by Aysegul Kesimoglu

The traditional Chocolate Festival of Turin, Cioccolatò!, ran from March 2^nd to 11th this year.  As I am quite fond of almost all gourmet food excursions, I organized my schedule months in advance so that I could be there.

Chocolate plays a significant role in the Torinese industry and was, for me, a memorable part of its cuisine. The upturned boat shaped “Gianduiotto” is the most common Piedmontese chocolate, made from a paste formed by sugar, hazelnuts and cacao. The legendary chocolate festival, Cioccolatò!, is celebrated every year for about 10 days to make tribute to the town and its chocolate makers.

This year, the festival showcased modern chocolate making techniques and young artisan chocolate makers, together with old Torinese chocolate houses, such as Caffarel and Bodrato. Cioccolati d’Italia, a new organization devoted to artisan chocolate and its makers, was also present. The aim of Cioccolati d’Italia is to create awareness and manage Italian artisan chocolate makers. The organization hopes to emphasize, not only traditions, craft and art, but also the “made-in-Italy” brand.

At the event, various producers gathered under large Cioccolati d’Italia tents, displaying their artisan delicacies under one roof. Aside from the mouth-watering displays, there were some quite original products as well, such as the chocolate kebab. The traditional “Gianduiotto” was on almost every table, but the “Nocciola”, the gentle and round Langhe speciality chocolate with hazelnuts, and the hot chocolate, served with a complimentary piece of savoiardo biscuits (known also as the sponge finger biscuits) were highlights for me.

I returned from the Festival a week ago, but I have not quite finished my chocolate degustation. One down side of flying cheap is that you cannot buy anything to take back home. So, the tasting I have adamantly continued is not so much about Torinese chocolate, but tasting the differences between artisan chocolate and the various supermarket chocolates now available to me.

What defines “artisan” or “artisanal food” is debatable. Its meaning and implications are clear; but what deserves the label “artisanal” is still quite vague.  The word “artisanal” does not have a legal root like the word “organic” (Stockdale, D., 2009).  The legal definition of “organic” provides that certification of organic is only granted to products that have adhered to the manufacturing and growth standards of the country that they are sold in.  It has been argued that because artisan food lacks such a legal definition, the word gets used quite liberally.

In its pure traditional form, artisan food implies “made by hand” and according to “traditional practices” (Stockdale, D., 2009). Minh Tsai of Hodo Soy Beanery (as also mentioned by Stockdale, D., 2009) describes the production of artisan food as an everyday business that is often produced in small batches. Most common artisan foods include bread and cheese varieties, which need sculpting, shaping and tending.

Handmade artisan chocolate is a new line of trade. Andrew Garrison Shotts (2007) argues that this trade’s development is closely connected to pastry chefs becoming chocolatiers and thus introducing their artistic abilities into chocolate making. The luxury handmade artisan chocolate market is a result of such artistic abilities fused with technological capabilities (Shotts, A.G. 2007). Artisan chocolate making is the collaboration of food artisans’ elbow grease and technology.

The allure of modern artisan chocolate resides in its historical values as well. Chocolate was a royal drink in the Aztec Kingdom –of which the king Montezuma allegedly consumed 50 cups a day. When chocolate arrived in Europe in the late 16^th century, it was also considered a luxury product. Consumed by the upper class elites, because of an expensive import price.

Historical production methods are also greatly valued by the market makers. In fact, there are artisan chocolate makers who continue to use ground cacao to make chocolate, instead of buying already made couverture (Our Philosophy, Artisan du Chocolat). There are also artisan chocolatiers who refine and conche each batch individually in-house. In reality, conching is an industrial process that did not exist before the late 19^th century. It was invented by coincidence by Rodolphe Lindt, who allegedly left the mixer running through the night by mistake. Nevertheless, conching eventually became a crucial phase in the chocolate making process that made solid chocolate production possible. Furthermore, although it is an industrial process, it has been argued that different methods of conching cause great variations in the end product -making each individual chocolate significantly different from the other (Shotts, A.G., 2007).

As you can see, artisan chocolate making is the combination of modern techniques with artisan knowledge and artistry. This foundation was made very clear at Cioccolatò! in Turin.  The artisan chocolate trade is an important and delicious new trend. As I can tell you from my mini after-festival chocolate tasting, artisan chocolate is indeed a great step away from fabricated supermarket chocolates, carrying with it not just a great taste but a rich history.

Sources:

Our Philosophy. Artisan du Chocolat. Company Web Site. Retrieved in March 2012. Available: http://www.artisanduchocolat.com/ourworld/node/49

Shotts, A. G. (2007). Making Artisan Chocolates. Quarry Books. USA.

Stockdale, D. (2009). What is Artisanal?. SF Gate. San Francisco Chronicle. As found on: http://blog.sfgate.com/stockdale/2009/10/30/what-is-artisanal-food/

Aysegul Kesimoglu is a Turkish citizen residing in London, getting ready to commence his PhD on food studies and gastronomy tourism within the Culture Media and Creative Industries department at King’s College London.