Welcome to Chocolate Heaven – May your life be filled with kosher Godiva!
What does a long haired, unclothed lady on a horse have to do with making some of the best kosher chocolate on earth?
In 1926, the Draps family of Brussels, Belgium created a tiny home based confectionary business. The company was founded with the family name Chocolaterie Draps. This enterprise, lead by Joseph Draps, became Godiva. The company logo featuring Lady Godiva, the famous unclothed, long haired lady on the horse, embodies what is held as the Godiva legend – regal passion, style, sensuality, courage and purity. Mentions of Godiva chocolate continue to evoke thoughts of the pinnacle of confectionery excellence.
From humble beginnings, Godiva is now available globally, making the Godiva brand known, loved, coveted and sold in over 80 countries around the world, offering chocolates and confections in more than 450 boutiques. One of the first Godiva shops opened by the Draps family still stands in the beautiful, historic Grand Place in Brussels. Godiva was introduced to America in 1966, when Campbell’s Soup Company acquired a stake from the Draps family. It was then that America first fell in chocolate love!
Who owns Godiva now? When researching our article, we were surprised to learn that this Belgium classic, and American chocolate treasure, is actually now owned since 2008 by Turkey’s Yildiz Holding Company. Who would have guessed?? For the U.S. market, much of the chocolate is made in Reading, Pennsylvania, using the classic Belgian recipes. And, yes the Godiva brand has been “Americanized” as late, symbolized by the Godiva chocolate bars available now on many department store counters.
We are featuring Godiva for two reasons. We feel its elegance, richness, and quality is unsurpassed. Chocolate royalty. The name Godiva brings to mind the “best of the best” in both taste and packaging. Its signature package is well known, the Gold Ballotin (French for "small, elegant box of chocolates"). A gift of Godiva is welcomed for both the deep rich chocolates, as well as the elegance of its packaging. And, our second reason for the feature; we are delighted to report that most Godiva products are certified kosher – OU-D.
We managed to devour 2 boxes of Godiva Signature Chocolate Truffles. (No, not all in one day!) Divine! Each lived up to the company description “a deliciously complex chocolate experience that represents our commitment to craftsmanship and exceptional quality”. Each rich chocolate truffle contains fruit, nut, or ganache filling paired with a dense shell of milk, dark, or white chocolate. The filling flavors are Hazelnut Praline, Double Chocolate Raspberry, Extra Dark Chocolate, Smooth Coconut, French Vanilla, Cappuccino and more. Oh, so good!
And we didn't stop with the signature truffles. The Limited Edition Bakery Dessert Truffles – inspired by favorite bakery treats – are the newest addition to the truffle line. The flavors are reminiscent of their "namesake" – rich, dark, Chocolate Lava Cake with a spectacular molten fondant center; spicy Carrot Cake "frosted" in milk chocolate and rolled in chopped pecans; Southern-style Red Velvet Cake in white chocolate with a heart of sweet chocolate ganache; all American Cheesecake ganache in milk chocolate, topped with crust-like crumbs; white chocolate Tiramisu, an ethereal blend of mascarpone and espresso ganache; and Strawberry Tarte swirling sweet berries and tart rhubarb through vanilla mousse, enrobed in milk chocolate. They were divine!
No, we cannot point to a favorite. We truly loved them all and are now officially Godiva Truffle-aholics.
One of Godiva’s newest products is cocoa. This was brought to our attention by a feature we read in Consumer Reports, where Godiva cocoa topped the list as best. Well, we had to try it of course, and we did. Consumer Reports' tested a wide variety of hot cocoas and Godiva Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa took top honors! It was described as "the best by far...full and flavorful with an intense chocolate flavor." We agree. We also tried the milk chocolate and thought that it too was superb.
Another Godiva product line which we will cover in a future article are Godiva Liqueurs. We enjoy these liqueurs straight up, on ice, mixed with cream, in our coffee, and in baking.
We suggest Godiva chocolates, truffles, cocoa and liqueurs as KosherEye top picks to "gift yourself or gift others". Yes, may your life be filled with kosher certified Godiva!
For product information or to order, visit Godiva.com.
February 9, 2011