Smakelijk!

In my last post, I shared a bit about the latest iteration of Echea Chocolate packaging. Today, I’d like to tell you about my favorite part of it all. You likely won’t see it right away, unless you’re the curious type, like myself.

Immediately upon picking up a chocolate bar, I flip it over. The back will tell me what I want to know: what’s in this thing and how much of it do you recommend I scarf down in one sitting? On the back of Echea’s packaging, however, there’s a tiny bit more. Flip that bar over, and you’ll see a circular, charcoal-colored sticker with what may look like gibberish on it.

Smakelijk!

Pronounced smock-eh-lick. (I sure did use the official pronunciation tools of the world for this… not!)

This word is Dutch/Flemish and is typically used in the phrase “Eet smakelijk!” or “Smakelijk eten!”, meaning, “Enjoy your meal!” Growing up, I heard this phrase often. We used it (and still do) nearly every time we sit down to enjoy a meal as a family. To me, it invokes a sense of community, joy and gratitude as we embark on the sacred journey of consuming a meal together. Wishing one another well as we set out on an adventure for the senses.

Perhaps that’s over-spiritualizing it or just too mushy for you, in which case, suffice to say, smakelijk simply means enjoy. And, that is exactly my hope for you as you pick up an Echea Chocolate bar, be it your first or fifth. That you enjoy it, thoroughly!