Name: Water Element Pralines – 水
Brand: Elements Chocolats
SKU: 494
Availability: InStock

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Yinyang balance

阴阳和合

Roasted white Chinese water chestnut in a
toasted black sesame praline

Immortal Pu’Er Tea & Rose

永生普洱茶与永恒玫瑰

Nuomi Pu'er tea & Rose ganache

Mandate of Heaven

汉朝的天命

Fujian lychee flower honey with himalyan pink salt & walnut gianduja

Yinyang balance -

阴阳和合

Roasted White Chinese water chestnut in a toasted Black sesame praline

While black on the outside, Chinese water chestnuts have a bright white and exceptionally crisp, crunchy yet juicy inside, often described as a combination of a coconut & apple-like freshness, with a hint of nuttiness. Culturally they are considered as tokens of prosperity & unity.

Among the most popular fillings for Asian sweet pastries, cakes and desserts, black sesame has a nuttier flavour than their white sesame counterpart. Black sesame forms the iconic filling for 汤圆 (tangyuan) glutinous rice balls, a delicious must have dish for celebrating the end of China’s most important annual festival, the Lunar New Year.

Here I use the combination of roasted bright white water chestnut & jet black sesame to depict the colours of the iconic Daoist white & black yin-yang symbol (阴阳太极图), representing the balance of the two complementary forces that make up all aspects & phenomena of life and the universe.

Immortal Pu’Er Tea & Rose -

永生普洱茶与永恒玫瑰

Nuomi (sticky rice perfumed) Pu'er black tea & Rose ganache

The mountains of southern Yunnan province are believed to be the 4,700 year old birthplace of tea. To this day tea there is still tended to & harvested primarily by the Dai and Aini tribes. Because of the inherent qualities of its Pu’er leaves, the tea does not lose its flavor with time like other teas. Instead through fermentation, like wine, Pu-er tea's taste improves with each passing year, becoming more flavourful, livelier, richer, fruitier & complex. Because this kind of result is borne out patiently & naturally without human interference, it development is closely related to the Daoist natural way.

In western culture the rose is a symbol of eternal love, which is only truly gained through a deep relationship, growing & adapting to one another over time.

Mandate of Heaven -

汉朝的天命

Fujian lychee flower honey with himalyan pink salt & walnut gianduja

The Mandate of Heaven was a Chinese political & philosophical concept that justified the rule of an emperor. The idea handed down from heaven that humans are part of the flow of the natural world and that agriculture & nature could only thrive if there were virtuous rulers. The Han-dynasty was the first to embrace this idea ushering in a golden age of reform & expansion. At the same time the first records of taming bees for honey cultivation come from the Han dynasty, almost 1,800 years ago.

Among the Han dynasty emperors & elites originated a practice that continues to this day of rubbing & rotating文玩(wenwen) walnuts in one’s palms. The flow of the walnuts rolling is said to stimulate acupuncture points on the hands that are closely connected to internal & external organs of the body. In doing so, it is believed to improve blood circulation, improve sleep & enhance physical strength, as well as strengthening the brain & enhancing memory. Meanwhile the pronunciation of ‘core’ 核 (he) in walnut 核桃 (hetao) has the same sound as 和 for 和平 (heping) ‘Peace & togetherness’, implying harmony bringing wealth.