Practically every month, millions of chocolate lovers flock to major cities and small towns all over the world that celebrate special chocolate festivals. This is a true testament to people's undying love for these decadent pieces of pleasure. The chocolates that we love have been born many, many years ago. The festivals feature specialty chocolates and in these festivals gather hundreds of well known chocolate makers to showcase how they concoct their best chocolate recipes in front of millions of chocoholics.
It is a one day fun-filled festival where there are lots of games, shows by famous artists, cooking demos, historical exhibits, chocolate eating contests, and other activities apart from the opportunity to taste some of the best chocolates ever.
Here are five great chocolate festivals that you have to see in your lifetime.
1. Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival
This event which happens every fall is home to Domingo Ghirardelli and the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company that was incorporated back in 1952. It is still celebrated in San Francisco where the company was born, held every year in the ever famous Ghirardelli Square. Activities include exhibitions, car shows, talent shows, cooking demonstrations, cooking contests, etc. It's free to join the festivities but they charge minimal fees on those chocolate lovers who just cannot resist chocolate tasting. Proceeds of this event will go to charity.
2. Salon Du Chocolat Festival
Visited by tourists and natives alike, Salon Du Chocolat is still celebrated annually in Versailles, France. Open to local and international chocolatiers, the festival is not at all about chocolate tasting. It is more of geared towards holding various events like symposia, talent shows, cooking demonstrations and more. This year it will open on October 14 until the18th.
3. Eurochocolate
Celebrated in Perugia, Italy, this annual event is where hundreds of European chocolatiers meet. Known as one of the most important chocolate festivals in the world, it gathers leaders of the chocolate industry to talk about reforms on running manufacturing companies. Of course, there are hundreds of chocolates available for tasting, partnered with wine, cheese and other meals that are surprisingly so chocolaty.
For ten days, visitors will enjoy an array of activities that they might want to enjoy such as cooking demonstrations, expositions, laboratories, cooking classes, banquets and many more!
4. Cioccolato of Turin
Turin– the largest producer of chocolates in all of Italy, is home to Cioccolato, an annual festival featuring Italian chocolatiers. This event is very popular to about 700,000 visitors that are said to consume approximately 66,000 pounds of chocolates. The festivities which last 10 days feature chocolate and wine tasting, tea parties, cooking demonstrations, games and many others. Said to be the birthplace of the chocolate bar, Turin hosts tourists from all over the world who are very eager to sample these precious delicacies. Chocolate lovers get to watch extravagant productions staged by chocolate manufacturers and listen to lectures about chocolates' delightful stories as well as their history.
5. Chocolate Lovers Festival in Virgina
Old Town Fairfax is home to Chocolate Lovers' Festivals, a two-day event that surrounds supporters with vast choices of delicious chocolate in many forms. There are bake sales, cooking demos, lectures, craft shows, cooking contests, chocolate eating contests, storytelling, theatrical shows and many more.
These are just five of the so many famous and well-celebrated festivals all over the world. There are many others that feature thousands of famous and local chocolatiers. That is why whenever you travel, ask whether the place you are visiting might have their own festivals to celebrate and you might just get lucky! It's not everyday that chocolate lovers get to feast their eyes and hearts out on one thing they most love, the chocolates! So, if you are a true chocolate lover, and couldn't stop eating these fancy treats, pack up your bags and join the festivities celebrating the greatest indulgence the world has even known!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Sweetest Secret for Chocolate Lovers
Many years after the first chocolate was introduced to the Spanish monarchy and failed to steal their approval, Cortez dared to present then King Charles V with the newfound harvest from the New World making all people become chocolate lovers in the future.
The bittersweet taste of the cocoa inspired very little support from its drinkers until Cortez blew the world away with a discovery that when mixed with sugar and milk, along with many other sweeteners and spices, chocolate can be very enticing! The concoction was revered in the high courts that chocolate was reserved only for the nobility and the Spanish refused to share this delicacy with any other nation.
Dominican Friars who used to process the revered beans finally let the secret out in 1544 and soon took Europe by a storm.
A Sweet Chocolate Love Story in Paris
Chocolate was introduced to France when Spanish Princess Maria Theresa married Louis XIV of France. As an engagement gift, she gave her fiancé a box of ornately decorated box of chocolates which took the French by the heart. Their marriage must have been maid in chocolate heaven because it was said that King Louis made love twice a day with his wife.
The chocolates aphrodisiac qualities were further recognized by the French nobilities , even their art reflected the dark, tempestuous allure of chocolates. Stories such as that of Casanova using chocolates to seduce his lovers and Madame du Barry becoming nymphomaniac were passed on.
