A luxury collection from Al Nassma, using traditional Arabic packaging. A luxury collection from Al Nassma, using traditional Arabic packaging.

1 Savoury flavours
With consumer tastes maturing, chefs have been experimenting with new flavours. The bitterness of dark chocolate lends itself to savoury offerings creating new tastes and textures.

This trend has influenced the chefs at Amador Restaurant in Abu Dhabi, as speciality outlet chef, Christophe Lerouy confirms: “We still think of chocolate as something sweet, but it is well known that chocolate likes a pinch of salt!

“It is more and more normal to use vegetables in a dessert dish, which means chefs are beginning to serve chocolate with things like carrots and caviar. A lot of chefs are also flavouring their hot dishes with bitter dark chocolate to make the flavour more intense and give better textures,” he added

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“At Amador Restaurant we are serving a combination of white chocolate, wasabi and beetroot, which has been a big hit with our guests,” continues sous chef Martin Sorensen.

“They also find the combination of dark chocolate and red pepper very interesting. People are realising that it is not just about chocolate; it is the combination that makes it special.”

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