18 September 2016
The Roaming Chocoholic is off to great adventures again, this time for work! First stop – the city best known for steins of beer, pretzels, schweinbraten (roast pork loin served with a beer sauce), weisswurst (white veal and pork sausage), sauerkraut and the world famous annual beer festival, Oktoberfest (that is in fact celebrated in September?).
Is there much more to Munich beyond beers and the hearty, savoury offerings described above? Perhaps a sweeter, chocolate-accented side? Here’s what I’ve discovered, during my second visit to this modern and lively city, in the heart of the German state of Bavaria.
Alcoholic Truffles
If you prefer to eat your alcohol, infused in chocolate truffles, look no further than Elly Siedl Pralinen. There are plenty to choose from, from traditional varieties like the Marc de champagne, rum, cognac and cointreau truffles to the more exotic pina colada and caipirinha truffles. For those who aren’t fans of the latter, Elly Seidl also has broad offerings of non-alcoholic truffles, ganaches, pralines, rochers and bars to suit differing tastes.
It’s easy to comprehend how this home-grown Bavarian chocolate establishment has existed for almost a century. It’s always busy! In the short time that I’m in the shop, located near the bustling Marienplatz, there is no less than a dozen customers streaming into the cozy retail space.
My top picks are the feminine pink Elly, a white chocolate heart with a pink centre, filled with raspberry liquor flavoured butter cream, and the Arrak teesahne, a crisp dark chocolate filled with Ceylon tea infused cream and flavoured with Arrak (Asian liquor made from fermented rice or palm syrup).
Ornate Marzipans and Nougats
Fancy eating traditional treats of marzipan and nougat, turned into beautiful pieces of art that are lovingly handcrafted by its creator? Visit Sama-sama to experience first-hand Wilhelmine Raabe’s boundless creativity. Her marzipans and nougats are almost too pretty to eat, each decorated with miniature candied fruit, flowers and/ or nuts. She also makes a selection of truffles, with flavours such as butter, ginger and coffee, and tasty biscuits to indulge in.
If you time your visit perfectly, you may catch Wilhelmine in action creating and decorating her marzipan and nougat masterpieces. There are apparently well over 100 variants, including the King Ludwig, the Venus Nipple, and the Hot, Chilli Seduction.
I’ve unfortunately forgotten the names of the chocolate nougat and blueberry marzipan that I sampled. I find them to be pleasant and flavourful, but a tad too sweet for me. I prefer the smooth and rich, butter flavoured dark chocolate truffle. The dark chocolate is intense and slightly bitter, with accents of butter.
Gourmet Chocolates
Fitting perfectly into its location, close to the glitzy shopping strip of Maximilianstrasse, is Stancsics Schoko Laden. The truffles, ganaches, pralines, marzipans, mandelsplitters (rochers) and bars have a classy French-Belgian flair about them, and are meticulously hand-made at the back of the shop.
According to owner Silvia Stancsics, the main inspiration for her flavour creations comes from local and seasonal ingredients. Of course, meeting the taste preferences of her regular clientele is also important, which is why the variety spans alcoholic and non-alcoholic offerings. And with no added preservatives, the chocolates should be consumed within 6 to 8 days. You can also find offerings from other European chocolate makers here including the reputed Italian Domori, Austrian Tiroler Edle, Danish Summerbird and French Mademoiselle de Margaux.
My recommendations are the balsamic vinegar ganache, a dark chocolate ganache flavoured with caramelised balsamic vinegar and coated in a thin, crisp dark chocolate shell, and the butter truffle, smooth, decadent butter cream coated in rich milk chocolate.
Beans for Health
Christine Luger is an interior designer by trade, with a consuming passion for all things chocolate. It’s no surprise that she runs the hippy and inviting Chocolate & More – a shop, cafe and appreciation “school” all bundled in one, dedicated to chocolates.
Christine is a strong advocate of the health promoting properties of raw cocoa beans. She tells me that consuming 3 whole beans a day is sufficient to meet our dietary intake of antioxidants, and offers me a tasting. I oblige and pop a raw Peruvian cacao bean into my mouth. It’s strong, nutty and definitely tastes like chocolate. Much better than medicine, to keep the lurgies at bay?
For those more inclined towards the chocolates, there’s a wide selection of truffles, pralines, ganaches, marzipans and bars from the northern Bavarian chocolate maker, Lauenstein. There are also chocolates and related products from neighboring countries such as France, Belgium and the UK. And the cafe specialises in hot chocolate, with contemporary concoctions like chilli and black pepper hot chocolate.
Pay Christine a visit, and her passion and enthusiasm for beans and chocolates will definitely rub off on you.
Global Chocolates Library
A global library of chocolates is how I can best describe 1001 Senses. They do not make their own but instead, showcase varieties throughout the world. Here, you will find prize winning, acclaimed chocolates from Akesson’s, Amedei, Ara, Domori, Francois Pralus, Marou, Valrhona, Michel Cluizel, Claudio Corallo and so much more.
And Inna is a walking encyclopedia of these chocolates. She is so knowledgeable, passionate and ever willing to impart her wisdom. I could spend the whole day just listening to her speak about each chocolate manufacturer, their unique offerings, the origins of the cocoa beans and the breadth of flavours in the different variants.
Inna recommends that I get myself a copy of the modern day chocolate encyclopaedia/ text book “Schokolade – Das Standardwerk: Der Schokoladetester 2015” (translates into Chocolate – The Standard Works: The Chocolate Tester 2015), by Georg Bernardini. Mental note to self………
I ask to sample artisan German chocolates and she recommends the Georgia Ramon, made bean to bar by Georg Bernardini himself and his partner Ramona, and the Puristique range by Coppeneur et Compagnon. More on these in a separate post.
At the end of my adventures in Munich, I can safely conclude that the Bavarians have a degree of fondness and level of appreciation for chocolates too, although not as evident as their love for beers. So if you’re in Munich and find yourself in need of a chocolate fix, do pop into one of these establishments and you will not be disappointed!
