Q: How did you come up with the idea for On the Chocolate Trail?
A:
My husband, Mark Hurvitz, who’s also a rabbi, and I were traveling in Paris. We
went to a number of chocolate shops. [At one shop] I happened to pick up their
company literature, and I read something about how Jews who had been exiled
from Spain brought chocolate-making to France. I had never heard this before.
I
thought about how Jews followed lines of dispersion from Spain, and what
chocolate centers existed in the early part of European contact. There was an
overlap. It made sense that Jews who were exposed to chocolate-making would be
involved in the chocolate business. I followed that first “oh my gosh” feeling.
Q:
How did you research the book, and did you learn anything that especially
surprised you?
A:
I researched both by tasting and by reading. I tasted as much as I could! And I
had three fellowships to pursue my research. I did a lot of reading, and I
learned a lot of stories, not only about Jews but Catholics, Quakers, Mayans,
Aztecs.
Half
the material in the book is about Jews and chocolate, and the second part of
the book is about other religions that had lots of chocolate connections.
In
terms of surprises, the first was that there was an overlap between religion
and chocolate. And how chocolate evolved over the years from primarily a
beverage to an eaten product. How
involved Jews were in the business surprised me. There was a lot of learning.
Q:
What’s your favorite kind of chocolate?
A:
The one I’m about to eat that’s right in front of me!
Q:
What was the reaction to the first edition of this book, and why did you decide
to write a second edition?
A:
The reaction to the first edition was great. I was surprised by the number of
requests I received, and the publisher was thrilled with the sales. That
generated the second edition—the idea was to update it so it was available to
people in its current form.
The
second edition has additional information, such as about deities being formed into chocolate--Jesus,
Buddha and others—and the controversies that raised.
I
updated the list in the back of the book about religious and ethical values you
could use when buying your chocolate. The last chapter of the first edition was
a full conversation about what makes an ethical chocolate, what should I be
looking for. I updated and expanded that.
There
were 13 recipes in the first book; now there are 25. And there are new
sidebars, about halal chocolate and kosher chocolate, and what did Alexander Hamilton
drink.
Q:
So what should someone look for in terms of ethical chocolate?
A:
Is the company committed to sustainability? Is the packaging made from recycled
material? Is it a company committed to replanting the rainforest? Is it a
company that’s tzedakah [charitable giving]-minded? Are they committed to their
community in a meaningful way? Are they assisting farmers and communities and
improving their standard of living?
For
some Jews, it’s is it kosher or kosher for Passover.
The
most compelling question: Is it from a country that has child labor and slavery
in chocolate growing and harvesting?...Over two million children are working in
harsh situations harvesting cocoa. It’s horrible.
Q:
Are you working on another book?
A:
I have some ideas. I’m working on a chocolate book relating to the chocolate
trail. I have a second book in the series in mind, and I’m working on something
different. I’m looking at celebratory breads—challah, babka, and other examples
in the Jewish tradition, and lots of other cultures with celebratory yeast
breads.
Q:
Anything else we should know?
A:
The book became the basis for a museum exhibit mounted by the Bernard Museum of
Temple Emanu-El in New York City. That exhibit is now available to travel.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Deborah Prinz will be appearing at the Temple Sinai (D.C.) Authors' Roundtable on March 23.
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