Unusual Ways to Consume Chocolate

Chocolate bars, chocolate-dipped strawberries, chocolate cake—there are so many ways to eat chocolate, not to mention that it’s also a prominent ingredient in drinks! Foodies, chocolate makers, and entire cultures all over have stretched our definitions of what chocolate should be like. Here are some unusual ways to consume chocolate:

Chocolate Ramen

Ramen joint Mensho, which has several branches in Tokyo and one in San Francisco, was among the first to offer chocolate ramen, and this garnered so many positive reviews that they turned it into a yearly tradition! While they have a reputation for being experimental with their recipes, their chocolate ramen took this to a whole new level altogether, with chunks of chocolate melting into the broth. Another ramen chain store, Kourakuen, came up with its own version, which had cacao oil and an entire chocolate bar mixed in. This was released specifically for Valentine’s Day in Japan, and many people were surprised to find that they like it!

Spicy Chocolate

Spicy chocolate may seem like an odd combination, but it’s been around for hundreds of years. An Aztec ruler was said to drink a chocolate drink called "xocoatl" for improved health, mixing in pimento and chili pepper to give an added kick. Chocolate can be paired up with all sorts of ingredients to achieve this sweet-spicy combination, including chili, habanero, and wasabi. You can usually find this flavor profile in chocolate bars, but it works too for hot drinks! Raaka Chocolate from Brooklyn offers dark chocolate bars with ghost pepper, the hottest chilli pepper on the planet, while Lindt pairs dark chocolate with chili in its Chili Excellence Bar.

Chocolate Insects

Insects have been part of diets all over the world, not to mention that the majority of food has miniscule insect body parts mixed in, so insects with chocolate are a delicacy in their own right! The practice of eating insects is called entomophagy, and it’s found in plenty of countries until now, including Australia, Ghana, China, Brazil, and the U.S. Packed with lots of protein, chocolate-coated insects have been compared to popcorn because of their "crunch." Eat Crawler, New Zealand’s largest edible insect company, sells milk chocolate crickets, grasshoppers, and scorpions. French chocolate maker Sylvain Musquar even released a box collection of chocolates topped with crickets and worms in edible gold dust!

Paleo Chocolate

The Paleo diet has become extremely popular recently, right alongside keto. The concept behind it is to return to the original diet of our cavemen ancestors. Grains, legumes, dairy products, refined sugar, salt, and highly processed foods are to be avoided in favor of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and lean meat. You’d think that this would eliminate chocolate too, but chocolate with a high cacao percentage is allowed. The higher, the better—we recommend above 85%, but 100% is the ideal. Chocolate liquor, which is the base substance from which all chocolates are made, consists only of pure cocoa and cocoa butter, making it the perfect ingredient for keto and paleo recipes!

Chocolate Hummus

Hummus has become famous all over the world because of its health benefits and major protein contribution, and it’s already a go-to dip and party snack. You might be used to its tangy, savory taste, but here’s a creative spin on it that many businesses have started selling: chocolate hummus. Instead of pairing it with greens and chips, it goes well with fruits like strawberries and apples and can be spread on sandwiches. Delighted by Hummus, Boars Head, and Hope Foods all have their varieties of it! On the other hand, you can easily make it at home by adding cocoa powder and optional flavours like vanilla extract or sweeteners to regular hummus.

Chocolate-Covered Bacon

Originating in the US, chocolate-covered bacon might sound like an ill-fated match, but the sweet-savory blend works quite well and has even been described as a dream snack. Recipes for it have already been around online since the early 2000s, and it’s featured regularly in trade fairs. As you might have guessed, it’s a breeze to make: just cook the bacon, then dip it into melted chocolate. You can enhance it with sea salt, nuts, cocoa butter, and other toppings. If you want it ready-made, there’s Vosges Mo’s Dark Chocolate Bacon Bar, which contains bacon bits and smoked salt. For a lighter taste, you can try their white chocolate variation instead.

Chocolate Burger

Back in 2016, McDonald’s in Italy started putting out Sweety Con Nutella, which looks like a regular burger at first glance—except that, instead of a beef patty, it has a generous serving of Nutella hazelnut and cocoa spread in between the buns. Customers were overwhelmingly positive about it! Meanwhile, FOC Restaurant in Singapore elevates it to a full-on dessert, sandwiching chocolate ganache with fruity accents between chocolate-coated vanilla mousse buns. Amusingly enough, Hungry Jacks in Australia—a franchise of Burger King—hinted at a chocolate whopper for April Fools’, complete with a chocolate patty and buns, raspberry syrup, and candied blood oranges.

Chocolate is such a versatile dish that there are endless ways to enjoy it, and even though it’s been around for hundreds of years, innovative recipes are constantly being discovered. But however you’re consuming it, chocolate is always a delight to be savored—and a treat for your tastebuds.