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Serious Chocolate: Cocoa Is for Drinking, Not Eating, in the Dominican Republic
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to try cocoa water in Panama--it was delicious!
Serious Chocolate: Cocoa Is for Drinking, Not Eating, in the Dominican Republic
Our last three trips were to Caribbean countries. Last month (1/09) we were in the Dominican Republic and drove to Hato Mayor to take the Tour de Chocolate. This is an EXCELLENT tour and takes you through the production of cacao to production of some chocolate products including some wine which is very good with a 17% alcohol content. ALL the people involved in the tour are hard working, good-natured and interesting. It helps if you speak a little bit of Spanish.
Incidentally, citrus fruits are also grown on the cacao plantation highlighted in the visit. I went nuts eating different citrus fruits including a tangerine larger than many grapefruit and a couple of fruits I have never heard of. I still have never met a citrus fruit I did not like! The comment about eating fruits was right on! You can't beat fresh fruit ripened on the tree and picked for immediate sale. It is even safe to buy fruits with peels from roadside vendors. Just wash and peel before eating.
For the tour, go to http://conacado.com.do/site/ or http://www.paseo.nu/dominican-republic/ or write directly to Hector Romero at hromerom@hotmail.com. Where else can you combine pleasant people, great foods and informative touring.
BTW - Driving in the DR is not dangerous although there are a lot of potholes on secondary roads. But the food and the people are worth the trip.
Serious Chocolate: Cocoa Is for Drinking, Not Eating, in the Dominican Republic
@asg749d -
I do believe what you say about coffee and Colombia. My experience in all my travels in Central and South America is that all good stuff ends up on the export market - or in Duty Free or on the black market. What is consumed locally is not the stuff that will command the best prices from foreign buyers.
The one main exception to this is fruit. Everywhere I have traveled in Latin America the fruit - mango, papaya, guava, pineapple, orange juice, passion fruit, etc., etc., is the best. Usually this is because it grows in everyone's back yard and they just go and pick it.
If you are one of those people who obsess about not eating fruit and veg when you travel outside the US you are really missing out.
On my first trip to Ecuador I bought salted green mango slices from a street vendor. Peeled, so I felt it was okay. I had a great green salad at Cano Hondo on Sunday night with my sopa de pescado. Finely grated cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a light house vinaigrette that had something special about it. Superb. Was I taking chances with my digestive tract? Well, I wouldn't try it with a street vendor but at a hotel that caters to foreigners? Absolutely.
Serious Chocolate: Cocoa Is for Drinking, Not Eating, in the Dominican Republic
Clay,
Unfortunately, most of the cocoa produced in the Dominican Republic is exported to the US and Europe. The producers are either American or European companies. It is very difficult to find a local producer that sells it for local consumption; if you do, it is usually of lower quality. That is the reason why the majority of the population in the Dominican Republic do not know cocoa as well as we may know it abroad.
Believe it or not, the same happens in Colombia with coffee. Most of the coffee produced in colombia makes its way out of the country before the locals have a chance to purchase it, if even at higher prices. The local consumption is mostly of lower grade coffee (not bad, just lower grade).
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I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to try cocoa water in Panama--it was delicious!