Dominican chocolate? Exist?

T

TiberiusMineola

Guest
When I go shopping in local [Puerto Plata, mostly] super markets, I occasionally look for & buy chocolate bars. All of the chocolates, in the familiar bar from, at least, seem imported - either from the USA or Western Europe. I believe that cacao is indiginous to La Republica? If so, are there any chocolate factories in the DR? Where? Is there such a creature as "Dominican chocolate"? Available? Widely available? Where? In what form? To add to my aggravation, all imported chocolates seem to be extremely expensive; I estimate @ 250% - 300% of what it costs in American supermarkets. Any info? Suggestions? Thank you.
 

Tom F.

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
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You can buy some Dominican made chocolate in most colmados. It's a little grainy but OK. Try to find an egg shape chuck of cocao from the farm. You grate it yourself. If you know people from the campo, they can probably get some for you depending on the part of the country. I have been told that much of the cacao in the DR is of a lower grade and is blended with others when it is turned into chocolate outside the country. Few people do cure it which raises it's quality. Maybe someone else has more details.
 

Pib

Goddess
Jan 1, 2002
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www.dominicancooking.com
Plaza Central, 2nd floor west-end side, you'll find a little stand. They sell hand made Dominican chocolate, very good indeed. I don't know if use Dominican chocolate or if they mix it.
 

BushBaby

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Jan 1, 2002
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Ah Haaaaaa. Someone with a sweet tooth like "She that must be Obeyed"!!!!
Why do you think that I try helping so many people on this board Tiberius?? To get free deliveries of our chocolate bars (candy bars)!! We get deliveries from Canada, Europe, North America almost on a monthly basis now!!! Most Yummy!!! - Grahame.
 

Jerry K

New member
Jan 1, 2002
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Gone but not forgotten

Sad but true, Puerto Plata had a chocolate factory on Ave. Penetraction al muelle that closed around '78.
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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Small world department and information on chocolate

The guy that used to run that factory-part of the old CORDE group-was my father's roommate in highschool in Pennsylvania!!
He was the only Dominican my father ever knew and when he came to the DR for the first time we looked the guy up in the phone book and they talked for hours!!

Now the Chocolate!
For years there was no fine chocolate made here! We have milk, cocoa,sugar and anything else needed for a hersey bar, but no fine chocolate. Until one day, the daughters of Munn?, the owners of just about all the raw chocolate beans in the DR, decided to do something about it. they went to Switzerland and learned about chocolate!. They now make very fine to excellent chocolate. It is sold in their own stores called Xocolat. There is one in Santo Domingo-maybe more, and there used to be one in the Hach? store in Santiago. Expensive, but soooo good....Like Godiva, sort of...


HB

Xocolat in Santo Domingo: Plaza Andaluc?a II, near Bizarro., just off Abraham Lincoln
Xocolat in Santiago: Impresiones, Onesimo Jimenez, near the Shell Station at the corner of Onesimo Jimenez and 27th of February.
 

Drake

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
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chocolate

There DR has excellent cacao trees. Especially now after the hurricane Georges destroyed 80% of the plantations. They have since been replanted using hybrid Cacao trees. The difference between regular and quality chocolate is in the preparation, after the pods are harvested. There are two methods which are called Hispa?iola and Sanchez. Hispa?iola is the lower grade which is basically dried directly in the sun and sanchez which is carefully fermented in boxes. More people are starting to ferment cacao as it fetches a better price.

Cacao (food of the Gods) is an environmentally friendly tree as it needs to be grown in shaded forested areas. Prevents deforestation.

The price of cacao is very high at the moment due to a decease that is finishing off plantations in other countries and the war in Cote de Ivoir which produced around 40 % of world production.

Good Chocolate is also due to the mixing of different types. Cooler climates are also more favorable for high quality Chocolate like Belgium for example.
 

Dolores1

DR1
May 3, 2000
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www.
The Dominican Republic is a leading exporter of organic cacao to Europe. This is used to make some of the finest chocolates which is labeled to specify that the bar contains Santo Domingo chocolate.
 

Carla

New member
Jan 24, 2003
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organic cocoa

the RD actually produces some of the finest organic cocoas-so good, that it is being bought by one of the five suppliers to those chocolate makers as depictedt in the film "cholcolate".but still it is quite hard to find the good chocolate here in the country- if my gravings get too big, I buy french chocolate at carrefour-fresh and not too expensive.
but if you can get hold of one of those "lumps"-best thing you get...
 

m65swede

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Mar 18, 2002
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Many farmers in the SFM area grew small to medium acreages of cacao during the years I lived there. You could always tell when the cacao pods/beans were nearing maturity because many of the young boys en el campo would exhibit sores around their mouths; seems as though the cacao is mildly toxic when raw!

Cacao growers hated carpinteros (woodpeckers) with a passion and paid a bounty for each one killed. A single bird is said to ruin numerous cacao pods each day in its quest for larvae, etc.

I'm glad to hear that good chocolate is now made in the DR. We'll look for some on our next trip.

Swede