Ah, finally I have had time to try the mysterious pseudo chocolate bar that Pille of nami-nami fame sent me several moons ago. I can't believe that it was in January she sent it. It has been sitting quietly in my fridge ever since, sometimes catching my eye as I have been getting something to eat (giving me a slightly bad conscience for not trying it).
Anyways! Brief recap. Kama in this context is not the hindu god of love, it is an Estonian traditional food item in flour form (a mix of rough grain flour and pea flour). It is supposed to be nutritious and refreshing, especially when mixed with sour milk for a cool summer drink. During the Soviet era in the 70s when chocolate was hard to come by someone came up with the brilliant idea to replace the cacao flour in chocolate with kama flour. Presto, the kama bar saw the light of day, and it was good!
Or, was it? Having tried the kama bar Pille sent me I can honestly say that it is a rather pleasant experience. To me the look of the packaging is very 70s. Wrapped in gold foil the bar has a sleeve of yellow and brown paper with the Kamatahvel name in a heavy font and a stylised sun with grain husk inlays. Looks great to me, but then again, I am a 70s child.
There is not a very strong smell, and the feeling to the touch is smooth and soft. Taste is hard to define, but there is definitely a hint of coffee in there. Very mild, I'd say it is a rather good substitute for what we in Sweden call "milk chocolate" meaning lighter colored chocolate low on cacao content (and mixed with milk). When you chew it the texture is again very smooth and silky to the tongue. Very nice.
After trying the chocolate bar substitute I can definitely say I am interested in trying the variety mixed with sour milk. I really do appreciate the taste. But now I am off to try and download the classic martial arts movie The Octagon with Chuck Norris to see a whole different type of kama... Amazing what you can be reminded of when looking stuff up on the Internet.
Pille, again, thanks for sending me the kama bar! :)
