In the past 8 years FIVE small chocolatiers have opened their doors in Belize, close to the source of certified organic high flavour cacao beans coming out of our jungley Toledo District. Only one, Ixcacao Chocolate, is Belizean owned, but it is (according to my taste) the best of the five. Moreover it is owned by a Mayan family which makes for a unique experience as you get to grind up cacao beans to make chocolate on stone tools that have been handed down for generations, and drink hot chocolate like the Maya do: no milk, and (if you dare) with smoked ground fiery bird pepper on top. The company grows about 40% of its own cacao beans on a small farm (the rest is purchased from the Toledo Cacao Growers Association), as well as cultivating sugar cane that is cooked down into raw sugar used in their chocolate bars.The result is that when you eat a piece of their dark chocolate at their tiny factory, all the ingredients came from within 25 miles of the building! This is real farm to table chocolate and you can make it yourself right there at Ixcacao headquarters!
The last time I went on the tour was with my 83 years young chocoholic grandmother. She had a blast making chocolate for the first time in her life on 150 year old stone mano and metate (also traditionally used to pulverize corn for corn tortillas and anything else that might need grinding).
Me and Grandma drinking hot chocolate made the Maya way with no milk or sugar (you can add Ixcacao sugar or delicious sugar-cane syrup to taste) and a sprinkle of smoked hot bird pepper on top.
Above, Abelina with chocolate samples. I particularly love their spicy chocolate (the secret ingredient is allspice!) but the coconut, orange (made from ground orange peel from their garden), cacao nib and plain dark are fantastic too! Below, Juan Cho with the mano and metates for making chocolate the traditional way!
Its been a long and sometimes bumpy road in life since I started this food blog over 6 years ago. But I feel like I am finally settling into my calling-sharing my love of food and agriculture and Belize with the world! (Not to mention that being a tour guide is a great job for someone who talks a lot:). I hope some of you will look me up if you come to Belize and come on one of our tours! Check us out here: Taste Belize.
Labels: Belize Stories, Belizean Recipes, Chocolate
