Description
In the “Squaring the Circle” series, Zotter brings together chocolates that all focus on alternative ways of sweetening. No cane sugar or beet sugar here—instead, they use maple syrup, coconut blossom sugar, or nothing at all (100% cocoa).
But the ultimate alternative sugar for chocolate has to be: cacao fruit.
And that is exactly what has been used for this chocolate.
As you hopefully know, chocolate comes from cacao, which is a fruit. Normally, we use the seeds—surrounded by the pulp—to make chocolate; these are fermented and dried before being sent to chocolate makers for roasting and grinding. However, the cacao pulp—the fruit’s flesh—is often discarded, even though it is deliciously sweet and fruity.
Fortunately, things have been changing in recent years, and the cacao pulp is now being utilized—for drinks or, as in this case, as a sugar substitute.
The beauty of this is that you get a chocolate made entirely from cacao. It contains nothing other than what comes from the cacao fruit itself: the (roasted) seeds and the pulp. Isn’t that great? It is certainly something we think everyone should taste at least once.
This dark variety contains 75% cacao and 25% cacao pulp. In terms of flavor, you can expect a dark chocolate, but keep in mind that cacao fruit is not just sweet—it is also intensely fruity. The result is a chocolate that, despite its purity and sweetness, delivers a bold fruitiness with distinctively tart or tangy notes. It goes without saying—though we’ll mention it anyway—that some people appreciate that pronounced fruitiness more than others. We’d rather mention it now than have you be surprised by it later.
Ingredients: Cocoa mass, cocoa fruit pulp, cocoa butter.
Net weight: 70 grams.
Allergy note from the makers: may contain traces of all types of nuts, peanuts, milk, gluten, sesame, and soy.
Good to know: cocoa pulp is somewhat sensitive to moisture. As a result, the chocolate may develop a slight bloom. It might not look quite as pristine, but it’s perfectly harmless. So, if the bar looks a bit mottled or seems to stick to the packaging… that is simply a possibility.
It’s also fun to compare this with the cocoa fruit chocolate from Chocolate Tree. Or to see how cocoa fruit is used in chocolate in a completely different way: the version from Soma—a white chocolate made without milk—which is a true white cocoa fruit chocolate.
