During winter time (and especially Christmas) Europe has much to offer in terms of seasonal sweets and cakes. This doesn’t stop short of hot cocoa. The recipe does vary however from country to country. Naturally this begs the question, who makes the best hot chocolate in Europe? We’ll be looking at 5 different countries’ recipes, and at the end you’ll decide which sounds most appealing to you!
Le Chocolat Chaud – France
French hot chocolate is a luxurious drink made of melted chocolate and cream. It is not quite as thick as chocolate fondue, although it’s certainly getting there. Some extra sugar and vanilla extract is added to sweeten and make it extra delicious. It is sometimes drunk at breakfast with brioche, perfect for dunking!
Time and time again, the tea house Angelina is named the best place to get Chocolat Chaud. Just a short distance from Le Louvre, the luxurious interiors of this tea house match the decadence of this hot chocolate.
Forró Csokoládé – Hungary
This hot chocolate variation uses spice to enhance the chocolate flavours. Paprika, cloves and white pepper are most commonly used in the beverage for the spiced twist.
Cioccolata Calda – Italy
A similar consistency to Le Chocolat Chaud, but swap the cream for extra milk and add some cornstarch. As you may expect from the Italians, they don’t skip on flavour. Melted chocolate and sugar are the other key ingredients for the silky consistency.
Chocolate Caliente y Churros – Spain
Very similar to Cioccolata calda, the key difference is what gets dunked into the chocolate. It is customary to have churros on the side of you chocolate caliente, and you won’t find many places that don’t sell the two as a pair.
Viennese Hot Chocolate – Austria
There are only 3 ingredients to this simple hot chocolate, but they work together amazingly; milk, chocolate, and egg yolk. You have to take care when making it so that the egg yolk doesn’t curdle, but if you get it right, there’s no doubt why it’s a contender as the best hot chocolate in Europe.
Which of these recipes sounds most appealing to you? Do you need something to dip in your hot chocolate, or would you rather a spicy kick? Let us know in the comments below.