As soon as I heard that there was a chocolate museum in Cusco I though we better go see what they had on offer. As soon as we were in the door (we had to wait at the front for them to open) I immediately signed us up to the chocolate making class - bean to bar. The class started with us moving up to the museum area and our instructor explaining how the Cocoa is grown and harvested, and how the fermentation process must be completed within 5 hrs of picking the beans. We then moved back to the kitchen and started to roast the beans in the traditional clay pot. After roasting the beans we set to peeling them before placing them in a mortar and pestle to grind the beans into a paste. Gladys our instructor made this a competition (there was two other Dutch girls in our workshop) which Ryan, with his manly strength won and was rewarded with chocolate tea, husks from the cocoa beans to be boiled with water really yummy.
Next Gladys made us a traditional Mayan drink using the cocoa bean paste and chilli which was quite tasty. She then made a traditional Peruvian hot chocolate with milk, spices and honey - also really yummy. Next up Gladys showed us the mixing stage which went for 24 hrs and then demonstrated the tempering phase which is to ensure the chocolate looks glossy and of high quality. Finally, we started on the best part - the making of the bars!! We were all given our molds for the chocolate and Gladys brought out a tray of flavoring to mix in with our chocolate. I made coconut and coffee, salt and chilli, mint, m & ms, Oreos, while Ryan made two blocks, one coffee and cinnamon and the other chilli, salt and coca leaf. We are still in the process of eating our take home bars but so far they have tasted great. If you are ever in cusco check out the Choco Museo, its a good way to spend a morning.
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