Chocolate is good, meat too. Why not put the two of them together? It is not the first time chocolate makers mix chocolate to other savory foods, but whenever that happens, people will find it strange. Will it be different with chocolate 50% meat?
When we talk about the chocolate cheese here at Eat Innovation some readers have twisted their noses, but others have accepted it well, after all, cheese is also eaten with guava or fruit and this is widely accepted. Meat is another story.
Food scientist Mustafa Farouk of the Devonport Chocolates boutique in Auckland, New Zealand has created chocolate 50% meat and the result is a soft consistence without any steak flavor. According to him, if he did not tell people what he had put in chocolate, no one would notice.
Mustafa Farouk, the creator, and his product
Okay, but anyway, what is the point of putting meat in a chocolate?
This is yet another effort to create a high protein product. The target audience would be athletes or seniors, who have high demand for protein intake. In fact the initial idea was only to add value to meat. From there he passed the tests on different foods the chocolate performed best. To sum up, he still added turmeric (I have already talked about the consumption of curcumin, the active principle of turmeric here and here).
Another advantage is the more affordable price. The kilo of beef used in production is US$ 17, while a chocolate truffle is sold for US$ 2.50. And there is more, he’s already testing versions with lamb and venison. Actually, this is not his first invention, is also his the creation of the lactose-free meat ice cream. Sales start in June 2017.
Despite the good intentions of the scientist, it is important to consider that New Zealand is a meat-producing country, which makes the raw material affordable, but considering that scientists around the world are looking for new sources of protein to reduce animal dependence, Farouk is walking on the opposite side. Definitely, 50% meat chocolate can be creative, but it is not environmentally sustainable.
And the opposite, the “steak” fed with chocolate? Also exists!
We are already talking about this, a curiosity, in Australia Wagyu cattle are fed with chocolate. The summit of luxury, a buttery-flavored meat that is only for those who can afford the US$ 288 for a small 280g steak.
So, are you going to try some chocolate meat or meat chocolate?
Wagyu beef
References: Stuff.co, Death and Taxes, Oddity Central, Eater, Munchies – Vice, Forbes, Fortune
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