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Chocolate in savory cooking

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Mole can include chocolate

Despite being more commonly used in sweet applications, chocolate has been used as an ingredient in savory cooking for over a thousand years. Used extensively in Northern Italian cuisine after chocolate was introduced to Europe, including in lasagna and fried liver, chocolate is today most famously used in mole, and is also used by some chefs.

History

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See also: History of chocolate

Pictures on a bowl from 400 CE containing a reference to chocolate, refers either to a Mayan mole or a chocolate-flavored tamale. If it is referencing the former, as of 2024 this would constitute the first known reference to mole.[1] The Aztecs did not use chocolate to flavor cooking; historians Michael and Sophie Coe analogize such use to Christians makin coq au vin using sacramental wine. This is despite the dish mole poblano being commonly attributed to the Aztecs.[2]

Chocolate was considered a pleasant and unremarkable addition to European cuisine as of the mid-17th century.[3] The first appearance in a French recipe is 1657, where it was used in a dish of wigeon. In the recipe, it was not explained how chocolate was made as it was assumed the audience was familiar.[3] During the 17th century, chocolate was a common ingredient in cooking, particularly in Northern Italy. 18th century Italian recipes contain chocolate as an ingredient in recipes for pappardelle, fried liver, black polenta and a 1786 manuscript from Macerata records a lasagna sauce containing chocolate, alongside anchovies, walnuts and almonds.[2]

Modern use

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Contemporary chefs often pair dark chocolate with winter vegetables

While chocolate is commonly understood as only being appropriate for sweet applications,[4] chocolate is used as an ingredient in several traditional recipes and by contemporary chefs. The most popular savory use of chocolate in savory cooking is in mole.[5][6] Chocolate is generally used in small quantities to emulsify or, as used by Auguste Escoffier, to give dishes "some silkiness".[7] Chocolate is paired with venison and wild boar in Tuscany, including in the sweet-and-sour sauce agrodolce.[8] In Italy more broadly, chocolate is stirred into stews and braises to thicken and add flavor.[9] In Italy and Spain, chocolate is sometimes added to coq au vin.[5] In western recipes, chocolate has historically often been added to wine sauces, such as the grand veneur [fr].[10]

Contemporary chefs have used chocolate in various forms, including white and dark chocolate, as well as using cacao nibs.[6] As of 2014, white chocolate was used as an ingredient in savory cooking by some chefs, to add gloss and creaminess to sauces, counterbalance saltiness, and bring "richness" to vegetarian dishes.[11] Contemporary chefs using dark chocolate often pair them with savory winter vegetables, such as parsnips and wild mushrooms. Food scientists have advocated pairing chocolate with caviar, roasted cauliflower, and with both garlic and coffee.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Houston (2024).
  2. ^ a b Coe & Coe (2013), Chocolate in Cuisine: An Italian or Mexican Invention?.
  3. ^ a b Sampeck (2019), p. 107.
  4. ^ Wallace (2013).
  5. ^ a b c Laiskonis (2009).
  6. ^ a b Gerrie (2013).
  7. ^ Bau (2008), p. 20.
  8. ^ Segan (2009).
  9. ^ Quinn (2019).
  10. ^ Bau (2008), p. 23.
  11. ^ Rothman (2014).

Sources

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  • Bau, Frédéric (2008). Chocolate Fusion: Chocolate in Cuisine (2nd English ed.). Montagud Editores. ISBN 978-84-7212-117-1.
  • Coe, Sophie D.; Coe, Michael D. (2013). The True History of Chocolate (3rd ed.). London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-77093-1. OCLC 1085907808.
  • Gerrie, David (October 31, 2013). "I should cocoa: Chefs are giving chocolate a starring role in savoury dishes". The Independent. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  • Houston, Stephen (August 6, 2024). "A Good Hot Meal—Notes to a Culinary History". Maya Decipherment. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  • Laiskonis, Michael (January 13, 2009). "Chocolate's Savory Side". Gourmet. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  • Quinn, Sue (October 4, 2019). "Go ahead, have chocolate for dinner: Why you should cook with it, and not just dessert". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  • Rothman, Jordana (July 2, 2014). "White Chocolate Goes Savory: How Chefs Are Redeeming the Scorned Sweet". Bon Appétit. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  • Sampeck, Kathryn (April 2019). "Early Modern Landscapes of Chocolate: The Case of Tacuscalco". In DeCorse, Christopher R (ed.). Power, Political Economy, and Historical Landscapes of the Modern World: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. SUNY Press. ISBN 9781438473437.
  • Segan, Francine (2009). "Chocolate for Dinner, An Italian Tradition". Francine Segan: Food Historian. Tribune Media Syndicates. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  • Wallace, Hannah (February 7, 2013). "How to Use Chocolate in Savory Dishes". Bon Appétit. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
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