Amedei Porcelana
Encyclopedia
Amedei Porcelana, a plain chocolate
made by the Amedei
candy company of Tuscany
, Italy
, is often called the world's most expensive chocolate
. It has won various awards, including "Best bean to bar", "Best Dark Chocolate Bar", and the "Golden Bean award." Amedei is and was, at the time of these awards, a sponsor of the awarding body's parent organization.
-like color. This cocoa bean, a genetically
pure strain of the highly-prized Criollo, is native to Venezuela
and may have been grown there in the Pre-Columbian
era.
Porcelana cocoa was called "Maracaibo
" in colonial times
, since it was primarily exported from that Venezuelan port community. Along with a few other Mexican
and Colombia
n cocoas beans, Maracaibo cocoa was classified as one of the world's highest quality cocoas until the 1920s.
Today, many of these Mexican and Colombian cocoas have disappeared and have been replaced by more disease resistant
hybrids. Maracaibo, or Porcelana cocoa is grown on small plantation
s in Venezuela. Amedei produces about 20,000 bars a year from this cocoa bean.
for between $
12.95 and $18.99. The often-quoted price of this chocolate is $90 a pound. While Amedei Porcelana has often been called the world's most expensive chocolate, sources such as a 2006 article by Forbes
magazine give examples of chocolates that sell for as much or more.
, a $1,000 dessert sold at the Serendipity 3
restaurant in New York City
and mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Types of chocolate
Chocolate is a range of products derived from cocoa , mixed with fat and finely powdered sugar to produce a solid confection...
made by the Amedei
Amedei
Amedei is a chocolate manufacturing company located in Pontedera in Tuscany region of Italy. Their products range from chocolate bars to truffles and pralines. Their award winning chocolate bars use single origin and single varietal cocoa beans...
candy company of Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, is often called the world's most expensive chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
. It has won various awards, including "Best bean to bar", "Best Dark Chocolate Bar", and the "Golden Bean award." Amedei is and was, at the time of these awards, a sponsor of the awarding body's parent organization.
Manufacture
Amedei Porcelana is made from translucent, white cocoa beans of a variety now called "Porcelana" due to its porcelainPorcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
-like color. This cocoa bean, a genetically
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
pure strain of the highly-prized Criollo, is native to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and may have been grown there in the Pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
era.
Porcelana cocoa was called "Maracaibo
Maracaibo
Maracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
" in colonial times
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
, since it was primarily exported from that Venezuelan port community. Along with a few other Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n cocoas beans, Maracaibo cocoa was classified as one of the world's highest quality cocoas until the 1920s.
Today, many of these Mexican and Colombian cocoas have disappeared and have been replaced by more disease resistant
Disease resistance in fruit and vegetables
There are a number of lines of defence against pests and diseases in the organic garden, principal among these being the practice of good husbandry, creating healthy soil and ensuring high standards of garden hygiene...
hybrids. Maracaibo, or Porcelana cocoa is grown on small plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s in Venezuela. Amedei produces about 20,000 bars a year from this cocoa bean.
Packaging
Amedei Porcelana is sold in individually numbered packages that have been called "the reference standard for the industry on how to package a chocolate bar."Price
A 1.8 oz bar sells in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for between $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
12.95 and $18.99. The often-quoted price of this chocolate is $90 a pound. While Amedei Porcelana has often been called the world's most expensive chocolate, sources such as a 2006 article by Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
magazine give examples of chocolates that sell for as much or more.
Description
One reviewer describes Amedei Porcelana in this way:
The outer appearance is simply wonderful, artfully crafted and presented in the most attractive fashion, speaking stylishly of the flavors contained within. And this is just the packaging. Removing the bar reveals an equally stunning appearance only afflicted by minor swirling. The light brown-magenta color reflects the Porcelana genetics beautifully, while everything else suggests Amedei gave this bar top priority in the mold. Aroma isn't a world beater, though. It's fairly simple, giving off strawberries in the background but lots of raisin and wood in the forefront, which suggests a more aggressive approach than normally given to this fragile cacao...Considering the bean constituency, the chocolate is more aggressive than expected. It's decisively dark and black in nature, suggesting currants and figs but then the profile softens as cream and a neutral chocolatiness assume control, which when combined form a ganacheGanacheGanache is a glaze, icing, or filling for pastries made from chocolate and cream.Ganache is normally made by heating cream, then pouring it over chopped dark semi-sweet chocolate...
-like character that glides through henceforth.
Golden Opulence Sundae
Porcelana is included in the Golden Opulence SundaeGolden Opulence Sundae
The Golden Opulence Sundae is a sundae that is served by special order at the New York City restaurant Serendipity 3. In 2007 it was listed in Guinness World Records as the most expensive sundae in the world at a price of US1,000. The restaurant has stated that they sell approximately one per...
, a $1,000 dessert sold at the Serendipity 3
Serendipity 3
Serendipity 3, often written Serendipity III, is a restaurant in the Upper East Side of Manhattan founded by Stephen Bruce in 1954. The restaurant has been the scene of several films, including the 2001 romantic comedy Serendipity....
restaurant in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records.