Menachem's Peruvian Chocolate
Chips of 96% chocolate ground with salt and coffee beans adorned the amazing homemade chocolate ice cream we tasted the other day. It is the wonderful pairing of the ice cream making mania of foodie David Leichman and the passion for food grinding of Hilaf Menachem at Melo Hatene, an organic farm and food center just south of Tel Aviv.
Tall, muscular Menachem makes his high cacao percentage chocolates from beans sourced from Peru. The agricultural center boasts grinding machines for the chocolate as well as for techina (ground sesame seeds), almond butter and olive oil.
Grinder for Cacao Beans
He claims to run the only locale in Israel that grinds cacao beans and supplies Holy Cacao centered in Hebron. Menachem’s family farm, in operation since 1895, raises 54 types of fruit and 45 types of vegetables. We hope to try his vegetarian restaurant on our next trip with the hope that we might follow it with ice cream and chocolate at the home of Rabbi Miri Gold and David Leichman (ARZA Mifgash), who kindly escorted us to Melo Hatene.
When our genial host David asked us whether we wanted to taste the coffee ice cream mixed with the chocolate chip ice cream (adorned with the locally ground Peruvian chocolate) or taste them separately, we were not sure what to say. He suggested that we enjoy them one at a time, great advice since each flavor excelled on its own, deep and strong. While he and Miri have plenty of homemade ice cream packed in the freezer and many baked goods (she was once known as the cookie rabbi for her terrific baked goods), we also saw that they have quite an large stash of specialty and quality chocolate, even more impressive than ours.
Miri and David's Chocolate Collection
Just wanted to let you know that we actually supply the Peruvian cocoa to Hilaf. We also roast it and winnow it for him-
All the best
Jo / from holy cacao