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Broccoli and chocolate? We try vegetables in chocolate fondue to test Japanese company’s claims

Shannon Apr 7, 2022
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Cheese fondue we’d understand, but chocolate is a bit out there.

Food combinations in Japan seem to get stranger and stranger every year. Green tea soda, sushi crepes…the list goes on. And on a recent supermarket trip, our Japanese-language reporter Aoi Kuroneko found a totally normal chocolate fondue kit by Japanese company Busco Foods…except it had a picture of broccoli on the box. “Are they seriously recommending dipping broccoli in chocolate?” she thought.

▼ As you can see, they are.

Sure enough, all three kinds of fondue–white, ruby, and milk chocolate–had a picture of a different vegetable along with classic fondue choices like strawberries and pineapple. In typical SoraNews24 spirit, she grabbed a box of the ruby chocolate fondue kit with the intention to try it out with some steamed vegetables suggested by Busco Foods.

▼ It’s easy enough to prepare.

Preparing the kit was quick and simple. She started by putting the included ruby chocolate morsels in a microwave-safe container, covering it in plastic wrap, and heating it up. She did have to take it out once, stir it, and then heat it again, but there wasn’t much intensive labor due on her part.

▼ We don’t have a good feeling about this, though…

The first contender in the Veggies versus Chocolate match was steamed broccoli. Since Aoi steamed it, it had lost some of its typical grassy flavor. When she dipped it in the ruby chocolate and took a bite…it tasted good! She actually couldn’t taste the broccoli at all–just the ruby chocolate. Only the texture of broccoli remained. Round one: Aoi’s win.

▼ Alright, but what about something with a bit more crunch?

Next, she tried a steamed carrot. Just like the broccoli, she couldn’t even taste the carrot! She was able to savor just the ruby chocolate along with the crunch of the carrot, and neither of them got in the way of each other.

▼ This may be the most unusual pairing yet.

Her final experiment was with okra. Yes, the slimy, crunch okra. Admittedly, Aoi wasn’t a big fan of this one. It did have the texture of okra and the taste of ruby chocolate, but it was the sliminess and the seeds that she didn’t think went well with the sweet dessert. There are probably some who like it, but Aoi would rather pass.

▼ Busco Foods recommends enjoying it with different fruits, snacks, and veggies.

So there you have it! Vegetable chocolate fondue is totally doable. Along with broccoli, carrots, and okra, the fondue kit package also suggested asparagus and celery. While Aoi stuck with just the ruby chocolate this time, she’s curious to try asparagus and celery when she uses the the white and milk chocolate fondue kits .

So if you have leftover veggies that you need to use up, consider dipping them in chocolate! You can even pair it with some chocolate-flavored fish if you’re feeling extra adventurous.

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[ Read in Japanese ]