Sunday 13 October 2024

The History of Drinking Chocolate in the Loire Valley

Want to buy a simple, inexpensive souvenir of your trip to France? What could be better than a box of drinking chocolate? After all, many people come to France determined to try this famous beverage. What they probably don't know is that the oldest French drinking chocolate is the Poulain brand, and it is sold in every supermarket in the land, not in expensive boutiques. It is truly a treat for anyone with a sweet tooth who loves chocolate. What is more, it is still manufactured here in the Loire Valley, and the brand is owned by a French company. It seems like too good an opportunity to miss. 

Drinking chocolate in a French supermarket. Photo by loire Valley Time Travel.
The range of drinking chocolates in one of our local supermarkets. Poulain and Nesquik are the market leaders and have been since the 1950s.


Of course, the purists would say that hot chocolate must be made with solid chocolate melted into milk, not this powdered chocolate stuff that is already dosed with sugar. But for the combination of flavour, price and convenience, Poulain has definitely convinced many French people to give it a home on their pantry shelves.


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