful, colorful boxes and sells them to people like you and me—people who dream of covering the everyday-things in our pantry with chocolate.

Available in:
Bombolas de Pimienta Rosa (pink peppercorn—DUFF'S Favorite) Bombolas de Piel de Naranja (candied orange peel)
Bombolas de Maíz (roasted, salted corn kernels)
Bombolas de Jengibre (candied ginger)

(2) Cuba Venchi: Hazelnut Heaven
Cuba Venchi is the merger of two very old, well-respected Piemontese chocolate makers: Cuba and Venchi! Cuba began in 1949 and Venchi much earlier, in 1878. Both companies specialized in traditional Piedmont treats, most of them involving the world-famous hazelnuts that grow there. The two merged in 2000 with the goal of digging up centuries-old recipes and reintroducing them on today's market.

One of the best things Cuba Venchi makes is gianduja. Gianduja, which is a specialty of Piemontese chocolatiers, is simply hazelnuts and chocolate mixed together in varying ratios. Gianduja was born out of necessity during the Napoleonic Wars, when a naval blockade on imports made cacao scarce. The chocolatiers of Piedmont decided to try substituting hazelnuts for some of the cacao in their chocolate recipes. The result was beyond delicious. Today gianduja is still the signature chocolate/confection of Piedmont and its capital city, Turin.

Cuba Venchi uses only Nocciole Piemonte, or Piedmont Hazelnuts, to make their products. These hazelnuts are identified as "I.G.P," which means they come from a "Protected Geographic Origin." The I.G.P. status of Piedmont Hazelnuts indicates their specific cultivar, region of production (the Piedmont) and protects their reputation as THE best hazelnut in the world.

One of the gianduja products Cuba Venchi makes is the Blocco cremino di puro cioccolato al latte e bianco con pasta di nocciola, or as I translate it, "Giant Gianduja Terrine." Containing 30% of Nocciole Piemonte I.G.P., this stuff is better than fudge. It is silky, nutty and sweet. You'll find it in the truffle case, displayed in all its glory (it measures about 18"x 6".) We serve it by the slice.

If you just want a little cube of gianduja for your pocket (don't keep it there long), look for Cubigusto Piemonte in both regular and sugar free on the counter in the Next Door. When one of our regular customers, a native of Turin, tried one of these she proclaimed, "This is what I used to eat as a child!"

And back at last...Cuba Venchi's Crema di Cioccolato e Nocciole da spalmare, or Hazelnut Spread. Think Nutella x 1000. This spread is destined for your toast, your sandwich, your strawberries, your ice cream—or just for eating with a spoon.

(3) Guido Gobino: "The King of gianduja"
Guido Gobino is a small Turinese chocolatier with a big reputation. The Gobino family has been making chocolate and gianduja products for about 50 years, focusing on keeping the traditional recipes of the region alive. Like Cuba Venchi, Gobino uses Piedmont Hazelnuts I.G.P., hand selecting his from about five different growers.

Gobino's product is sort of tricky to get a hold of. Actually, it is really hard to get a hold of. But we finally got some! We ordered forty of Gobino's "Modern Art Bars." The "Modern Art Bars" are so-named because they are molded in interesting shapes. The bars are 200 grams, or twice as big as most bars. Gobino's Modern Art Gianduja Bar is a milk chocolate gianduja, made with Piedmont Hazelnuts I.G.P from the 2006 harvest. This is one of the best products at the Deli. His Modern Art Java Bar is a dark chocolate bar (70%) made from a blend of Indonesian and Ecuadorian beans. This bar is smoky and leathery—one of my friends actually thought it might have shipped across the ocean in the same container as a bunch of Italian leather purses! But it didn't—it is just the natural aroma of the almost savory Indonesian cacao. Its acidity is exceptional and there is even the occasional nib.

I am hoping these won't last long. Zingerman's is the only place in the country carrying Guido Gobino's 200 g Modern Art Bars, and I expect the country's chocolate cognoscente to come out of the woodwork for these.

(4) Pasticceria Dell'Abate Puglia: Almond Cookies
These little cookies are so-named because they look like dollops of dough. Really, they are carefully shaped circles of raw-almond marzipan from Tricasse in Southern Puglia (pronounced "pool-ya"), Italy. The pastry shop, or "pasticceria," that makes these very small and was passed down from generation to generation. Topped with a green or red maraschino cherry, these look like something your Grandma would make—but they are secretly one of the most prized items in the Deli! You'll find them in the truffle case Next Door.

(5) Dolci Pensieri di Calabria: Flavored Italian Chocolate Bars
Calabria is a region is southern Italy—think the "toe of the boot." The company Dolci Pensieri di Calabria, or "Sweet thoughts of Calabria," is based in Rende, a community of about 35,000 people in the province of Cosenza. Although the company has only officially been operating for about 10 years, the founders have over 50 years of experience working with traditional Calabrian products.

When Dolci Pensieri di Calabria started making chocolate bars, they couldn't resist flavoring them with the natural oils of bergamot, citron and licorice root—three world-famous Calabria crops (along with figs and olives). We fell in love with these bars when we tasted them for the first time about a year ago. The flavoring is elegant, but not at all subtle, in all three.

Available in:
Dark chocolate (60%) with Bergamot
Dark chocolate (60%) with Citron
Dark chocolate (60%) with Licorice

(6) Antica Dolceria Bonajuto: Cioccolata Modicana
Antica Dolceria Bonajuto is a family-run chocolate shop in Modica, Sicily. The people of Modica have been making chocolate sine the 1500's, when cacao first arrived there courtesy of Spain. The first Modican chocolatiers learned how to make chocolate using Pre-Columbian methods—coarsely grinding cacao, sugar and spices together, forming the resulting thick, paste-y mixture into bars, then letting them cool.

Antica Dolceria Bonajuto (est. 1880) follows these same steps today, producing a chocolate that is minimally processed and full of flavor. Putting a piece of this chocolate in your mouth is a neat thing to experience. The first thing you notice is the texture, which is gritty and crunchy because of the big granules of sugar left half-dissolved in the bar. Then you notice the big, cocoa-y flavor, mixed with your choice of vanilla, cinnamon, nippy peperoncino, or cocoa nibs.

Available in:
Cioccolato Alla Vaniglia (Dark Chocolate with Vanilla)
Cioccolato Alla Canella (Dark chocolate with Cinnamon)
Xocoàtl cioccolato al peperoncino (Dark Chocolate with Peperoncino)
Cioccolato puro con granella di fave di cacao (Dark Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs)

Please feel free to email (eanderson@zingermans.com) or call 734-663-JAVA to talk chocolate. Your comments and questions are always the best part of my day.

Best,

Chocolate Lady Duff

P.S. Father's Day is June 17th. Don't forget to buy him a Zzang! Bar!