If you’ve been following Delysia’s History of Chocolate series, then you are quite familiar with chocolate’s long and fascinating path from 6th century Mayans to industrialized Switzerland. In fact, people have been innovating decadent chocolate treats for centuries.
As it turns out, Delysia Chocolatier is not the first to appreciate the satisfaction of indulging in chocolate to make an everyday moment extraordinary.
A researcher in the U.K. recently discovered a 350-year-old recipe for an iced chocolate beverage made with just three simple ingredients: chocolate, salt and a bit of snow. Sir Edward Montagu, the 2nd Earl of Sandwich (yes, that sandwich – Mantagu’s great, great grandson invented that famous comfort food), was responsible for creating the luxurious chocolate concoction in the 1660s that sounds similar to the familiar frozen coffeehouse drinks we enjoy today.
The Earl’s Chocolate Drink Recipe
“Prepare the chocolatti (to make a drink)… and Then Putt the vessell that hath the Chocolatti in it, into a Jaraffa (i.e. a carafe) of snow stirred together with some salt, & shaike the snow together sometyme & it will putt the Chocolatti into tender Curdled Ice & soe eate it with spoons.”
Chocolate had only recently been made popular in Montagu’s time, and was still considered an extravagance only the most privileged could indulge in. And according to Dr. Kate Loveman, author of the study, in 17th century England, “freezing food required cutting edge technology.” Chocolate and ice? Talk about luxury!
With flavor like curry, honey and even jalapeno tequila, Delysia uses recipes that are a bit more complex than Sir Edward Montagu’s trifecta of flavors. We can even design something just for you to make your special occasion, or your everyday, even more spectacular. Like Montagu, though, we know that it’s not just about the chocolate; it’s about the experience.