Fossa – Cheng Tng

Description

A dark chocolate with added flavour elements inspired by Cheng Tng, a traditional dessert from Singapore that is typically consumed as a sweet, cooling soup or drink.

In this bar, ingredients include longan, sacha inchi seeds, goji berries, dates, persimmon, and winter melon (also known as wax gourd).

We can honestly say we have not previously tasted this combination of flavours together in this form. From the first bites, it is an intense and unconventional flavour experience: a lot is happening in the mouth, with unfamiliar, layered aromas that do not immediately fit into a familiar framework. Gradually, the structure of the flavours becomes clearer and more interpretable. This is a bar that does not reveal itself in a single bite.

It also seems particularly interesting to try this chocolate after a spicy meal, when the contrast with heat and spices becomes more pronounced.

This is not a chocolate to casually order when looking for something simply “nice” or conventional. It is more suited for those who enjoy experimental flavour combinations, or for those familiar with Singaporean and broader Asian dessert traditions (variations of Cheng Tng can also be found in other countries).

The makers describe it as follows:

Cheng Tng (roughly translated as “clear soup”) is a beloved traditional dessert in hot and humid Singapore. Sweet and refreshing, it is usually made with ingredients considered to have cooling properties, such as dried longan, persimmon, and candied winter melon.

In this bar, a smoky cacao from Pinalum village on Malekula Island, Vanuatu, is used. The beans were naturally “smoked” by being stored alongside wood fire-dried copra, giving a flavour reminiscent of smoked longan. Combined with various seeds and fruits, the chocolate becomes both nostalgic and surprisingly soothing — just like the dessert that inspired it.

Tasting notes from the makers: a cooling, refreshing taste with natural sweetness and a soft, subtle smokiness.

Ingredients: cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter, brown sugar, sacha inchi seeds, goji berries, red dates, longan, persimmon, candied wax gourd (wax gourd, sugar).

May contain traces of nuts and milk. Net weight: 50 g.