With International Chocolate Day coming up on September 13, PRAKRITI ROY takes a look at where the cocoa and chocolate industries on India stand

Chocolate is one word that always evokes emotions. Many love it, few hate it. Some can die for it, some can kill for it! Whether one likes it or not, one can’t ignore it.

India does not rank very high as far as the world of chocolate and cocoa scene are concerned. In fact, not many people abroad know the potential of India as a mass consumer of chocolate.

While tea and coffee plantations in India are well-known, not many know that cocoa is also a crop grown on a large scale. It is grown primarily in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh because of the suitable climatic conditions there. In fact, there is also a Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) which does a lot of experiments and research on cocoa from different origins like Java, Ghana, Madagascar and Algeria.

The chocolatier profession is practically non-existent in India. There are only a handful of chefs who specialise in chocolates and Chef Varun Inamdar tops the list. Inamdar is a chocolate connoisseur, one of the few people in India who excel at tasting chocolates and creating new recipes from it.

Although India still doesn’t have any single-origin chocolate, like the Swiss or Belgian, Inamdar believes that “our chocolates are quite good. It’s all about developing them. We need people in India who specialise in chocolates,” he says.

His prowess in this field is recognised enough for the Government of Ecuador to name him their Cocoa Brand Ambassador. He also has the best chocolate masters of the world on his speed dial. “The world cocoa market doesn’t take India very seriously. But I represented India at the cocoa forum in Vietnam recently. Once people heard me out, they understood that India also has great potential. Reception changes with representation,” he tells you.

Inamdar believes that the chocolate market is expanding in India with people willing to try new flavours. This, he says, happened since Indians started travelling abroad more frequently. With his brand Barcode, he has taken experimentation on chocolates with local flavours to a whole new level.

“We want to pay reverence to the different States and their ingredients. But not the obvious ingredients. So, we’ve got chikoos and methi from Gujarat, rather than kesar mangoes, a wacky combination that works. From Punjab, we have kinnow andajwain. Now, when I offer someone chocolate flavoured with black cardamom from Sikkim, they would probably try it,” explains the Master Chef.

He plans to tie up with the Tourism Board and Incredible India to take Barcode forward. The chocolatier says that this receptiveness could be due to foreign travel becoming more frequent.

The cocoa grown in India is mostly of Nigerian origin since India does not have its original cocoa. But because of the geographical differences between the two nations, extra care, nurturing and sustenance is required for this delicate crop, Inamdar tells you that the cocoa crop can be harvested only once in four years. That is why, it is grown as a mixed crop in India, along with another crops like areca nut, coconut or palm.

Hyatt Regency Delhi Executive Chef Ivan Chieregatti buys cocoa for his restaurant from local markets. “Great chocolate taste starts with growing great cocoa beans. The quality of cocoa produced in India is of top–notch. Therefore, we prefer sourcing it locally. It is very important to ensure that the entire process of procuring cocoa is correct, in order to come up with a great final product. Proper fermentation after the harvest is essential in developing the aroma and taste and drying is integral to preserving the flavours of the beans through shipment and storage. Again, the correct techniques for blending, roasting, grinding and conching will ensure that the cocoa produced is of good quality,” he explains.

According to the Suryaa Delhi Senior Executive Sous Chef Chef Pankaj Jha, Indian cocoa may not have the best quality but it certainly has a different taste. “Jindal Cocoa is our main source of cocoa,” he says.

Among the Indian chocolate makers, only about 10 per cent source cocoa directly from farms. Rest is taken from the manufacturers. Usually, this is a mix of various types of cocoa, like a Java, Ghana and India mix. India doesn’t have the capacity to fulfill the cocoa needs by itself even after cultivating 17,000 hectares of land. This is because consumption has increased. There is no surplus.

The reason for this may be that Indians are becoming much more receptive to chocolate as sweets over the traditional mithai. They also have greater awareness about the world chocolate scene. “Travel has opened up and unlocked many new avenues for chocolates to enter India. Of course, Bollywood played a huge part by introducing us to Switzerland. Now, anyone who goes to Europe doesn’t return without Swiss or Belgian chocolates,” Inamdar tells you.

