Fundamental Chocolate is amazingly, well, fundamental. The latest product line from Diane Pinder, owner of Donna & Company, contains only organic cacao from South America, organic cocoa butter, and natural honey from New Jersey apiaries (so it’s certified Jersey Fresh). Two of the three varieties are topped with raspberry bits or pistachios, the third is plain. This 70% chocolate contains no soy, wheat, dairy, processed sugar, gluten, or artificial preservatives.
Fundamental Chocolate
The website says Diane was inspired by the paleolithic diet when she created Fundamental, and I guess this is about as close to the tree as you can get. But to me, the great thing is that this is a chocolate that those with soy and dairy allergies can enjoy. I knew someone who could almost never have chocolate because of her allergies, and she felt so perpetually deprived. (The lecithin in most chocolate, which serves as a stabilizing emulsifier, is soy based. And of course milk chocolate contains dairy.)
Fundamental raspberry
I’ve known Diane for several years now, and have always enjoyed her chocolates (her pistachio brittle with sea salt is still a favorite). But this new line is extra special. She was nice enough to send me a packet of each variety, and I was quite impressed. This chocolate is very satisfying compared to others. A little square goes a long way, because with so few ingredients, the chocolate flavor has maximum impact. There’s none of that “noise” of all the other ingredients found in most chocolate. Fundamental Chocolate screams “pure” and comes in portion-controlled packets with 5 pieces in each, and for once, I didn’t finish it all in one sitting since it was so rich and satisfying.
Look for this in Brick Farm Market in Hopewell soon, and I’m sure you’ll run into it elsewhere too or order online).
NJ SPICE 