14 DAY TRIAL // Ask anybody who has a firm grasp on what food is and what you're supposed to do with it, and they will tell you that, just like pizza, ice cream and other heavenly treats, chocolate is supposed to go into your mouth.
The thing is that, as it turns out, there is one other way to enjoy chocolate: grind it into a fine powder and snort it. No joke. In fact, it looks like some people have been "tasting" chocolate with their nostrils instead of their tongue for years now.
The historic moment when the nostrils overturned the tongue
Back in 2007, Belgian chocolatier Dominique Persoone got to cater a party for the Rolling Stones. Looking to make an impression, he cooked up a very special chocolate dessert, and had people snort it rather than eat it, as is customary with all things that are, you know, edible.
The chocolatier's unusual dessert proved quite a hit. Then again, it's safe to assume that this was partly because it got to make its debut at a Rolling Stones party and not at Sunday Mass in a small town.
Fast forward 7 years, and Dominique Persoone says that tens of thousands of people are now in the habit of snorting chocolate looking to better enjoy its flavor. He even has a scientific explanation for why sniffing chocolate trumps eating it the old-fashioned way.
Thus, he explains that, whereas the human tongue can only detect a few flavor, the nose has the ability to zoom in on millions upon millions of scents. Because of this, snorting chocolate is a more fulfilling experience.
How the heck does one snort chocolate?
Mind you, fans of Belgian chocolatier Dominique Persoone and his company, The Chocolate Line, don't just shove chunks of chocolate up their nose. Instead, they use a special device to have chocolate powder catapulted into their nostrils.
The device, shown in the photo accompanying this article, delivers just enough chocolate powder to delight the senses. Although the experience is said to be surprisingly pleasant, Dominique Persoone warns that folks should not sniff too much or let kids give the device a try.
Medical experts say people shouldn't sniff chocolate at all
In an interview with Live Science, Dr. Jordan Josephson with the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, US, said that, all things considered, it would be best if folks were to simply refrain from snorting chocolate altogether. Or any other substances, for that matter.
“Snorting chocolate powder is not safe, because the powder is perceived by the nose as a foreign toxic substance. Putting any foreign bodies - including smoke, cocaine and/or chocolate powder - is not safe and is not advised,” the specialist said.
The trouble is that, since he designed and made his first chocolate sniffing device back in 2007, Belgian chocolatier Dominieuq Persoone has until now sold about 25,000 such contraptions. Otherwise put, there are plenty of people out there snorting instead of eating their dessert.