The History of Chocolate in France
The history of chocolate in France actually starts in Spain when Anne of Austria, the daughter of Spain's Philip III, brought the delicacy across to France. It was part of her dowry upon her marriage to King Louis XIII. Quickly loved by the French court and nobles, it became the fashionable elite beverage of Louis XIII's court.
At that time chocolate was considered to be both an exotic treat (only consumed by nobles) and a medicine. Taken with other medicines it disguised their flavours, and the chocolate itself had a mild calming effect. Mostly consumed at this time as a liquid with spices added, it wasn't until the 1800s that it evolved into the solid chocolate that we are more familiar with.
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History of Chocolate in Versailles
Famous historical devotees of chocolate were Queen Marie-Thérèse, the wife of Louis XIV, who helped make the habit of drinking chocolate a standard feature of daily life at the Court of Versailles. Louis XV loved the cocoa-based drink so much that he even prepared his own drinks in the privacy of his apartment kitchens. Madame du Barry (King Louis XV's favourite mistress) loved drinking the chocolate beverages he especially prepared for her.
On her arrival at Versailles from Austria to wed Louis XVI, young Marie-Antoinette brought her own chocolatier to ensure she continued to enjoy thick creamy hot chocolate drinks as she was used to. Now that's serious dedication to chocolate.
Chocolate in France
Fast forward to the 19th century and now with machines able to roll and cut chocolate, production became easier and cheaper. Chocolate shops opened up, and the delicious delicacy became more widely popular and available. France is one of the leading producers of chocolate with chocolatiers highly valued for their skill. Quality chocolate is still considered a luxury and gifted to those we love and on special occasions.
Fancy recreating the royal hot chocolate for yourself, as it was written at the time in 1755 by the court chef Menon? Then follow this recipe which has been amazingly preserved through history directly from the Court of King Louis XV of Versailles.
“Place an equal number of bars of chocolate and cups of water in a cafetiere and boil on a low heat for a short while; when you are ready to serve, add one egg yolk for four cups and stir over a low heat without allowing to boil. It is better if prepared a day in advance. Those who drink it every day should leave a small amount as flavouring for those who prepare it the next day. Instead of an egg yolk, one can add a beaten egg white after having removed the top layer of froth. Mix in a small amount of chocolate from the cafetiere then add to the cafetiere and finish as with the egg yolk.”
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