The queens of France were allegedly the ones held responsible for the craze of drinking chocolate during their times. They brought the practice along with them from their countries of origin, or so they say.

The first queen was Anne of Austria who married Louis XIII. When the king died, she became regent and declared her immense love of chocolate. She was even given a personal chocolatier!

The second queen who had extreme love of chocolate was Maria Theresa of Austria who married Louis XIV. It is said that she only had two passions in life... the king, and you guessed right, chocolate. And according to the king, chocolate tricks hunger but does not fill the stomach.

After Maria Theresa of Austria died, Louis XIV married Madame de Maintenon and she laid down the order to serve chocolate at feasts and celebrations.

David Chaillou was the first official chocolate maker in France during the 16^th century. Vendors of soft drinks were then allowed to sell drinking chocolate. In 1800, chocolate became all the rage that more and more people engaged themselves in the chocolate sector, consumers, and traders, among many others.

The mistresses of Louis XV were also huge fans of chocolate. Madame de Pompadour used it as an aphrodisiac to treat her sexual dysfunctions. Reportedly, the king's remark was that she was "a cold fish."  On the other hand, Madame du Barry, being nymphomaniacal, gave chocolate to her lovers so they could keep up with her almost unappeasable lust.

The circle of queens went on, and then came Marie-Antoinette who married Louis XVI. She originated from Austria along with her own personal chocolatier. The chocolate maker usually prepared chocolate with sugar and vanilla, but there were other more intricate recipes such as chocolate mixed with an orchid bulb for strength, chocolate with sweet almond milk to aid digestion, or chocolate with orange blossom to calm the nerves.

Yep, even several hundred years ago, chocolate was such a delight that royalties themselves couldn't get enough of it!

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Joanna Maligaya

Staff Writer/Content Developer at Chocolate University Online

Ever since she can remember, Joanna has always considered chocolate as the ultimate food for her soul. She believes in the saying, “9 out of 10 people love chocolate, and the 10th always lies.”

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