The chocolate connoisseur, who is now fairly confident of just tasting and telling the origin and type of chocolate, adds: “When I started working with chocolate more than a decade back, Indians were not receptive to chocolate as a concept. For them, chocolate was mostly milk and white chocolate, which doesn’t feature on the global chocolate scene. We know only Swiss and Belgian chocolates but there are many more single-origin chocolates — African nations like Ghana and South American countries like Ecuador have them famously.

If a country like Vietnam, with no history of cocoa, is now in the world’s top 50 cocoa countries, then India can do it too.

However, it is not as easy as it sounds. For cocoa to reach great heights, great people have to be involved and invested in this industry. A career as a chocolatier is not something that too many people opt for, be it because of its uniqueness or probably because chocolate making is still considered frivolous even by great chefs.

Inamdar was, in fact, one of those many. Although he was sure that he wanted to be in the kitchen since he was 10 or 11, chocolates used to be the last thing on his mind when he first started cooking. In fact, he wasn’t even particularly fond of eating chocolates.

“It was a chance promotion at work through which I became the head pastry chef and I started experimenting with a lot of chocolate recipes,” Inamdar tells you. Since then, he has mastered the art of cooking with chocolate and has gone on to serve people like the Ambanis and royal families of the Middle-East, to the likes of Barack Obama, Nicholas Sarkozy and Vladamir Putin. On these ocassions, not only did he prepare all the courses himself, but he even designed the menu cards himself!

last year, Inamdar took India’s chocolate story forward by going the extra mile with innovation. He created a chocolate mannequin that was displayed at the Palladium Hotel in Mumbai and also made a chocolate Ganpati, for a fully televised event.

Apart from making and selling chocolates and representing India, Chef Inamdar also does food styling and creates videos with Rajshri Foods under the name The Bombay Chef. “Each aspect of food is equally important and has its own kick. People want to touch the food when they see it. In my videos, I try to make the food look as easy as possible so that people are motivated to try the recipes at home,” he tells you.

Even with his book, Celebrate life, Food and Wine, Inamdar attempted to break the stereotype that Indian food doesn’t go with wine, specifically Indian wine. The recipes in the book are created using Indian wines and to compliment them as well.

“It takes complete passion, perseverance and hard work when it comes to a field like this. Not only do you need to learn the art, you also have to understand the chocolate market in India. It is important to keep yourself updated and connected with the chocolate masters of the world,” he signs off.

“The young population’s growing penchant for indulgence, changing lifestyles and rising disposable incomes has made India one of the fastest growing chocolate markets in the world. Chefs are also experimenting in terms of recipes and combinations to come up with delectable flavours and dishes. In fact, we have moved one step ahead and introduced chilli and masala versions of chocolates,” Chieregatti says.

Jha agrees: “Yes I believe the chocolate market in India is yet unsaturated and with the growing purchasing power of the population and the accompanying indulgent nature, there is a lot of scope for chocolates.”

CHOCOlATE WITH A TWIST

Whiskey and black cardamom truffles

 For the truffle

•  50 ml heavy cream
•  2 tbsp single malt whiskey
•  150 grams dark chocolate, chopped
•  ½ tsp black cardamom powdered

For finishing

•  50 grams dark chocolate, melted
•  ½ cup dark cocoa powder; sieved.

 Method

•  Boil cream till it lightly simmers.
•  Pour over chopped dark chocolate.
•  Stir in single malt whiskey and black cardamom powder.
•  Mix till well emulsified.
•  Keep refrigerated for 15 minutes
•  Remove and make roughly 20 gm balls.
•  Place in the refrigerator again.
•  In another bowl, place the remaining melted dark chocolate.
•  Remove the refrigerated balls and apply little melted chocolate and roll in cocoa powder.
•  Serve.

(Photo courtesy: Piyush Singh Charag)