Drinking Chocolate- YUM

The last day of our trip in Europe, this past summer, I had this amazing cup of hot chocolate with my breakfast. It was rich, creamy and loaded with chocolate. It was like someone took a chocolate bar, melted it and added hot milk. I've tried homemade hot chocolate before and this was 10 times better.

After we got home, I did some searching and found out what I was drinking isn't what we Americans think of as hot chocolate it was Drinking Chocolate. The first chocolate beverage is believed to have been created by the Mayan peoples around 2000 years ago, and a cocoa beverage was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 A.D. The beverage became popular in Europe after being introduced from Mexico in the New World, and has undergone multiple changes since then.

From Wikipedia:

In Europe, most forms of hot chocolate are very thick due to being made directly from chocolate. In the United Kingdom, however, hot chocolate is often of the thinner variety.[21] As Europe was where hot chocolate was first popularized, many different forms exist.
Among the multiple thick forms of hot chocolate served in Europe is the Italian cioccolata densa. German variations are also known for being very thick and heavy. Hot chocolate and churros is the traditional working-man's breakfast in Spain. This style of hot chocolate can be extremely thick, often having the consistency of warm chocolate pudding.[24] In the Netherlands, hot chocolate is a very popular drink, known as chocolademelk, often served at home or at the cafes.
Even further variations exist. In some cafes in Belgium and other areas in Europe, one who orders a "warme chocolade" or "chocolat chaud" would receive a cup of steamed white milk and a small bowl of bittersweet chocolate chips to dissolve in the milk.[22] In England, some types of powdered drinks are actually as thick as pure chocolate varieties.[21]


After more searching I came across a company called Drink Your Chocolate, where they sell several different varieties of drinking chocolate. Among them are Triple Chocolate, Chocolate Mocha ,Chocolate Mint & Strawberries and White Chocolate. My favorite is Chocolate Mocha.....creamy chocolate with a touch of coffee flavor. As you can see from the picture above it doesn't look like our powered hot chocolate mix, and even though it sort of is "instant" you don't add water, you add milk.

You start off by measure 3 tablespoon of the mix into a cup, then add 1 tablespoon of milk, put this in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir to mix and add another 7 ounces of milk, still well and heat in microwave until hot. Easy as pie and well worth it.

So if your looking for that special treat for yourself or a loved one I highly recommend Drinking Chocolate..... you won't be sorry!