Pão de Mel by Munik Chocolates - and Happy World Chocolate Day!

It being World Chocolate Day (yes, that is a thing, I didn’t make it up, see Wikipedia), I thought I’d blog about something... chocolatey!

This is Pão de Mel (“honey bread”), a Brazilian specialty made by Munik Chocolates. This gorgeous package was sent to me by a dear friend, who is from Brazil (although she’d made her home in the UK). She kindly remembered us on her latest visit to her home land and decided to introduce us to this Brazilian delicacy. I have the best friends! :)

Not only does this treat include chocolate, but I’ve always been interested in the cuisine of other countries; collecting recipes, asking friends who hail from different parts of the world how and what they cook, wanting to try new things when we travel (I’m not adventurous enough to taste, say, lamb’s eyeballs, but I have eaten some haggis :D). As it happens, my daughter has clearly inherited my curiosity – she’s been known to say things like, “I’ve never had any sushi, let’s try some!” So, imagine our enthusiasm upon receiving this lovely gift!

As you can see, it’s a pretty box with a red ribbon which gives it a definite feel of luxury. Inside nestle six pieces of Pão De Mel, beautifully decorated with chocolate drizzle. Now, I have to say this: I don’t know what size these treats usually are in Brazil, but I’d imagine that, were they made in Finland, the pieces would be much smaller! These are generous pieces, which is a very good thing! ;) The box contains two kinds of Pão de Mel, one with liqueur and the other with condensed milk.

Each piece has a chocolate coating which is fairly thick (another very good thing) yet somewhat soft which makes it easier to eat the pieces. The chocolate is also delicious! Inside is what I think is referred to as “bread”; a slightly crumbly cake-like filling. However, it is nothing like bread, and not exactly like cake, either, being dense, very sweet and extremely moist! Now, I do like cake, but definitely not the dry ones; a good cake is always very moist. This is exactly that, and what with the chocolate and a bit of spices (cinnamon, I think), it’s very rich and deliciously decadent.

We thoroughly enjoyed this little excursion to Brazilian cuisine – and while we already sampled three of these treats earlier this week, I decided to save the other three for a special occasion... and then it was World Chocolate Day, which is the perfect reason to celebrate!