Crafting the Culture and History of French Chocolate by Susan J. Terrio

This absorbing narrative follows the craft community of French chocolatiers–members of a tiny group experiencing intensive international competition–as they struggle to ensure the survival of their businesses. Susan J. Terrio moves easily among ethnography, history, theory, and vignette, telling a story that challenges conventional views of craft work, associational forms, and training models in late capitalism. She enters the world of Parisian craft leaders and local artisanal families there and in southwest France to relate how they work and how they confront the representatives and structures of power, from taste makers, CEOs, and advertising executives to the technocrats of Paris and Brussels.
Looking at craft culture and community from a cross-disciplinary perspective, Terrio finds that the chocolatiers affirm their collective identity and their place in the present by commemorating selectively their role in history. In addition to joining a distinguished tradition of American anthropological writing on the role of food, her study of the social production of taste in the invention of vintage, grand cru chocolates lends specificity and weight to theories of consumption by Pierre Bourdieu and others. The book will appeal to anthropologists, cultural studies scholars, and anyone curious about life in contemporary France.

Susan J. Terrio is Associate Professor of French and Anthropology at Georgetown
University.

Bitter Chocolate: Investigating the Dark Side of the World’s Most Seductive Sweet by Carol Off

Award-winning author and broadcaster Carol Off reveals the fascinating – and often horrifying – stories behind our desire for all things chocolate.

Whether it’s part of a Hallowe’en haul, the contents of a heart-shaped box or just a candy bar stashed in a desk drawer, chocolate is synonymous with pleasures both simple and indulgent. But behind the sweet image is a long history of exploitation. In the eighteenth century the European aristocracy went wild for the Aztec delicacy. In later years, colonial territories were ravaged and slaves imported in droves as native populations died out under the strain of feeding the world’s appetite for chocolate.

Carol Off traces the origins of the cocoa craze and follows chocolate’s evolution under such overseers as Hershey, Cadbury and Mars. In Côte d’Ivoire, the West African nation that produces nearly half of the world’s cocoa beans, she follows a dark and dangerous seam of greed. Against a backdrop of civil war and corruption, desperately poor farmers engage in appalling practices such as the indentured servitude of young boys – children who don’t even know what chocolate tastes like.

Off shows that, with the complicity of Western governments and corporations, unethical practices continue to thrive. Bitter Chocolate is a social history, a passionate investigative account and an eye-opening exposé of the workings of a multi-billion dollar industry that has institutionalized misery as it served our pleasures.

Carol Off has witnessed and reported on many of the world’s conflicts, from the fall of Yugoslavia to the US-led “war on terror.” She has won numerous awards for her CBC television documentaries in Africa, Asia and Europe. She lives in Toronto.

The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars
by Joël Glenn Brenner

*Although these companies make candy, not chocolate, this is where it all started in mass production. An interesting read.

Forrest Mars and Milton Hershey effortlessly hold center stage in this superb study of their competing candy companies. Although both men got rich on chocolate, Mars and Hershey are such markedly different characters that Brenner’s book is a riot of dramatic contrasts. Mars is irascible, empire obsessed and insanely tightfisted (his three children never tasted a single M&M during their childhoods because he told them he couldn’t spare any). Hershey was generous to a fault, a utopian dreamer who planned and built Hershey, Pa., as a home for his company and its workers. He founded an orphanage for disadvantaged children and, in 1918, almost 30 years before his death, donated his entire estate to the Hershey Trust for the benefit of the orphanage. To her credit, former Washington Post hand Brenner goes beyond these two titans and portrays the entire candy industry. Her prodigious research reveals how the personal style of each candy patriarch continues to influence the current structure and strategy of the company he led. By fully exploiting the many differences between the two companies (Mars is privately held and family-run; Hershey is a publicly held company administered by a management team responsible to the Hershey Trust), Brenner has produced a stellar work of corporate history. Photos. Agent, Flip Wrophy at Sterling Lord; author tour. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Corporate candy giants Milton Hershey and Forrest Mars built business empires out of one of the world’s most magical, sought-after substances: chocolate. In The Emperors of Chocolate, Joël Glenn Brenner–the first person to ever gain access to the highly secretive companies of Hershey and Mars–spins a unique story that takes us inside a world as mysterious as Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Packed with flavorful stories and outrageous characters that give the true scoop on this real-life candyland, The Emperors of Chocolate is a delectable read for business buffs and chocoholics alike. Start reading and you’ll soon be hungry for more.

