CHINESE NEW YEAR: Godiva Chocolate For The Year Of The Horse

January 15, 2014 at 3:59 pm · Filed under Chinese/Lunar New Year, Chocolate, Valentine's Day

Lady Godiva rides in for the Lunar New Year.
The image is larger than the actual
chocolates. Photo courtesy Godiva.

Some foodies end the Christmas-New Year holiday season in anticipation of Valentine’s Day. But don’t forget about Chinese New Year, celebrated by Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese, who follow a different calendar than Western cultures. (There are actually a dozen different lunar holidays in Asia).

Eating sweets symbolizes the beginning of a “sweet year.”

The Year Of The Horse, begins on Friday, January 31st. If you were born in 2002, 1990, 1978, 1966, 1954, 1942, 1930 or 1918, this is your lunar year. If you follow astrology, you can check on what this means for your health, wealth, relationships and career.

But regardless of whether your zodiac animal is a horse or one of the others (dog, dragon, monkey, ox, pig/boar, tiger, rabbit, rat, rooster, sheep, snake), you can treat yourself to a box of Godiva’s truly wonderful lunar year chocolates.

This year’s selection from Godiva Chocolatier includes three spectacular pieces:

Dark Caramel Pear: crunchy caramel pear ganache with a touch of vanilla in a blend of milk and& dark chocolate, enrobed in dark chocolate.

Milk Cherry Almond: crunchy almond praliné, sour cherry and a hint of honey blended with milk chocolate, enrobed in milk chocolate.

White Pineapple Macadamia: nutty macadamia cream and sweet pineapple blended with white chocolate ganache, enrobed in white chocolate.

Each offers a cascade of flavors and textures that are so much more glorious than the words used to describe them. They are exquisite chocolates, and we loved all three equally.

The recipes were developed in Asia for the Asian consumer, and reflect those flavor preferences. The chocolates are less sweet than American-developed flavors—a boon for those domestic palates that have evolved to prefer a more moderate level of sweetness.

Where To Purchase

You can purchase the chocolates in Lunar New Year gift boxes, along with other Godiva pieces—20 pieces total for $50.00 and 32 pieces total for $120. They can be purchased in Godiva boutiques and online at Godiva.com.

But our recommendation is to head to a Godiva boutique for a hand-packed box of 100% Year Of The Horse Collection. Seriously, we couldn’t get enough of them. They’ll only be in stores through January 31st.

On days when you’re not eating the chocolate, check out the Lunar New Year specials at your local Asian restaurants.

GODIVA CHOCOLATE MARZIPAN HEARTS

Available only through Valentine’s Day (while supplies last) is another special treat: marvelous marzipan hearts, covered with your choice of dark or milk chocolate.

Oh, how delicious! As with the Year Of The Horse collection, we couldn’t stop eating them.

They’re available in Godiva boutiques only. Here’s a store locator: If you’re a marzipan lover, you’ll want more than a few.

You may want to call first to make sure they haven’t run out; although there are plenty of other choices. But if your heart is set on marzipan hearts, you can always make your own with this recipe from AnEdibleMosaic.com.