Category: food

What started as a journalistic experiment against child labor, has turned into my favorite chocolate!

Back in 2002, Teun van de Keuken, a journalist for a popular Dutch TV program on food quality, read about the dire conditions of cocoa plantations where thousands of children are forced to work. Comparing buying chocolate made from those cocoa beans to buying a stolen bike from a junkie in the streets of Amsterdam, he turned himself in to police asking to be prosecuted.

Not unexpectedly, the police did not take Teun seriously and no legal action was taken. He did get a lot of media attention, including a feature article in Time Magazine. So Teun decided to produce the world’s first slave-free chocolate bar and in November 2005 Tony’s Chocolonely was successfully introduced to the market.

Tony’s Chocolonely is amazing. First and foremost because of its incredible taste! Tony’s has an intense chocolate aroma combined with an almost silky smoothness that makes it melt in your mouth and will keep making you long for more! Apart from the flavor and slave-free feelgood factor, I also like the bright red retro packaging and the large and sturdy 200g bars. Tony’s Chocolonely is different!

Tony’s is expanding rapidly and today is producing milk and bitter chocolate bars as well as chocolate letters, sprinkles and t-shirts. On their web site you can find a store locator as well as an option to order online (minimum 15 bars). If you’re in Amsterdam, local produce concept store Marqt currently has a special offer – two Tony’s bars for € 4,=.

What started as a journalistic experiment against child labor, has turned into my favorite chocolate!

Back in 2002, Teun van de Keuken, a journalist for a popular Dutch TV program on food quality, read about the dire conditions of cocoa plantations where thousands of children are forced to work. Comparing buying chocolate made from those cocoa beans to buying a stolen bike from a junkie in the streets of Amsterdam, he turned himself in to police asking to be prosecuted.

Not unexpectedly, the police did not take Teun seriously and no legal action was taken. He did get a lot of media attention, including a feature article in Time Magazine. So Teun decided to produce the world’s first slave-free chocolate bar and in November 2005 Tony’s Chocolonely was successfully introduced to the market.

Tony’s Chocolonely is amazing. First and foremost because of its incredible taste! Tony’s has an intense chocolate aroma combined with an almost silky smoothness that makes it melt in your mouth and will keep making you long for more! Apart from the flavor and slave-free feelgood factor, I also like the bright red retro packaging and the large and sturdy 200g bars. Tony’s Chocolonely is different!

Tony’s is expanding rapidly and today is producing milk and bitter chocolate bars as well as chocolate letters, sprinkles and t-shirts. On their web site you can find a store locator as well as an option to order online (minimum 15 bars). If you’re in Amsterdam, local produce concept store Marqt currently has a special offer – two Tony’s bars for € 4,=.

On my last trip there, I found out that concept supermarket Marqt is now open on Sundays!

I am torn about Marqt, which promises to sell only fresh, local produce. It’s definitely much better than Albert Heijn. But it’s also expensive and inconsistent in food quality.

Apart from the cool market hall inspired design, I like the bread and the herbs. The bread is fresh and has a more flavor and density than most other suppliers’. The herbs stand out in aroma, especially the giant leaved basil. There is a good selection of fresh herbs and they last for quite a while in the plastic packaging they are sold in. Marqt also has a good selection of fish.

The produce that does not meet foodie standards includes the meat and most of the canned vegetables and sauces. The cans seem to be mostly high end brands that charge a lot of money for marginally better quality. And the chicken I bought on several occasions was incredibly expensive and very watery.

Given the difficulties of procuring any food on a Sunday in Amsterdam, I will certainly make more trips to Marqt now that it’s open on Sundays.

It was time for a trip to Feduzzi to get some of their own import Parma Ham, Parmesan and fresh pasta. When I ordered the Parma Ham, they suggested I try their newest offering – Culatello. It’s amazing! Like the fillet of Parma Ham.

I did some quick research and it turns out that Culatello is so prestigious that it only recently made it out of Italy. At least commercially. It’s the highlight of cold cut platters at NYC’s top Italian Babbo – even earning ingredient of the month honors.

As with many great foods, the production process does not lend anyone to believe that the end result is edible, let alone a delicacy. Making Culatello apparently involves tucking the meat in a pig’s bladder and letting it age for 12 months in a humid, dirt-floored cellar.

Only the small back side of the pig’s thigh is used, significantly less than for regular prosciutto. The result is magnificent – an intense, slightly salty flavor with an incredibly smooth, almost creamy texture.

At Feduzzi, sometimes criticized for high prices, Culatello costs € 37,50 per kilogram. Actually less than the rather average Albert Heijn Excellent Prosciutto di Parma Ham, which costs € 47,87.