Food & Drink
May 2017
Geniuses of chocolate
histoire & éloge du chocolat artisanal français
by ERI IKEZI
Geniuses of Chocolate (Les genies du chocolat), published in French is the single most authoratative work on the history, analysis and presentation of French chocolate. Prefaced by Pierre Herme, the work received "Best in the World" Gourmand Award, and is currently a finalist for the 25 year Best of the Best. Based on personal interviews with almost 100 key professionals in the world of quality chocolate, the work explains how, over the course of last 50 years, fortuitous combination of towering geniuses and circumstances transformed the world of chocolate to an unimaginable height. This large volume of approximately 685 pages is presented in 3 volumes : Volume 1 : A brief history of French chocolate until 1970s. Volume 2 : Cacao. An analysis of how the quality of chocolate developed through identification and transformation of cacao Volume 3 : Detailed look at perosnalities, creativity and technicity in the art of bonbon making. 200 + illustrations is a mix of archival illustrations and photographs, portraits, and photographs of chocolates and artistic sculptures. Included also is a set of recipes shared by leading artisans. There are dedicated chapters for renowned chocolatemakers, including such as Valrhona, Cacao Barry (part of Barry Callebaut), Bonnat, Pralus, La Maison du Chocolat, Patrick Roger, and Pierre Herme, explaining how each geniuses of chocolate contributed to the mesmerizing developments of chocolate. The original manuscript available in ENGLISH. The author is native JAPANESE.