Joël Glenn Brenner began reporting on the candy business in 1989. She is the first and only journalist ever to gain access to the Mars company, and her Washington Post Magazine cover story on Mars won numerous prizes. She was recognized five times by the Financial News Journalism Reporter as one of the best financial journalists in the nation under the age of thirty. She is a 1989 graduate of the University of Missouri at Columbia and now lives in New York. She can be reached at www.JoelGlennBrenner.com.

Fine Chocolates: Great Experience by Jean-Pierre Wybauw

Discover why Belgium is known around the world for its delicious chocolates! A comprehensive and practical guide by famous Belgian master Jean- Pierre Wybauw. With clear action images and brilliant photography by Tony Le Duc.

Chocolate American Style
by Lora Brody

Chocolate American Style From Publishers Weekly
Early on in her celebratory recipe collection, Brody (Growing Up on a Chocolate Diet) addresses the difficulty of cooking with chocolate and explains the tools and procedures necessary for success when attempting her recipes. No chocolate snob, the author favors quality ingredients but minimal fuss for her desserts. Her credo is “Lemme at it” instead of “It’s much too pretty to cut.” Brody’s first chapter lays out the differences among unsweetened, bittersweet and semi-sweet; simplifies a method of chocolate preparation called tempering; and distinguishes between “natural” cocoa powder and “Dutch process” cocoa. Brody’s attention to detail makes a few of her recipes longer than usual. Later chapters deal with candy making, holiday baked goods and introducing kids to cooking with chocolate projects. Brody believes Americans “boldly weave what we learn from the world’s greatest cooks with our own dining experiences to produce singular expressions of our chocolate love,” and supports her point in nearly 120 recipes. There are clever cake and pie makeovers, in which she “Americanizes” international favorites like biscotti, chow mein noodles and Linzer Torte with chocolate. Brody’s democratic approach embraces the plain (e.g., Coke Cake and Chocolate-Covered Cape Cod Potato Chips), the luxe (e.g., White Chocolate-Coconut Milk Crème Brulee) and the downright odd (e.g., Chocolate Chile Cake). Her can-do writing style invites novices to give all these desserts a go and should appeal to home chefs with a sweet tooth and average culinary skills. (On sale Apr. 13)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Book Description
A chocolate lover born and bred, Lora Brody knows better than anyone that when the urge to splurge strikes, there
is no substitute for rich, silky, sumptuous chocolate in one of its many delectable guises. Chocolate reigns supreme on a short list of national treasures, ranking right up there with Ted Williams and Mickey Mouse. Add a dose of American ingenuity and you’ve got the perfect recipe for indulgence.

In this lovingly compiled collection of sweet treats both plain and fancy, Lora Brody builds an irresistible case or eating chocolate morning, noon, and night. In chapters entitled The Candy Store, Comfort Me with Chocolate, Chocolate for Breakfast, Isn’t It Romantic?, and more, she presents the stuff of which a chocolate lover’s dreams are made. Start the day with Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Chocolate Butter or Chocolate Monkey Bread, perk up a lunch box with homemade Whoopie Pies or Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Brownies, or take a trip down memory lane with Tunnel of Fudge Cake and real Boston Cream Pie. Set a festive mood with White Chocolate Heath Bar Cheesecake or Chocolate Raspberry Torte. There’s even a section of fun-to-make chocolate favorites that are perfect for kids. Whether the occasion is a formal celebration requiring a showstopper, a casual meal with family, or simply an after-school snack, there is a chocolate indulgence to make the moment that much sweeter. Lora Brody’s always letter-perfect recipes guarantee this is a collection chocolate lovers will return to time and again.

About the Author
LORA BRODY is the bestselling author of more than twenty cookbooks. Her ingenious bread machine cookbooks have sold more than 400,000 copies, and her book Chocolate, for the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library series, has sold more than 130,000 copies. She has loved chocolate all her life–indeed, her first book was Growing Up on the Chocolate Diet: A Memoir with Recipes. Ms. Brody’s recipes have appeared in such publications as the New York Times Sunday Magazine, the Boston Globe, and the Los Angeles Times, and in books including Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts and Cooking with Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey. She has appeared as a featured chef on the Julia Child PBS series Baking at Julia’s, as well as on Good Morning America, Today, and Food Network.

