Monthly Flavors for January – We Scream for the New Year!
Happy 2025! I wish you all a year filled with laughter, good friends, and of course lots of chocolate! Remember, eating more chocolate is a
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November is the start of true “winter” here in California. It starts to drop below 70°F in late October, and we start getting some rain. By November, we are downright cold with the temperatures staying around 67°F and getting at least a few days of rain for the month. Truly, winter is rough here. This is the kind of winter I can handle, especially having lived in Montreal for two years and having basically never ending cold and snow for the school year.
It is also Native American Heritage Month here in the US. This is an important time to reflect on the peoples who lived on the land we now occupy, and who currently struggle to keep their identity and history alive today. Here in the Bay Area, the predominant tribes are the Ohlone, the Chochenyo and the Karkin in East Bay, the Ramaytush in San Francisco, the Yokuts in South Bay and Central Valley, and the Muwekma tribe throughout the region.
I have used California native edible plants in the chocolates this month, and the names are all California state items (marine mammal, trees, flower, etc.). Almost all the plants are indigenous to California, and all are plants that the native peoples would and do use in their cuisines. I did not base the chocolates off any particular tribe’s customary foods, but instead I went solely on the flavor of each plant. In my research, I discovered how difficult it is to source native plants that are so often overlooked by commercial farmers but are incredibly important to many Indigenous peoples. So, this month, 10% of all proceeds will go to the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance (https://nativefoodalliance.org/). They are an organization that are “dedicated to restoring the Indigenous food systems that support Indigenous self-determination, wellness, cultures, values, communities, economies, languages, families, and rebuild relationships with the land, water, plants and animals that sustain us.” Thank you for helping me support this important cause.
Coast Redwood
Bearberry and Osha Root Dark Chocolate Ganache
Bearberry is closely related to manzanita, and grows throughout the US and Canada. The fruit of the plant is very attractive to bears, hence the name. The berries are fairly bland when raw, so are often cooked into jams or along with meats. The leaves are often part of a traditional smoking mixture, called kinnikinnick, throughout North America. Bearberry leaves are very herbal, sort of like nettles, but more subtle. Osha is a mountain plant, found in the Rocky Mountains. While this isn’t a California native plant, the root has been, and continues to be, used by many tribes. Osha root has an almost gingery spiciness but tastes like celery and anise.
California Poppy
Pine Nut Praline and White Sage Ruby Chocolate Ganache
The pine nut praline is luxurious and very caramel forward, and pairs beautifully with the sage ganache. Ruby chocolate is a new chocolate from the recently discovered ruby cocoa pod by Cocoa Barry, who is the only supplier. Ruby is naturally bright pink, and is lightly sour with a lot of berry notes. It pairs really well with many savory spices, and white sage is definitely a lovely choice.
Giant Sequoia
Yerba Buena and Flixweed Milk Chocolate Ganache with Dehydrated Corn
Yerba Buena is native to the West Coast, from Alaska to the north of Mexico. It is a relative to mint, and was so ubiquitous in the Bay Area that San Francisco was originally named Yerba Buena by the Spanish. Flixweed is a part of the Brassicacae family, like cabbage and mustard plants. It has a distinct herbal and celery taste, but without the spiciness of the osha root. Rounded out with dehydrated corn, this chocolate keeps evolving as you chew, so don’t eat too quickly!
Grizzly Bear
Prickly Pear Caramel
Prickly pear is the fruit of the paddle cactus; though, confusingly, the whole cactus can also be called prickly pear. The red fruit and the paddles of the leaves are edible once the outer skin with the spines has been removed, and both are eaten throughout the world today. Prickly pear tastes very fresh, almost apple-like with a hint of citrus. In a caramel, this deepens the flavor and brings out the apple flavor even more.
Gray Whale
Mesquite and Currant Marshmallow
I used honey mesquite jelly for this, which is made from honey mesquite beans. Honey mesquite is indigenous to the Southwestern US and Northern Mexico, and most parts of the tree are used. There are 30 species of currants and gooseberries native to California. Many of these were staples to native diets, used as jams, dried snacks, and beverages. It was also pounded with meat and fat to make pemmican, a nutrient dense food eaten throughout North America. The mesquite adds a lovely brightness to the marshmallow, while the currants add a little sour zing when you bite into one. Delicious!
Garibaldi
Gumweed and Chokecherry White Chocolate Ganache
Gumweed grows throughout North America, from British Columbia to Chihuahua. it has been used as medicinally by many native tribes, and can be used as a gum substitute when chewed. It tastes resinous and herbal, with a light sweetness at the end. Chokecherry bushes grow across the US and into parts of Canada. The fruit more closely resembles grapes than their Eurasian cousin, as they grow in clusters. The taste is not dissimilar to other cherries, if a little less sweet.
Cookie Flavors:
Acorn Wild Ginger Snaps
Acorn was and is an incredibly important food for many peoples. It is fairly time-intensive to make acorn flour, as they have to be soaked to get rid of tannins. They are nutty and lightly sweet when used as a flour. Wild ginger doesn’t quite have the same spiciness as the Asian variety more widely known today. They actually aren’t related at all! The two plants are in totally different classes, with wild ginger being more closely related to magnolia. It is more floral and herbal, rather than the peppery spiciness of Asian ginger. All that to say, these gingersnaps are totally different than any you have had before!
Hazelnut Buckwheat Cookies
In doing this research, I was amazed to discover that hazelnuts are native to California! There are two main species, one native to the Western Us, and one to the Eastern US. They are very similar in look and taste to each other and their European and Asian relatives. In fact, some commercial growers have started to breed them together to get a larger, less disease prone nut. These cookies are also made with chia seeds, another California native. Chia today is often used for its high nutrient value, and has been used in Native cooking since at least the Aztecs. These cookies are naturally gluten free, as they are made with buckwheat (another California native) and hazelnut flour, and egg-free as the chia seeds act as an egg alternative! These little cookies are just begging for a cup of tea and a lovely afternoon of relaxing.
Main sources for my research:
Anderson, M. Kat, et al. “Edible Seeds and Grains of California Tribes and the Klamath Tribe of Oregon in the Phoebe Apperson Hearst Museum of Anthropology Collections, University of California, Berkeley.” United States Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, 2012, https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/documents/EdibleSeedsGrainsCaliforniaTribes.pdf.
Reid, Sara, et al. “Plant Uses: California Native American Uses of California Plants – Ethnobotany.” University of California, Santa Cruz, Arboretum, UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, 2009, https://arboretum.ucsc.edu/pdfs/ethnobotany-webversion.pdf.
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Happy 2025! I wish you all a year filled with laughter, good friends, and of course lots of chocolate! Remember, eating more chocolate is a