There’s not one soul in the world that does not like chocolate. People can get intoxicated with wine, others choose not to eat cheese for health reasons, but no one can say no to chocolate. It is for this divine edible that chocolate chasers travel the world in search of the best brown morsel experience. Here are some places that Willy Wonka fans might want to explore.
Cacao farms create a deeper appreciation for chocolate. There are hundreds of cacao farms around the world that allow outsiders to witness the cocoa process. Ghana is home to the Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farm. The visitors are taken through a genesis of the cacao from the propagation up to its harvest and drying. Anyone who has taken a bite of the roasted bitter cacao bean will never look at chocolate the same way again. Other cacao plantations chocolate lovers can visit are Willie’s Cacao Farm in El Tesoro, Venezuela and the Organic Chocolate Trail in Bocas del Toro in Panama, among others.
If you want palatable experience with chocolate other than in its candy form, Catalan, Spain is where you ought to be. Chocolate is a big part of the city’s cuisine, used as a flavouring ingredient in various dishes. The Catalan style veal stew is made savory with unsweetened dark chocolate. Even escargot can be made sweet and bitter with the dark chocolate added in the end. Indeed, the people in Catalan express their love for chocolate in a wider variety. And where can one find true expression of this but in the El Celler De Can Roca, the world’s best restaurant of 2013. The Roca brothers’ true passion for culinary arts is encapsulated in a love affair with the coveted bitter sweet ingredient. The head chef, Joan Roca, incorporates cocoa butter in most of his signature dishes. He also garnishes main entrees with powdered cocoa which elevates the taste of different ingredients. Chocolate is most celebrated in Jordi Roca’s department: desserts. The main theme for his sweet treats is no other than chocolate which he utilizes with nuts, coffee, mint in most unique presentations.
If one is not afraid of death by chocolate, then the chocolate factory is a perfect destination. Not far from the Roca brothers’ restaurant is the Torras chocolate factory. The centuries old factory located 60 km from the French border is visited each year by 20,000 chocolate lovers from around the world. The guests are encouraged to taste the different kinds of chocolate that can only be experienced in Torras.