Chocolat

If there is one thing the French do well second to wine, it is chocolate. In every neighborhood with a bakery, butcher, fish market, pastry shop, and wine shop, you will probably find a chocolatier. Chocolate is an art in France and artisan chocolates are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious. Some of the best chocolatiers in the world are located in Paris. We had the pleasure of tasting some of their wares during our stay in Paris; however, we also made a point to visit a chocolatier in several other towns on our journey around France. I still haven’t tasted a chocolate I didn’t like ;-)

Flavors range from nutmeg, chile, and cinnamon, to lavender honey, Gran Marnier, and the more traditional caramel, coffee, coconut, and nougat. You will also almost always find sampling chocolates from around the world containing up to 99% cacao. We didn’t buy chocolates to pack, since these preservative free creations don’t travel well. Fortunately for us, many of the best chocolatiers also have websites and ship to anywhere in the world (even though we did find a couple of souvenier items to bring home).

In addition to excellent artisan chocolates, the chocolate desserts on every French menu are exquisite. Chocolate Mousse is a must have and can be found on nearly every menu. Hot chocolate in the morning is another staple and is far superior to our mix with hot water instant cocoa and even better than Hershey’s or Nestle and milk. You are often served a cup of the chocolate cocoa powder along with a carafe of hot milk to mix to your liking. Another breakfast staple is the chocolate-filled croissant (yum). We learned that in some places, dark chocolate covered almonds rolled in cocoa powder is a standard accompaniment to hot beverages, like tea and coffee (usually wrapped and served with the sugar).