Feb 4, 2010

Developing the Mahal Bar

Mahal Bar

Sharing love through chocolate

Here’s the first of my posts that describes how chocolate and culture have come together. The Mahal Bar, just in time for Valentine’s Day, is light, floral and full of delicious chocolate.

Country of Inspiration: Philippines

Meaning of Name: In the Tagalog language of the Philippines, there are two meanings to the word mahal. Most people initially associate it meaning ‘expensive’. But in this context, mahal means ‘love’. ‘Mahal Kita’ means the same as ‘I love you’. There are three aphrodisiacs in the bar: ylang ylang, cinnamon and dark chocolate. Besides the 72% dark chocolate, the main identifying ingredient in this bar is ylang ylang, a fragrant flower native to the Philippines. Of the current chocolate bars in our line, Mahal is the lightest, most sensuous, and I often describe it as being the most feminine of flavors.

The label: You’ll find that symbolism, much like there is in Asian art and architecture, runs

through many of my labels. The illustration shown on the right is the black and white verison of the ylang ylang flower used on the front of the label. The pattern you see illustrated below is the back label which has one pattern on top of another. If you look closely, you’ll see gentle waves symbolizing renewal. Behind the waves, are very faint interlocking rings with the ylang ylang flower inside each ring. I chose to wrap this bar in white lokta paper, a nod to the Western notion of purity, while the front red label symbolizes love.