Drinking chocolate - history, types, recipes

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Drinking chocolate or hot chocolate is a well-known beverage that has been accompanying us for years in cafes and restaurants as an accompaniment to a meal or as a stand-alone treat. Liquid drinkable chocolate has also made its way into our homes: it can be made from special powder, chocolate in lozenges and bars, or from scratch using pure cocoa. As of recently, you can also get this treat in our online store. Where did hot chocolate come from, what types are there and how to make it properly?

Hot chocolate - about its long history briefly

Korzenie gorącej czekolady sięgają napojów produkowanych przez Majów i Azteków z Zatoki Meksykańskiej, które były jednak chłodne i dość dalekie od tego, czym dziś raczymy się – zwłaszcza zimą – w kawiarniach. Aztecy przygotowywali w zasadzie dwa rodzaje płynnego kakao: alkoholowy napój przypominający wino z masy otaczającej ziarna kakao oraz dość gorzki, chłodny napój tworzony z samych ziaren ¹. Przez setki lat, czekolada do picia była postrzegana jako święty wywar dodający wigoru, godny wielkiego wojownika, który korzystając z kakao, zyskuje jeszcze większą siłę ². Dopiero po tym, jak konkwistadorzy sprowadzili w XVI wieku kakao do Europy, bogaty w aromaty chilli i cynamonu napój Azteków nieco zmienił swoją funkcję ³. Nie od razu jednak stał się słodkim przysmakiem na zimne wieczory – również w Europie płynną czekoladę spożywczą traktowano jako napój godny silnego mężczyzny: żołnierza lub dżentelmena ⁴. Ostatecznie, nie bez kozery drzewu kakaowca przypisano grecką nazwę Theobroma cacao – “Pokarm dla bogów”!

But how, in fact, did the history of hot chocolate begin on the Old Continent? At first, the process of making the drink resembled a recipe practiced in Mesoamerica. Cocoa beans were fermented, dried and roasted, and then the shells were separated from them and crushed to form a cocoa paste. Such paste, mixed with water, was the first cocoa beverage known both overseas and in Europe. However, in 1828, Dutch chemist Coenraad Joahennes van Houten invented a way to separate the fats from the cocoa seeds, thereby obtaining the first ever cocoa powder. This powder allowed the preparation of a beverage that is popularly called simply “cocoa” in Poland today. Adding the fat back to the powder, on the other hand, leads to the base of hot chocolate - and this is where the actual history of the drink begins, which we still consume today ⁵.

The custom of drinking chocolate quickly spread throughout Europe and came to be regarded as a symbol of prestige and elitism - although, interestingly, many Europeans regarded hot chocolate as a typically Catholic drink. Protestants, on the other hand, preferred to stick with coffee⁶. Interestingly, some sources say that the recipe for drinking food chocolate originated at the court of Philip II of Spain, where its health benefits were noted, and vanilla began to be added to it, cinnamon, sugar and nuts ⁷. A big step forward in the development of hot chocolate was also the replacement of water with milk, which is often still done today ⁸. As you can see, the history of drinking chocolate is rich and goes back to ancient times - it is worth adding, that for a long time it was an exclusive drink in gentlemen's clubs in Britain ⁹! From there, it's not far to our time, where hot chocolate is a popular, wholesome beverage. However, there are still chocolatiers in Europe, where you can enjoy it in a slightly more exclusive way!

Europe's famous chocolatiers

Jakie miejsca polecić prawdziwemu, oddanemu fanu gorącej czekolady? Pierwszym z nich byłaby bez wątpienia otwarta w 1894 roku (!) czekoladziarnia de San Ginés w Madrycie, która oferuje słynne, hiszpańskie churros z czekoladą. Przyrządzana tam czekolada do picia podobno nie ma sobie równych, a wielbiciele tego napoju mogą zakupić w czekoladziarni również najróżniejsze akcesoria do przyrządzania czekolady oraz własną czekoladę do przygotowania w domu ¹⁰!

