Indulgence: One Man's Selfless Search for the Best Chocolate in the World [Paperback]

Paul Richardson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

From Willy Wonka to Ferrero Rocher, chocolate is embedded in our culture as perhaps no other foodstuff. And although it has been swooned over endlessly in print, Indulgence takes the subject to entirely new realms. In a pleasurable mélange of travel narrative, historical writing, and literary gastronomy, Paul Richardson discovers a substance that still has much to say about the joys and agonies of our human debt to pleasure. In this whimsical chronicle of one of mankind’s ruling passions, he concludes that chocolate has lost none of its mysterious capacity to bewitch.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Perhaps no other edible substance is so fraught with meaning as chocolate, a food that conjures up memories of childhood and feelings of bliss. For the average consumer who gets a fix from Hershey or Snickers, Richardson’s exploration of chocolate’s historical, cultural, gastronomic and even political impact will be nothing short of eye-opening. He begins his travelogue in Mexico, with a study of the harvesting and production of cacao beans, which come from the Theobroma Cacao ("chocolate tree"). While journeying through such countries as Venezuela, Spain, France, Italy, the U.K., and the U.S., Richardson observes the manner in which people enjoy their chocolate and concludes that it is directly tied to culture: hot chocolate drinks abound in Spain and, in France, artisan chocolatiers produce sublime truffles and other treats. Artisinal chocolate is a far cry from the sweet milk chocolate confections favored in the United States and Britain. Of the Cadbury eggs that are ubiquitous during Easter, Richardson remarks: "To eat a whole Creme Egg...is to feel sick in soul and stomach for the rest of the day." Of course, luxury items are never without political implications and consequences. Richardson notes the harsh dichotomy that exists between producing and consuming nations: "Cacao and chocolate are the raw and the cooked. What comes to mind is a dualistic, almost Manichean world, or rather two separate worlds living in almost total ignorance of each other. How many Western consumers have more than the faintest clue about cacao, its provenance and process? Meanwhile Latin America consumes 7 per cent of the cacao it produces; Africa, just 3 per cent." Readers will likely be left with a serious chocolate craving after reading some of Richardson’s more eloquent descriptions, but it’s hard to imagine ever looking at a bon-bon in quite the same way again.
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Review

“Readers will likely be left with a serious chocolate craving after reading some of Richardson's more eloquent descriptions.” -- Publishers Weekly Review Annex

“The story of chocolate has never been better told.” -- Conde Nast Traveller

“Wholly entertaining… as stuffed with rich delights as a box of Belgian chocolates.” -- Daily Mail

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0349115524
• ISBN-13: 978-0349115528
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Baking > Chocolate

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Notable for its omissions, September 1, 2004

By 

C. L. Sams (Hastings UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Indulgence (Hardcover)

The Glasgow Herald says: 'A writer who is prepared to sell his soul for one Lindt Milk Chocolate Animal'
What I found extraordinary about this comprehensive book that covers every aspect of the history, cultivation, production, marketing and the social and political issues surrounding chocolate is that, despite mentioning issues concerning fair trade, the author never mentions the Fairtrade Foundation, Divine chocolate or Green & Black's. It's simply not possible that he was unaware of the significance of these brands and the importance of organic cultivation to saving cacao from the ravages of disease and the importance of fair trade to saving cacao growers from the ravages of an unfair trading system, yet he glosses over these issues completely. I'm sure that Lindt will send him some chocolate animals, but this omission seriously reduces the value of an otherwise excellent book.
As the founder of Green & Black's chocolate I obviously have an axe to grind, but these issues are of vital importance and it was dismaying to see them sidestepped in a book that aims to be definitive

4.0 out of 5 stars A goodish read, April 4, 2009

By 

Adrenalin Streams (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indulgence: One Man's Selfless Search for the Best Chocolate in the World (Paperback)

A good read, but I do find the language a bit flowery at times for my liking. Well researched, this book provides a useful addition to the canon of works that take an in-depth look at chocolate's history and its development and refinement. Unfortunately, the rate at which the fine chocolate market is developing means that the author's views on who the world's finest chocolate makers are, is already out of date, if not at the time the book was written 6 years ago. The only fine bar maker dealt with in any detail is Valrhona, with a single mention, in passing, of Amedei, and nothing on Pralus, Domori etc. Where chocolatiers are concerned, the French section holds up, but the UK piece was written before the rise to fame of stars such as William Curley, Damian Allsop and Paul A. Young. Four stars, but personally I prefer Mort Rosenblum's book, which I feel covers the same ground more interestingly.

4.0 out of 5 stars Heartfelt, revealing tour of cacao culture., January 3, 2007

By 

Techdaddy (California USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Indulgence: One Man's Selfless Search for the Best Chocolate in the World (Paperback)

NOT a cookbook, this volume is instead a very personal exploration of the hidden and historical roots of "chocolate" and the people who grow it, prepare it, and study its ancestry. Get your truffle recipes elsewhere, but get insights and lots of obscure, useful information here.