THE ULTIMATE BITTERSWEET LOVE STORY.

Byline: - David Bloom 

Chocolate, said author Enid Futterman, is like a woman. A woman like her, in fact.

Or like the protagonist of her book, ``Bittersweet Obsession: A Modestly Erotic Novel of Love, Longing and Chocolate.'' It is a lusciously produced novel of a woman's problematic quest across the United States and Europe for the perfect chocolate and the perfect man.

``Chocolate, not just because it's forbidden, has a dark quality, both literal and metaphorical,'' Futterman said. ``It holds the dark essence of at least the feminine psyche.''

Futterman, whose size 4 slimness belies her own bittersweet relationship with chocolate, started out writing a small, nonfiction book at a publisher's friend's suggestion.

But after a lengthy process that forced her to face her own self-destructive behaviors, and after dealing with the devastating death of the man she was about to marry, Futterman came up with a slender, beautiful novel that also includes her glowing photos.

Now, Futterman knows probably as much about chocolate as anyone who isn't in the business. She can talk at length about its many mysteries.

``When you eat a really good chocolate, it has layers, depth and complexity,'' Futterman said. ``They talk about it having `notes,' like wine. Chocolate is very complex, probably the most complex food on earth. It has more than 400 compounds in it, many of which haven't been defined yet.''

The book also contains what Futterman calls ``a subjective guide to the best chocolate in the world,'' listing contacts for the exquisite candies in the book, and recipes for truffles, fudge, hot chocolate and chocolate cake.

Futterman admits to having become ``more than a bit of a chocolate snob. When you taste chocolate month after month, your taste becomes rarified. You get spoiled.''

Though Europeans justifiably have had a long reputation for making great chocolate, Futterman happily reports ``there is such a thing as great chocolate in the U.S.''

The best raw chocolate, in fact, comes from a peculiarly American hybrid of some of the world's best cacao beans called Hawaiian vintage. The Hawaiian Vintage chocolates differ in flavor and texture depending on whether the beans were grown on plantations on the island's rainy or dry side.

Her favorite is the chocolate made from Kona Estate beans, and indeed, they are wonderfully rich and creamy, with slight raspberry notes.

She also says the best chocolate candies are made in the United States as well, by a Walpole, N.H., chocolatier named Larry Burdick.

Futterman said that having faced her obsession, and having dealt fairly well with the loss of her lover, she now has a much different relationship with chocolate, consuming it rather than the other way around.

``I haven't had a box of truffles for dinner in a long time,'' she said with a laugh. ``And there's no getting into bed with an 8-ounce Hershey bar.''

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Photo: (1--2) Enid Futterman's ``modestly erotic'' novel tells of a woman's quest for the perfect chocolate and the perfect man.