Chocolate has a rich history dating back centuries. While today it’s a readily available treat for many people, in the past it was reserved for the wealthy and was only consumed in liquid form. It wasn’t until solid chocolate bars were invented in 1847 that the words “hot” and “drinking” became associated with chocolate. Interestingly, the first chocolate house in London was opened in 1657 and was advertised as being “run by a Frenchman”. Samuel Pepys mentioned it in his diary and it quickly led to an explosion of associated paraphernalia.
The popularity of this fancy new drink led to an array of chocolate-making equipment being produced and sold to the wealthy, such as the earliest-known silver chocolate pot, or chocolatière, made in England by London silversmith George Garthorne in 1685. Another necessary item was the molinet, moulinet, molinillo, moussoir, or chocolate mill, used to achieve vigorous mixing due to the high percentage of cocoa butter. The tall, narrow pots had a hole in the lid for splash-free swizzling.
The history of chocolate doesn’t end there. In the early days, fashionable rich Londoners started to have dedicated chocolate kitchens installed in their homes which required staff to embark on a labour intensive process of roasting cacao nuts, removing the nibs, grinding the nibs into a paste on a hot stone slab, and forming that paste into blocks (called cakes) which would be left to mature for several months. Finally, tablets of chocolate were produced for sale in the mid-1700s. This new method of making chocolate meant it was now more affordable and accessible by the masses.
For those seeking the authentic, bitter drinking chocolate, it might be best to follow one of the recipes from the past. However, a chocolate kitchen, chocolate serving room, chocolate cloister and full chocolate staff are now optional
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