Chocolate in savory cooking

Lore & Background

Historically in the Americas, chocolate was used by the Mayans as early as 400 CE, with inscriptions on a Petén bowl possibly referencing a Mayan mole or chocolate-flavored tamale. The Aztecs essentially prohibited its use in savory cooking, a fact analogized by historians to Christians making coq au vin using sacramental wine. A popular legend attributes the use of chocolate in mole to Mexican nuns in late 17th-century Puebla.

In Europe, chocolate featured extensively in 17th- and 18th-century cuisine, particularly in Northern Italy, where it appeared in lasagna, fried liver, ragout, pappardelle, black polenta, and meat pies. A 1786 manuscript from Macerata records a lasagna sauce containing chocolate alongside anchovies, walnuts, and almonds. Its popularity in Italy was such that overuse was gently mocked in a 1736 poem titled 'Il Cioccolato.' Chocolate was introduced to Spain (including Catalonia) in the 16th century, not the 19th, as Spaniards returned from Mexico.

Today, savory chocolate is most famously used in Mexican mole, where a small amount is added as the sauce fries. It is also used in European dishes such as stews and wine sauces, though traditional coq au vin does not contain chocolate. Modern chefs like Heston Blumenthal experimented with chocolate in savory dishes in the early 2000s, including pairing white chocolate with caviar based on food pairing theory, though Blumenthal later distanced himself from that approach.

Reader's Guide

Chocolate's role in savory cooking is often misunderstood as solely sweet, but its historical and modern uses reveal a versatile ingredient that adds complexity, texture, and balance. In small quantities, chocolate acts as an emulsifier and provides 'some silkiness,' as described by Auguste Escoffier, while also balancing acidic flavors. The amount used is often so small that it is barely detectable, contributing a 'mysterious' flavor. Chefs sometimes justify its use by noting that cocoa beans, as seeds, should be understood like spices such as caraway or cardamom.

In Mexico, chocolate is treated as a spice, used to soften sharp flavors like tomato acidity and to add depth to moles, especially in red or black varieties for celebrations. In the United States, unsweetened chocolate is added to chili con carne for richness and umami. In Europe, chocolate is stirred into stews, braises, and wine sauces, and appears in pasta dishes and game preparations. The legacy of savory chocolate is one of subtlety and tradition, spanning continents and centuries, from ancient Mayan bowls to modern chef-driven innovations.

Did You Know?

• The earliest known reference to chocolate in savory cooking may be from a Mayan bowl dated to 400 CE, possibly describing a mole or chocolate-flavored tamale.
• The Aztecs essentially prohibited the use of chocolate in savory cooking, a practice analogized to Christians making coq au vin using sacramental wine.
• In 18th-century Italy, chocolate was used in lasagna sauce alongside anchovies, walnuts, and almonds, as recorded in a 1786 manuscript from Macerata.
• Modern chef Heston Blumenthal paired white chocolate with caviar in the early 2000s based on food pairing theory, but later called that approach a product of 'bumptious enthusiasm.'