So long, France, thank you to everyone who met, fed, hugged, and inspired me. This trip was the very first I took back to my homeland as a chocolate-lover and it was neat (and, in some way, comforting) to understand how a French upbringing influenced the way I talk about chocolate.
I have often said Madagascar chocolate tastes like joy because of its citrus notes. Many have smiled at the description or look at me like I have three heads but in France, I always heard wine tasting notes tied to a specific setting (a picnic, for instance) and even an emotion. Although wine was not part of my culinary background, the approach forever affected the way I talk about food. This less literal way of describing food is what I want to see represented in the chocolate world and the reason I decided to stay in that space.
So it was good to be back where I grew up and I smiled when I read the story behind Christian Dior’s latest perfume, J’adore Joy. In his write-up, master perfumer Christophe Demachy explains how the sweet-salty combination of the fragrance literally smells like joy. He goes on to explain the ylang-ylang used in Joy comes from… Madagascar.
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