These striking chocolates were created by Japanese design studio Nendo. Akhiro Yoshida
These striking chocolates were created by Japanese design studio Nendo.
The idea is to explore texture's role in shaping taste. This bubbly one is dubbed "tubu-tubu." Akhiro Yoshida
The idea is to explore texture's role in shaping taste. This bubbly one is dubbed "tubu-tubu."
They all kinda look like they could be promotional items for Interstellar. Akhiro Yoshida
They all kinda look like they could be promotional items for Interstellar.
All of the chocolates fit into the same plot: a 26 mm cube. Akhiro Yoshida
All of the chocolates fit into the same plot: a 26 mm cube.
Each is named after a different Japanese expression for texture. Akhiro Yoshida
Each is named after a different Japanese expression for texture.
Nendo has a history of experimenting with chocolate. These are tiny chocolate paint tubes. Nendo
Nendo has a history of experimenting with chocolate. These are tiny chocolate paint tubes.
A line-up of forms. Akhiro Yoshida
A line-up of forms.
More eye candy. Akhiro Yoshida
More eye candy.
There aren’t many chocolates that are as fun to look at as they are to eat. Then, there aren’t many chocolates made by famous design studios, either.
Renowned Japanese design house Nendo created this singular box of goodies for Maison & Objet, a fancy furniture show in Paris. The idea was to experiment with one of the lesser explored aspects of the chocolate experience: texture.
All nine pieces in the limited-run box are the same type of chocolate, and they all fit within the same 26-millimeter cubic plot. But each has a unique architecture, and thus its own distinct taste. One of the chocolates looks like a clump of Buckyballs. Another is a hollow cube with a corner sliced off. The most aggressive looks like a little plot of spikes fit for a delicious booby trap. Each is named after a different Japanese expression for texture: “tubu-tubu,” “zara-zara,” “goro-goro,” “poki-poki.” Looking at them, you can imagine how one might be a dense mouthful, and how another might seem totally delicate.
The sweets up close. Akhiro Yoshida
This isn’t Nendo’s first foray into unusual edibles. A few years ago they made a box of chocolates in the form of tiny paint tubes. Before that, they created a set of chocolate pencils, which chocolate lovers could “sharpen” onto desserts. Most recently, the studio partnered with Häagen-Dazs to make ice cream cakes that looked like little villages.
These striking chocolates invite us to consider the formal qualities of more familiar treats. There’s the Snickers, the prototypical candy bar, just as solid and straightforward and unambitious as a Nokia phones which borrowed the “candybar” name. There’s the Kit-Kat, designed to be broken apart and consumed one thin finger at time. You’ve got M&Ms, which get shoveled into mouths by the dozens, and the Crunch bar, essentially a big, thin sheet of chocolate to nibble from.
If someone asked you to explain the difference between these snacks, you might default to listing ingredients. This one has nougat, that one has nuts. But on a more fundamental level, all these items too are set apart by their own distinct textures and architectures. They may not be quite as impressive as a chocolate in the form of the Interstellar tesseract, but they’re unique nonetheless. Keep this in mind the time you’re standing in front of a vending machine. It’s not just a bunch of candy bars. It’s a showroom of forms.
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