A Chocolate World: LaVerna Drinking Chocolate

A packet of powder and hot water. That was my long held mental model of hot chocolate. But all that changed this summer at La Verna, a mountain hermitage in Tuscany, as my first experience with drinking chocolate was simply, "pure heaven."

Since 1213, La Verna has been associated with Franciscan spirituality. It is recognized as the place where St. Francis had a life-changing encounter with Christ and received the stigmata. It is the place where St. Bonaventure composed the Itinerarium, and for centuries, it has been a spiritual destination and sanctuary for Franciscan pilgrims.

Because of its natural beauty and history of spiritual revelation, Mount La Verna was one place I had been looking forward to visiting during my Franciscan pilgrimage this summer. Yet in all my studies this year at the Franciscan School of Theology, no one had ever mentioned La Verna's association with chocolate.

After one sip of "Convento Della Verna" drinking chocolate, however, this religious sanctuary will now forever be spiritually associated with my chocolate revelation. My revelation = I really enjoy drinking chocolate.

We visited La Verna a few days into our trip. During our long bus ride from Assisi to the mountain, Brother Joe, one of our pilgrimage leaders, mentioned that upon our arrival we would break and he suggested we try their chocolate. I had never tried drinking chocolate before so it sounded intriguing, and having not located good chocolate cake in Assisi, I was longing for a chocolate fix. Thus, when the bus stopped, I was the first one at the counter, ready to order, with Brother Joe's Italian translation ready to assist.

For 2 euros, I was given an espresso cup filled with thick, warmed chocolate. It was served with a small spoon (see picture above). I gratefully lifted my drink, and took a seat as all eyes were upon me. I was the group guinea pig.

I gently stirred the cocoa brown potion, and smelled it. It had a rich, inviting chocolate factory aroma. As I lifted the spoon and slowly sipped, my eyes widened. I immediately knew I had discovered another exception in my vegan diet! After one taste, I was hooked. My chocolate palate was pleased; and with a two thumbs up review, the line at the counter formed.

Though this cup of drinking chocolate did not have the dark bitter bite (or color) that I appreciate in a chocolate cake, it had a deep, semi-sweet flavor that was very smooth, in spite its thick liquid consistency. Very simply, the warmth of the chocolate and its luscious taste were intoxicating. As I slowly enjoyed each spoonful, I was caught up in a third heaven, and I licked the sides of the cup so as to not waste one drop of this "food of the gods," as chocolate is called.

The gift shop featured Convento Della Verna chocolate bars. Watching Sister Joanne, our other trip leader, purchase four large bars to bring back home as gifts, I knew I needed to buy one. Locally made chocolate appears to be La Verna's hidden secret. As I continue to slowly enjoy my chocolate treasure back home one square at a time, I am brought back to my La Verna experience. The 53% cacao bar tastes very much like the drink I savored on the mountain back in early June.

Since returning from this chocolate retreat, I have learned a lot about drinking chocolate. In the coming blogs, I will explain how drinking chocolate is made and I will describe the differences between "drinking chocolate," "hot chocolate," "hot cocoa," and the "instant stuff." I'll also share other drinking chocolate experiences I've had since my La Verna chocolate revelation.

While Francis was transformed by a seraph at La Verna, I was transformed by a cup of chocolate. Chocolate can be a spiritual experience, and for me, there was no place more appropriate for a chocolate spiritual high than the beautiful Tuscan mountain retreat of Santuario della Verna.

A Chocolate World: Assisi Panforte al Cioccolate

I returned from my Franciscan pilgrimage in Italy a few weeks ago. Though it was an excellent experience, I was disappointed by one thing = I did not find the types of chocolate desserts I was craving. In others words, no chocolate cake, or at least, not the type of chocolate cake which I am accustomed. (Remember, chocolate cake is my vegan exception!)

Instead of the "traditional" American chocolate cake, I found an Italian "chocolate cake," which is different from what I expected (see right). I originally didn't care for the taste, but upon further trials, I have since grown to appreciate and enjoy this newly discovered chocolate dessert. Yet, when push comes to shove I still prefer a slice of dark, moist, subtly bittersweet chocolate cake, which is rich, but not overly dense, topped with a dark chocolate frosting. And when vegan, even better.

Walking by numerous bakeries on the streets of Assisi, I saw many pastries filled with chocolate, but only found two places that featured something that looked like the chocolate cake I was looking for. Though the two desserts looked virtually the same, at one place this chocolate delight was called "salame" and at another place it was called "panforte al cioccolato."

Traditionally, an Italian panforte is an Italian version of a fruitcake. A chocolate version simply puts cocoa in the recipe. Since fruitcake is not my dessert of choice, a "panforte al cioccolato" was not something that sounded appetizing so I initially passed on trying it when I saw it in the bakery window.

Traditionally, "salame al cioccolato" is a no bake chocolate dessert in the shape of a salami. But the "salame" I saw in the bakery window at the Gran Caffe in Assisi was not sausage-shaped, but looked like a thicker version of a traditional chocolate panforte. In essence, it looked like a chocolate cake with nuts (see left). Not understanding what this chocolate dessert could be, I needed to give it a try. It looked very promising.

One bite however proved that this did not taste like a traditional chocolate salame, which is essentially chocolate, nuts, and biscotti crumbs. This salame had an orange kick, which I did not expect. It was panforte-like. However, It did not have the additional fruit which one would expect in your traditional chocolate panforte.

I was a bit confused, and unfortunately, no one could explain what this chocolate delicacy was as each person defaulted to describing the traditional salame and panforte.

After a few bites, I discovered that I was enjoying this unique Assisi delight. The orange zest (which was growing on me) complemented the chocolate, which was more semi-sweet than bittersweet. The cake consistency was not your typical baked cake moist, but dense with a subtly sticky cookie-like texture, with small chunks of nuts mixed through out, peppering the dark brown coloring. (Texturally in many ways it looked like a vegan chocolate Larabar and my raw vegan chocolate cake.) The entire round dessert was laid on a layer of edible sugar paper, and topped with a layer of dark chocolate, cut into cake-shaped slices

Aside from the orange kick, this chocolate dessert tasted like what I would expect in a traditional salame al cioccolato. Unfortunately, I was not able to find a traditional salame on this trip in which to compare.

So what is this Assisi dessert? I don't know, but with the orange zest, I see it as an Assisi version of a traditional panforte al cioccoloto. As I now reflect on this chocolate discovery, my taste buds are craving this unique chocolate cake, as I remember 9 magical days last month in the beautiful Umbrian city of Assisi.

Next post:
Hot chocolate from LaVerna, Italy