Chocolate hype originated during the 1500s in Spain, where it was considered an exclusive item served only to royalty. Within 100 years, the delicacy had spread to many countries, to become a luxury reserved for the enjoyment of the upper class.
Now accessible to everyone, chocolate ranges from commercially mass-produced to eloquently handmade masterpieces. These high-end 'designer' chocolates keep chocolate's tradition of esoteric luxury alive today, selling for prices that few of us commonfolk can afford.
According to Forbes, Chocopologie by Knipschildt is accredited as the most elite of chocolates sellers. For $2,600 per pound, a French black truffle-rare in its own right-is covered with top quality Valrhona cocoa and blended with creamy ganache; it's enough to make any chocoholics' mouth water. Close behind lies Delafee chocolate from Switzerland, at $508 per pound. The secret ingredient: edible 24-karat gold flakes applied by hand.
Those with lighter change in their pockets and a taste for music might try a Luxe Groove Collection. The $275 box of truffles is sold with a CD. Each truffle is inspired by a musical genre, so with every bite you are taken on a time-warped musical journey, from 1940s jazz to experimental funk.
Haute Couture has also threaded its way into the realm of designer chocolate, tying a knot between dessert and design. Le Salon du Chocolat in Paris and the Annual International Chocolate Show in New York challenge clothing or chocolate designers to create chocolate-inspired runway shows. Models dress in chilled greenrooms to keep the chocolate from melting. Colourful chocolate hats, jewellery, and chocolate-covered cloth is constantly under repair backstage due to the delicacy of the chosen medium. Bridal gowns made of M&M's and cookie covered dresses were among the various styles chosen for last year's show.
Canada was quick to follow in the footsteps of these fashion capitals. In 2005 Cadbury commissioned five Canadian fashion designers to create the Chocolate Couture Collection in Toronto. Models strode down the runway in chocolate-dipped fishnet stockings and fabrics draped in creamy cocoa. Clean-cut chocolate geometric shapes were glued directly to the fabric or strung together with wire. One model showed off a wedding dress covered in creamy roses and sparkling pearls of sculpted white chocolate. Her 'satin' gloves and 'pearl' necklace were also made of white chocolate. From lingerie to evening gowns, designers produced a full chocolate wardrobe.
Chocolate couture has travelled across the globe. Sculpture is gearing away from the use of the classical ceramic medium, as artists recognize the seductive allure of chocolate. A recent Tokyo exhibit featured an array of designs, including chocolate dragons to celebrate the new year, colourful chocolate-based stilettos to reflect modernism, dark chocolate human body sculptures, and even a chocolate skull. Every style was a hit, from pop-art statues of musicians to cubism-inspired indefinable structures.
Chocolate inspires artists to move beyond the use of standard materials and explore a world that combines the love for food and design. The use of chocolate personalizes each artistic creation since chocolate itself bears individual significance. Ranging from the most refined chocolate truffles to haute couture fashion, chocolate allows artists to contribute to a new era of pop-culture.
2008 Woodie Awards
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