Soft, flavored, spicy, very sweet or bitter, you can indulge yourself with all these variations, without taking away from the topics with which we can decorate it: cream is certainly its perfect bride, but also the accompaniment of cheerful sugars or crumbled biscuits. it's not bad at all. Children will surely go crazy for it.

Its ancient origins

The hot chocolate, considered a precious commodity since the dawn of its use, known for its numerous and intriguing characteristics, for a long time it will be a symbol of exclusivity and wealth, fully representing the tastes and whims of various elites who over the centuries lost their minds for her.

But where was it born? Who, first, tasted this goodness in the cup? It all begins in distant lands of Latin America, in the years in which the pre-Columbian tribes. In fact, first the Maya, around 600 BC, and subsequently the Aztecs to discover that the seeds of cocoa plants which they cultivated if roasted in earthenware pots and ground with stones and then dissolved in water with the addition of pepper, chilli and other spices could give life to a fatty and bitter drink called "Xocoatl". The importance that this drink had among the Aztec people is such that a value was also attributed to it mystical-religious. It was in fact consumed by the elite during important ceremonies and offered by priests as a sacrifice to the gods. It was not good for everyone, as it is today, and in addition to the liturgical use, it was given to drink to the warriors, for its intoxicating power and because it was able to relieve the feeling of fatigue. In short, one regenerating pampering, now as then. However, this drink does not seem to have been very successful in Europe, so much so that the recipe was then revisited with the addition of spices to taste between vanilla, cinnamon and chilli. But this was a privilege for the few, a luxury drink for the nobility and the rich. Around 1600 depopulated in Italy: from Florence to Venice up to Turin. It cannot be said that it was still that hot chocolate that we know, still too oily and dusty due to residues, but its glorious future as a sweet drink with a thousand interpretations, capable of instilling great comfort in those looking for it, had already begun. , and perhaps on closer inspection his fate was already written in the stars.

Hot chocolate around the world

But since he did the around the globe infecting everyone with its inimitable taste we see how it is prepared in different countries, in such a way as to make you perform a greedy trip with taste and mind

Brazilian hot chocolate

It's simple, it's fast and perfect for a homemade hot chocolate, so perfect that it invites you to completely abandon those in bags bought at the supermarket. The Brazilian recipe is full of flavors like cinnamon and vanilla – a perfect combo.

Moroccan hot chocolate

Hot African but you never say no to chocolate. Moroccan style, aromatic and velvety, a sensory paradise within everyone's reach. We have milk, dark chocolate, cinnamon and the secret ingredient: cardamom pods, as well as an orange peel that gives that magical touch.

Colombian hot chocolate

Here we fly to Colombia that amazes us with hot chocolate and cheese. Does this seem like an excessive combination? Try it to believe its goodness. For use it is recommended the halloumi (cheese with goat or sheep's milk) but if you do not have it available, it is also good to have fontina. The procedure of the hot chocolate is always the same, except that we will have as a side dish not biscuits but cheese.

Belgian chocolate

Precisely in Belgium, where they know a lot about chocolate, so much so that a museum has been built there, they have invented a nice and original way to prepare hot chocolate. In the hundreds of sparkling shops of pralines in the window, it is now customary to see wooden sticks skewered in a chocolate cube. What are they? They are called Hot Chocolate on a Stick, a super effective way to obtain a thick hot chocolate that respects tradition by shortening the execution times.

Mexican Champurrado

Dreaming of a Mexican beach in the hot sun and a sombrero on your head. While these splendid thoughts are nurtured – why not? – you can prepare a nice Mexican champurrado: served with whipped cream and cinnamon, which is often served in a cup of coffee, it is a gem that can be consumed several times a day , given the size. The ingredients, to experience it, must be of Prime quality, especially the chocolate, better if Mexican, and so the sweetener: a typical sugar is the panela, strictly of very aromatic whole cane. Even the spices must be just fresh, just to be able to give the right scent and unique taste.

The history of hot chocolate, a sweet drink that we are used to commonly consume today, hot and variously flavored on cold winter days, is steeped in magic and myth. A story that smells of luxury and privileges.