From Mistake to Praline
A funny chocolate anecdote comes to mind; the renowned Duke of Plesslis-Praslin was once kept waiting for his dessert owing to the accidental dropping of a bowlful of almonds in the kitchen. Panic-stricken the chef pours over burned sugar over the beans! The Duke couldn't be made to wait any longer so as soon as the sugar cooled, the chef served the noble a plate of almonds covered with burnt sugar and he was delighted. So impressed that he gave his name to this mistake! Today we know it as praline.
America Greets Cadbury
Europe remains in awe of this delicious treat, meanwhile Americans discover the chocolate and in 1765, the first chocolate factory in America was built. Soon major countries in Europe followed the examples of Spain along with America to establish more factories and find more ways to serve chocolate.
In 1828, it was found that including a little bit of the cocoa butter actually made the chocolate drink a lot smoother. Between 1830's to the late 1840's chocolate makes developed the drink into the solid form and later a fondant was introduced. And so in 1849, the Cadbury Brothers put into exhibit their decadent chocolate creations in Birmingham, England.
The Swiss Takes the Lead
After many years of dedicated study on how to process the cocoa, the Swiss discovered a way to cook the chocolate by means of refining it via 'conching'. It took about 72 hours of continues rolling and refining. Soon after, putting the chocolate in your mouth, it melts; thus the known texture today. It was a Swiss too that discovered a means to add flavor to the chocolate by filling it.
Whatever kind of chocolate you have with you today is a result of many years of devotion to the xocoatl. Men before us have been captured and tempted to their cores that those who followed only continued what they long worked for – to make the chocolate the staple that it is today. What started out as mere beans that men barely noticed has become a valued treat, the creamy, lustful and rich sweets that chocolate lovers will die for!
The bittersweet taste of the cocoa inspired very little support from its drinkers until Cortez blew the world away with a discovery that when mixed with sugar and milk, along with many other sweeteners and spices, chocolate can be very enticing! The concoction was revered in the high courts that chocolate was reserved only for the nobility and the Spanish refused to share this delicacy with any other nation.
Dominican Friars who used to process the revered beans finally let the secret out in 1544 and soon took Europe by a storm.
A Sweet Chocolate Love Story in Paris
Chocolate was introduced to France when Spanish Princess Maria Theresa married Louis XIV of France. As an engagement gift, she gave her fiancé a box of ornately decorated box of chocolates which took the French by the heart. Their marriage must have been maid in chocolate heaven because it was said that King Louis made love twice a day with his wife.
The chocolates aphrodisiac qualities were further recognized by the French nobilities , even their art reflected the dark, tempestuous allure of chocolates. Stories such as that of Casanova using chocolates to seduce his lovers and Madame du Barry becoming nymphomaniac were passed on.
From Mistake to Praline
A funny chocolate anecdote comes to mind; the renowned Duke of Plesslis-Praslin was once kept waiting for his dessert owing to the accidental dropping of a bowlful of almonds in the kitchen. Panic-stricken the chef pours over burned sugar over the beans! The Duke couldn't be made to wait any longer so as soon as the sugar cooled, the chef served the noble a plate of almonds covered with burnt sugar and he was delighted. So impressed that he gave his name to this mistake! Today we know it as praline.
America Greets Cadbury
Europe remains in awe of this delicious treat, meanwhile Americans discover the chocolate and in 1765, the first chocolate factory in America was built. Soon major countries in Europe followed the examples of Spain along with America to establish more factories and find more ways to serve chocolate.
In 1828, it was found that including a little bit of the cocoa butter actually made the chocolate drink a lot smoother. Between 1830's to the late 1840's chocolate makes developed the drink into the solid form and later a fondant was introduced. And so in 1849, the Cadbury Brothers put into exhibit their decadent chocolate creations in Birmingham, England.
The Swiss Takes the Lead
After many years of dedicated study on how to process the cocoa, the Swiss discovered a way to cook the chocolate by means of refining it via 'conching'. It took about 72 hours of continues rolling and refining. Soon after, putting the chocolate in your mouth, it melts; thus the known texture today. It was a Swiss too that discovered a means to add flavor to the chocolate by filling it.
Whatever kind of chocolate you have with you today is a result of many years of devotion to the xocoatl. Men before us have been captured and tempted to their cores that those who followed only continued what they long worked for – to make the chocolate the staple that it is today. What started out as mere beans that men barely noticed has become a valued treat, the creamy, lustful and rich sweets that chocolate lovers will die for!
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