flipHot chocolate with cinnamon
Hot chocolate with cinnamon
Why this dish? Her close friend Madame de Sévigné recounts in her letters the craze—and mistrust—of the court for chocolate in the 1670s. This exotic drink, introduced to the table of Louis XIV, was the fashionable luxury of the salons frequented by Madame de La Fayette.
Chocolate was then drunk, beaten frothy in a chocolate pot, flavored with cinnamon and well sweetened. An expensive luxury, both a reputed remedy and a social pleasure.
There is much talk at court of this chocolate from the Indies, and I confess I have acquired a taste for it. It is dissolved in the chocolate pot with sugar and a little cinnamon, and beaten with the mill until it froths prettily. Madame de Sévigné mistrusts it and considers it treacherous; I myself take a cup on mornings when my heart fails me, and find myself greatly revived.
- •Chocolate tablet (ground cacao and sugar) — a piece (base)
- •Water or milk — a cup (liquid)
- •Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon — a pinch (spice)
Hot chocolate with cinnamon
Chocolate was then drunk, beaten frothy in a chocolate pot, flavored with cinnamon and well sweetened. An expensive luxury, both a reputed remedy and a social pleasure.
Why this dish? Her close friend Madame de Sévigné recounts in her letters the craze—and mistrust—of the court for chocolate in the 1670s. This exotic drink, introduced to the table of Louis XIV, was the fashionable luxury of the salons frequented by Madame de La Fayette.
There is much talk at court of this chocolate from the Indies, and I confess I have acquired a taste for it. It is dissolved in the chocolate pot with sugar and a little cinnamon, and beaten with the mill until it froths prettily. Madame de Sévigné mistrusts it and considers it treacherous; I myself take a cup on mornings when my heart fails me, and find myself greatly revived.
Ingredients (period version)
- Chocolate tablet (ground cacao and sugar) — a piece (base)
- Water or milk — a cup (liquid)
- Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- Cinnamon — a pinch (spice)
Ingredients
- Dark chocolate (70%) — 40 g (base)
- Whole milk (or water) — 25 cl (liquid)
- Sugar — 1 to 2 tsp (sweetness)
- Ground cinnamon — 1 pinch (spice)
Method
- Gently heat the milk (or water) without boiling.
- Melt the grated chocolate in it, stirring.
- Add the sugar and cinnamon.
- Beat vigorously with a whisk (or immersion blender) to froth, in the manner of the period's moussoir.
- Serve boiling hot in a cup, with the foam on top.
How it was made : Chocolate, brought from the Americas after 1492, arrived at the French court via Spain in the 17th century and became an aristocratic fashion under Louis XIV. It was always drunk—never eaten—beaten frothy and heavily spiced. The letters of Madame de Sévigné (1671) bear ample witness to this.
The contemporary twist : A thick "old-fashioned" version, served in a small cup with a cinnamon stick and a pinch of pepper to awaken the bitterness.
Sources : Madame de Sévigné, Lettres, 1671
Madame de La Fayette · Charactorium
