Valentine’s = Chocolate{0}
There is something about Valentine’s Day that says chocolate. How this connection between chocolate and love came about is hazy, (except for the obvious feeling of love one has when consuming a truly delicious piece of chocolate), but besides this, the history is unclear. As a devout chocolate lover, I decided to do a little investigative research as to the connection between the delicious confection and the Roman priest, St. Valentine.
As it turns out, chocolate and St. Valentine are both about 2,000 years old, but there is little record of the Mexican bean and the Roman priest ever coming into contact.
For those who are not familiar with their Roman saints, a little background history might be helpful. Valentine was a priest who secretly married Christian couples after Emperor Claudius the Cruel forbade coupling. He was imprisoned and met an untimely death at the hands of the torturous Emperor.
Now, for the happier part of the story.
Across the ocean, the Aztecs were marrying freely and drinking chocolate at their weddings. Aztec legend held that cacao seeds had been brought from the gods and that wisdom and power came from consuming the cacao.
Still, how did these two moments in history become to tied together?
It was not until the 17th century that the general public began to discover the delicious taste of chocolate. Chocolate emporiums began to sell chocolate cake and the the cocoa press invention in the early 19th century marked the devaluation of cocoa beans, finally putting chocolate within reach of the masses.
It was not, however, until 1861 , when Richard Cadbury was able to combine St. Valentine and chocolate into a marketing ploy that would forever shape February 14th. The choloatier created the famous heart shaped box filled with chocolate for Valentine’s day. Other chocolate companies soon followed suit, thus tying chocolate and valentine’s together forever.
I have loved baking and cooking since I was a child. I studied foods and nutrition in college, but my secret desire was to own my own restaurant. Participation in a culinary program landed me jobs in several upscale restaurants, where I discovered my passion for baking and pastries. In 1981 I opened my bakery, Tarts and Truffles, in Sacramento, CA. Realizing a need for trained, knowledgeable bakers, I began teaching baking classes in the culinary arts program at American River College in 1990. I hope you will find my interest in high quality baking reflected in every product we sell.