by Lora Brody

From Publishers Weekly
Early on in her celebratory recipe collection, Brody (Growing Up on a Chocolate Diet) addresses the difficulty of cooking with chocolate and explains the tools and procedures necessary for success when attempting her recipes. No chocolate snob, the author favors quality ingredients but minimal fuss for her desserts. Her credo is “Lemme at it” instead of “It’s much too pretty to cut.” Brody’s first chapter lays out the differences among unsweetened, bittersweet and semi-sweet; simplifies a method of chocolate preparation called tempering; and distinguishes between “natural” cocoa powder and “Dutch process” cocoa. Brody’s attention to detail makes a few of her recipes longer than usual. Later chapters deal with candy making, holiday baked goods and introducing kids to cooking with chocolate projects. Brody believes Americans “boldly weave what we learn from the world’s greatest cooks with our own dining experiences to produce singular expressions of our chocolate love,” and supports her point in nearly 120 recipes. There are clever cake and pie makeovers, in which she “Americanizes” international favorites like biscotti, chow mein noodles and Linzer Torte with chocolate. Brody’s democratic approach embraces the plain (e.g., Coke Cake and Chocolate-Covered Cape Cod Potato Chips), the luxe (e.g., White Chocolate-Coconut Milk Crème Brulee) and the downright odd (e.g., Chocolate Chile Cake). Her can-do writing style invites novices to give all these desserts a go and should appeal to home chefs with a sweet tooth and average culinary skills. (On sale Apr. 13)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Book Description
A chocolate lover born and bred, Lora Brody knows better than anyone that when the urge to splurge strikes, there
is no substitute for rich, silky, sumptuous chocolate in one of its many delectable guises. Chocolate reigns supreme on a short list of national treasures, ranking right up there with Ted Williams and Mickey Mouse. Add a dose of American ingenuity and you’ve got the perfect recipe for indulgence.

In this lovingly compiled collection of sweet treats both plain and fancy, Lora Brody builds an irresistible case or eating chocolate morning, noon, and night. In chapters entitled The Candy Store, Comfort Me with Chocolate, Chocolate for Breakfast, Isn’t It Romantic?, and more, she presents the stuff of which a chocolate lover’s dreams are made. Start the day with Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Chocolate Butter or Chocolate Monkey Bread, perk up a lunch box with homemade Whoopie Pies or Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Brownies, or take a trip down memory lane with Tunnel of Fudge Cake and real Boston Cream Pie. Set a festive mood with White Chocolate Heath Bar Cheesecake or Chocolate Raspberry Torte. There’s even a section of fun-to-make chocolate favorites that are perfect for kids. Whether the occasion is a formal celebration requiring a showstopper, a casual meal with family, or simply an after-school snack, there is a chocolate indulgence to make the moment that much sweeter. Lora Brody’s always letter-perfect recipes guarantee this is a collection chocolate lovers will return to time and again.

About the Author
LORA BRODY is the bestselling author of more than twenty cookbooks. Her ingenious bread machine cookbooks have sold more than 400,000 copies, and her book Chocolate, for the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library series, has sold more than 130,000 copies. She has loved chocolate all her life–indeed, her first book was Growing Up on the Chocolate Diet: A Memoir with Recipes. Ms. Brody’s recipes have appeared in such publications as the New York Times Sunday Magazine, the Boston Globe, and the Los Angeles Times, and in books including Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts and Cooking with Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey. She has appeared as a featured chef on the Julia Child PBS series Baking at Julia’s, as well as on Good Morning America, Today, and Food Network.

Like Water For Chocolate
by Laura Esquivel

From Publishers Weekly
Each chapter of screenwriter Esquivel’s utterly charming interpretation of life in turn-of-the-century Mexico begins with a recipe–not surprisingly, since so much of the action of this exquisite first novel (a bestseller in Mexico) centers around the kitchen, the heart and soul of a traditional Mexican family. The youngest daughter of a well-born rancher, Tita has always known her destiny: to remain single and care for her aging mother. When she falls in love, her mother quickly scotches the liaison and tyrannically dictates that Tita’s sister Rosaura must marry the luckless suitor, Pedro, in her place. But Tita has one weapon left–her cooking. Esquivel mischievously appropriates the techniques of magical realism to make Tita’s contact with food sensual, instinctual and often explosive. Forced to make the cake for her sister’s wedding, Tita pours her emotions into the task; each guest who samples a piece bursts into tears. Esquivel does a splendid job of describing the frustration, love and hope expressed through the most domestic and feminine of arts, family cooking, suggesting by implication the limited options available to Mexican women of this period. Tita’s unrequited love for Pedro survives the Mexican Revolution the births of Rosaura and Pedro’s children, even a proposal of marriage from an eligible doctor. In a poignant conclusion, Tita manages to break the bonds of tradition, if not for herself, then for future generations.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal
Take one part Whitney Otto’s How To Make an American Quilt (McKay, 1991), add a smidgen of magical realism a la Garcia Marquez, follow up with several quixotic characters, garnish with love, and you’ll have Like Water for Chocolate , a thoroughly enjoyable and quirky first novel by Mexican screenwriter Esquivel. Main character Tita is the youngest of three daughters born to Mama Elena, virago extraordinaire and owner of the de la Garza ranch. Tita falls in love with Pedro, but Mama Elena will not allow them to marry, since family tradition dictates that the youngest daughter remain at home to care for her mother. Instead, Mama Elena orchestrates the marriage of Pedro and her eldest daughter Rosaura and forces Tita to prepare the wedding dinner. What ensues is a poignant, funny story of love, life, and food which proves that all three are entwined and interdependent. Recommended for most collections.
- Peggie Partello, Keene State Coll., N.H.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner
by The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Peter P. Greweling