Another place not to be missed by any fan of hot chocolate is the “Old Chocolate House” in Bruges. Here, instead of the fantastic combination of chocolate and churros, you'll come across a whole range of options that you can even enjoy! Hot chocolate with milk, dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate, with the addition of waffles or rum or amaretto, with the option of serving with marshmallows or whipped cream.... ¹¹ options are plentiful! If you're a fan of drinking chocolate in various editions, be sure to check out this chocolatier!

It would also be impossible not to mention here the Angelina chocolate shop, whose origins date back to 1903. The place is still an icon of Paris today, and the drinking chocolate created here is made from a secret recipe! All that is known about the recipe is that it recommends preparing the drink from cocoa beans that grow in Nigeria, Ghana and the Ivory Coast - these trees are grown specifically for Angelina! The combination of beans from the three countries is said to give the hot chocolate here a strong, rich flavor. Served with whipped cream, is sure to be a memorable treat ¹².

When drinking hot chocolate in these places, it is worth remembering the famous people who may have looked there in the past two centuries. Of the most famous ones, for example, we have Amelia Earhart, a famous pilot, who reportedly liked to drink a cup of hot chocolate before her flights across the Pacific ¹³. Speaking of oceans, many years earlier on the other side of the Atlantic, a big fan of drinking chocolate was also reportedly Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States ¹⁴!

Types of hot chocolate

In our store we currently offer several types of drinking chocolate: a slightly more dry chocolate with high cocoa content and natural rum flavor, milk chocolate and white chocolate. This offer will, of course, be expanded in the future!

As for dark chocolate, it functions as a drink analogous to its bar version. With the highest content of pure cocoa, dark drinking chocolate is not very sweet, aromatic and wholesome. An absolute must-have for rigorous fans of real cocoa!

The more classic variant is, of course, milk drinking chocolate, still rich in cocoa and suitable not only for drinking, but also for munching or making the truest chocolate coating. Hot milk chocolate has a lighter flavor than its cousin, dark chocolate - so it's more of a dessert type, and its lower fat content means we can consume it as a side dish or between meals without risking overeating.

Finally, there is also a drink to satisfy fans of white chocolate bars. While white drinking chocolate resembles its milk-based big brother in content, it differs in flavor and aroma. Creamy and light, it is sure to meet the tastes of fans of alternative treats containing cocoa. Like milk chocolate, it can also be crunched or made into a candy coating.

It is also worth mentioning here a type of drinking chocolate that we do not have in our store at the moment (although we are working on it!). We are talking about pink hot chocolate, an invention that is only 5 years old! Prepared from Ruby cocoa beans, which grow in the Ivory Coast, pink chocolate not only has a different color, but also in flavor and aroma ¹⁵ - it's slightly fruity and slightly more acidic, than traditional chocolate ¹⁶. The development of the pink chocolate recipe took a full 10 years, and this is the first new type of chocolate bar since the discovery of the white chocolate production method! Perhaps we will soon find out for ourselves what this innovative marvel tastes like.

Hot chocolate - recipes

Finally, the best part - that is, the recipes! Once you've purchased your hot chocolate, it's time to make it within your four walls - whether for yourself, guests or your partner and children. How do you go about it? Use water or milk? How long to heat the drink? We explain!

Classic hot chocolate

About 20g of chocolate (the more, the more intense the flavor will be!) put into a mug and pour 200ml of heated, but not boiled, milk. We stir and it's ready!

Hot chocolate the Spanish way

At the very beginning, you need to whisk 1 teaspoon of corn flour with 1 tablespoon of milk until the consistency of a paste. To 250ml of hot (but not boiling!) milk add 20g of chocolate, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and the resulting paste. Heat until the drink does not thicken - and you're done! ¹⁷

Hot chocolate on water - diet version

A slightly less caloric option for hot chocolate fans is chocolate made with water-it is slightly less dense and creamy and more dry ¹⁸. To prepare such a chocolate, first heat 250 ml of water and dissolve 20g of chocolate in it. The aroma and taste of the drink should be complemented with cinnamon, vanilla or nuts!