Today is Valentine’s Day. Apart from roses, jewelry, and champagne, chocolate is by far the most popular item for expressing one’s affection. Chocolate is a sweet indulgence for everyone across the globe, and almost no one can resist its charm. Nestled in Miaoli County’s Dahu Township, dubbed the “strawberry kingdom,” Schokolake — the first “chocolate farm” in Taiwan to produce classic chocolate — was opened in 2009. Based on a passion to make produce locally, Schokolake owner Ms. Lu has incorporated local ingredients and her creativity to make chocolate that caters to a Taiwanese palate. Among a wide variety of chocolate products, “Strawberry with White Chocolate,” one of Schokolake’s specialties, contains natural dried Dahu strawberries coated with a fine layer of white chocolate, giving it a pinkish-white look and a crunchy, sweet, and sour taste.
Schokolake manager Feng Ying-cheng told the Taipei Times that “Schokolake” is pronounced Sho-ko-laa-kay, a combination of the German word “schokolade” for chocolate and the English word “lake,” which is derived from “Dahu,” meaning “great lake,” since Lu hopes that Schokolake will be like a lake filled with tasty chocolate. Surrounded by the Hsueh-pa mountain range, Schokolake is spread out over 4 hectares (12,100 pings) with large lawns and a variety of creative architecture, including Chocolate Dream Hall, Chocolate House, Cloud Restaurant, the Strawberry Beer House, and the Space Password B&B. There are also all sorts of plants, the most notable being a unique tree called Moringa thouarsii, literally “elephant foot,” in front of Chocolate Dream Hall. The Swan Lake with birds and fish swimming in it in front of the beer house was built using natural engineering. As Lu said, “I want to build a home for nature, and nature will build a home for people.”
When entering the land of chocolate, people should of course indulge themselves in the delightful aromas, sweetness, richness, and intensity of chocolate. In Chocolate Dream Hall, people can taste raw chocolate from Madagascar, continental Africa, and Germany. Sugar-free raw xylitol chocolate is also available for a healthy alternative. There is also an assortment of chocolates in the Bon Bon Chocolate series with various creative flavors, such as wine, granadilla, raspberry, lychee, shaddock, Japanese green tea, Earl Grey tea, rose salt, pops candy, star anise, and truffles. Hands-on chocolate making workshops are offered at Chocolate Dream Hall, allowing people to add their own favorite flavors and then letting the chocolate cool in the fridge. The whole process, from making it to eating it, takes about an hour. In addition, Feng recommends Chocolate House’s specialty — Chocolate Fondue for Lovers — which is particularly appropriate on Valentine’s Day.
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
Lu has tried to plant cacao trees in Pingtung County. Since production is limited, she imports cacao beans from Belgium, Germany, Malaysia, Madagascar, and other places. Photos of cacao trees and descriptions of the process for turning cacao beans into good chocolate are displayed at Chocolate Dream Hall. To the surprise of many people, cacao pods are as big as the size of a papaya and grow directly from the trunk of the cacao tree, a phenomenon botanists call cauliflory.
Just as caffeine seems to perk people up, chocolate seems to make people happy. More than 300 different constituent compounds in chocolate have been identified and there has been a lot of research on the effect of chocolate on the human brain. Neuroscience for Kids Staff Writer Ellen Kuwana wrote, “Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine (PEA), a chemical related to amphetamines.” She wrote, “Phenylethylamine has been called the ‘love-drug’ because it quickens your pulse, as if you are in love.” That might be the reason why chocolate can improve your mood and make people feel warm. Whatever the chemical effects of chocolate, why not take a chocolate journey and add some romance and happiness to your life?
(Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times)
今天是西洋情人節，除了玫瑰花、首飾、香檳之外，巧克力更是示愛的夯品。巧克力的甜蜜滋味無法擋、魅力無國界。全台第一座製造台灣經典巧克力的「巧克力雲莊」，二○○九年在素有草莓王國之稱的苗栗縣大湖鄉開幕，雲主人呂小姐抱著「台灣製造」的熱情，結合在地食材，製作出各式迎合台灣人味蕾的巧克力。雲莊的招牌之一「白色美莓」，是將整顆大湖乾燥草莓，包裹薄薄一層白巧克力，營造出白裡透紅的視覺效果與酥脆酸甜口感。
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
「巧克力雲莊」經理馮穎誠告訴《台北時報》表示，雲莊的名稱Schokolake，發音是「ㄒㄧㄡ─ㄎㄡ─ㄌㄚ─ㄎㄟ˙」，是結合德文的「巧克力（Schokolade）」與苗栗大湖的「湖（Lake）」而來，因呂小姐希望「巧克力雲莊」像湖泊般，滿溢好吃的巧克力。雪霸山群環抱的「巧克力雲莊」，占地四公頃（一萬兩千一百坪），莊園內有大片草皮，各式充滿想像的建築，包含「巧克力夢想館」、「巧克力屋」、「雲餐廳」、「草莓啤酒館」、「空間密碼」民宿等，還有有各種奇特植物，其中在夢想館前的一棵長相特殊的象腳樹，最為醒目。啤酒館前以自然工法蓋的「天鵝湖」，可見許多鳥類魚類悠哉游水。誠如呂小姐所說：「我想為自然蓋一個家，自然就會為人蓋一個家。」
進到巧克力的領域，當然要品嚐巧克力的香甜醇濃。在「巧克力夢想館」，遊客可以吃到馬達加斯加、非洲、德國的生巧克力。另外以木糖醇入餡的無糖生巧克力，可謂兼顧健康的新選擇。雲莊還有「藏心」巧克力系列，創意十足的口味入餡，包含酒類、百香果、覆盆子、荔枝、香柚、抹茶、伯爵茶、玫瑰鹽、跳跳糖、八角、松露等。夢想館內還有提供巧克力DIY，民眾可加入自己喜歡的配料，冷凍脫膜成型後即可享用，全程約一個小時。另外，馮經理也推薦「巧克力屋」的巧克力情人鍋，在情人節更是應景。
呂小姐嘗試在屏東栽種可可樹，但因非量產，所以雲莊的巧克力豆從比利時、德國、馬來西亞，與馬達加斯加等國進口。夢想館內展示可可樹的照片，以及可可豆製成巧克力的過程。許多人可能不知道，可可豆筴其實像木瓜般大，且是長在樹幹上，植物學家之為「幹上著花」現象。
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
就像咖啡能提振精神般，巧克力似乎能讓人感到愉悅。巧克力含有過三百種已知的化學物質，學術界有許多關於巧克力影響大腦化學反應的研究。《小小神經科學》網站作家艾倫‧庫汪娜寫道：「巧克力含有安非他命的同系物─苯乙胺。」他寫道：「苯乙胺被稱為『愛情良藥』，因為它加速脈搏跳動，讓你有戀愛的感覺。」這可能也是為何巧克力能和緩情緒，並給人溫暖的感覺吧。不妨來一趟巧克力之旅，感受巧克力的化學作用，為生活增添一些浪漫與情趣。
（台北時報記者林亞蒂）
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
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