If Easter is of capital importance in Christianity, the festival also holds a special place for chocolate lovers. Every year, Easter chocolates punctuate the start of spring and yet the history of this tradition is far from linear.
Between pagan symbolism and Christian tradition, we return to the origin of eggs and the association of chocolate with Easter.
You should know that the egg symbolizes the origin of the world, renewal . During ancient times, Persians gave each other chicken eggs in spring, to mark the end of winter and the rebirth of nature. It is difficult to determine the beginning of this symbolism anchored in cultures since the dawn of time; decorated ostrich eggs dating back 60,000 years have even been discovered in southern Africa!
For Christians, Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the end of Lent. Formerly very respected, Lent is a period when Christians voluntarily deprive themselves of certain pleasures, including eating eggs. To celebrate the end of these deprivations, they offered each other the eggs laid during this period. In the mid-19th century, chocolatiers mixed sugar, butter and powdered chocolate to create a paste that could be poured into molds. Since then, eggs made entirely of chocolate have become commonplace.
Hasnaâ Ferreira & Tom Claassen , Dutch artist sculptor, teamed up to make Bean To Bar chocolate bunnies.
In this spirit of renewal and movement of traditions, we are free to adapt our chocolate consumption to current issues. The chocolate revolution is driven by Bean-to-Bar and Tree-to-Bar fund movements including precepts such as agroforestry and direct trade. Artisan chocolatiers thus defend terroirs, diversity and above all ethics in the sourcing of cocoa. Far from the criteria of the industry, it is at the heart of this flourishing craft that you will find the creativity and renewal of chocolate...
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