Chocolate for the holidays: Fjåk's Chilli sipping chocolate
Santa gets the cookies, but you get Fjåk on Christmas morning
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there…1
Oh! What’s that noise, that sound of boots scraping against brick…?
Have you left out the cookies??
Chocolate maker: Fjåk
This year, Santa might be coming to you via Norway. The first bean-to-bar, organic, ethically traded chocolate maker in Norway, Fjåk selects the non cacao ingredients locally, from the “Nordic nature” as they state on their website. The company was founded by two women—Siv Hereid, who is Norwegian, and Agurtxane Concellon, who is Spanish, because, of course she is. I will not try to pronounce her name, but luckily she is also referred to as Agur (a little easier on the linguistic palate).
For an interview with the founders, check out the Cocoa Runners website (Cocoa Runners is another fine organization to put on your chocolate radar). Apparently, according to the article, the name Fjåk comes from the Hardanger dialect, where “people of a certain generation” would call each other as ‘fjåk,’ which means ‘loveable’ or ‘honest.’ [Note to self: try calling family members ‘fjåk’ to their faces during the holidays and watch their facial expressions, before calmly explaining what it means.]
I mean, Fjåk even has a menu tab titled “Chocolate Loviness” on their site! I just can’t.
Awards: This maker has a long list of awards—none of which I’ve personally judged, but it’s worth scrolling through. Makes you want to go to Norway or something.
Location: Hardangerfjord, Norway
Chilli Dark Drinking Chocolate
Cacao Muse review: This is a single origin drinking chocolate—meaning the cacao comes from just one source, in this case Chanthaburi, a region southeast of Bangkok, Thailand. It’s a blend of Thai cacao and Thai chili peppers—and the blend is perfect.
I bought this container of Fjåk Chilli drinking chocolate at the NW Chocolate Festival in Bellevue, Washington in the fall of 2023. It was the last day and I, exhausted and nearly chocolated out (yes that is possible), was on my way back to my hotel, when I passed by the Fjåk stand. They had a row of drinking chocolates along with a few bars. You cannot leave a chocolate festival without a container of drinking chocolate. So I stopped, chatted with the chocolate lovi’s, and left a very happy chocolate camper.
Tasting Notes: Drinking this chocolate is the equivalent of taking a mineral salts bath after strenuous exercise. You just melt away. The peppery zing of Thai chilli peppers awakens your tastebuds, your mind, and your body. Hints of rum and pineapple too.
Percentage: 70%
Origin: Chanthaburi, Thailand
Ingredients: Cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cacao butter, organic bird eye chilli.
On behalf of my family here at The Cacao Muse, I wish you and your family a blessed Holiday, in whatever form you celebrate it. May your lights twinkle a little brighter, your table spread a little further, and your hugs close a little tighter.
And remember… whatever the holiday, chocolate always makes it smoother, deeper, richer, lovi-er.
The full “‘Twas the Night before Christmas” poem: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/twas-the-night-before-christmas_n_801194