Making Artisan Chocolates
by Andrew Garrison Shotts

Book Description
Forget milk chocolate molded into childish candy bars. Today’s chocolate candies use chocolates with high cocoa content and less sugar then previously available and are molded into highly decorated pieces of art. Once only accessible to pastry chefs and candy makers, home cooks can now purchase high-end domestic and imported chocolates in their local specialty stores. The recent availability of bittersweet chocolates coupled with our access to a global food market and unique ingredients has created an increased interest in artisanal chocolates. Drew Shotts has been at the forefront of this renaissance because of his daring use of unique flavor combinations not typically associated with chocolates, such as chili peppers, maple syrup, and spiced chai tea. Making Artisan Chocolates shows readers how to recreate Drew’s unexpected flavors at home through the use of herbs, flowers, chilies, spices, vegetables, fruits, dairies and liquors.

About the Author
Andrew Garrison Shotts, former pastry chef for Guittard Chocolate and owner of Garrison Confections, has broken new ground in the chocolate industry with the development of his artisan chocolate line. Shotts has accumulated a wealth of prestigious honors during his career. He was named one of Pastry Art & Design’s “Ten Best Pastry Chefs in America” and was recognized as a “Top Ten Artisanal Chocolatier” by USA Today. His numerous television appearances include CBS’s The Early Show, and Food Network’s Food Nation and Follow That Food. Drew resides in Providence, RI.

Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate
by Robert Steinberg (Author), John Scharffenberger (Author)

Amazon.com
Established in 1996, Scharffen Berger has become America’s preeminent maker of cooking chocolate. Essence of Chocolate, by the firm’s founders and food writer Susie Heller, offers more than 100 recipes for a broad selection of delights like Chocolate Pudding Cakes, Chocolate Marbled Gingerbread, Cocoa Caramel Panna Cotta, and Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake, as well as savory edibles made with chocolate like Tortilla Soup and Chile-Marinated Flank Steak. Unusual recipes also include the likes of Chocolate Chunk Challah and TKOs, a homemade version of Oreos that leaves those favorites on the supermarket shelf. Arranged by chocolate intensity, the recipes come from the company’s files and from chefs including Flo Braker, Jim Dodge, Thomas Keller, and Stephanie Hersh. Although the formulas vary in difficulty, most are within the range of all cooks interested in making something terrific. Readers should note, however, that the recipes require chocolate with specific cocoa-solids contents–62% semisweet, for example–that may be difficult to find. Most cooks will know, however, that one high-quality chocolate of similar cocoa content can usually replace another. With narrative sections in which Steinberg and Scharffenberger trace (at perhaps excessive length) their career trajectories, interesting asides such as “Bread and Chocolate,” lots of chocolate lore, and a good primer on how chocolate is manufactured–plus color photos–the book makes a happy addition to the chocolate lovers’ kitchen library. –Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In their first cookbook, the founders of Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker are clear from the start: chocolate is their passion. Every section of their book reflects that, from the recipes drawn from the Scharffen Berger Company and various pastry chefs to the detailed sections on how chocolate is made and where its future lies. The first of three sections, “Intensely Chocolate,” features divine classics like That Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes, and Chocolate Mousse. The “Essentially Chocolate” part takes a lighter approach with Soufflé, Chocolate Ginger Pots de Crème, and Chocolate Biscotti. In “A Hint of Chocolate,” the most interesting section, chocolate is added to basics such as breads, muffins and waffles, as well as savory dishes like Chile Marinated Flank Steak (made with cocoa powder) and Tortilla Soup (with bittersweet chocolate). Throughout the book are “Legends & Lore,” delightful one-page chocolate trivia facts (such as how Devil’s Food got its name), and “Quick Fix” pages, with instructions on fast and easy chocolate treats like chocolate-dipped potato chips and pretzels. Beautifully simple photographs complement the elegant recipes. (Nov.)

The Chocolate Connoisseur