The Jewish Link to Chocolate
April 19, 2013
Jews are famous wanderers. As a result, the Jewish people have played a huge role in global trade. There’s a facet to the story though that is quite uncommon. That would be the correlation of the Jewish and chocolate during the era of the Spanish Inquisition.
Spanish explorers were the ones who brought back chocolate to Spain, whereas Jews brought it to world cities such as New York and Amsterdam. The rest is history as well as the subject of Rabbi Deborah Prinz’s book, “On the Chocolate Trail.”
According to the author, she was just very curious about this specific part of Jewish history. As a lifelong chocolate lover, the association between chocolate and religion is just too intriguing. She claims to eat a plain chocolate bar once or twice a day. She has always had a sweet tooth, and she never outgrew it.
She has been to museums in countries such as Belgium, France, Spain, England, and Israel. While the book has a chapter that zeroes in on chocolate in Israel, the larger theme focuses on chocolate in South America, Mexico, and Spain.
She also said, “People are very interested in the highlights of the Jewish connection to chocolate. Another focus is the colonial [American] period’s use of chocolate. Some groups are more interested in historical perspectives. I also talk about New York and Newport. And a third approach is about religious ethical values and chocolate.”
If you have been a loyal reader of this blog, you might have come across our previous mentions of chocolate-covered bacon. Rabbi Deborah mentioned in her book that she almost ate this bizarre chocolaty treat. She said she doesn't really like raw chocolate, but she is fond of chocolate-covered espresso beans and stuff like that.
How about you? Do you think you have enough passion about chocolate to start your own research about it? In the future, perhaps? 🙂
- Whipped Cream Chocolate Frosting Recipe - December 3, 2014
- Chocolate Hazelnut Cake Recipe - November 26, 2014
- Broiled Banana Chocolate Pudding Recipe - November 19, 2014
Absolutely! My passion for artisanal chocolate drove me to research and write a series of books about it. The 1st edition of Chocolatour will be out in June. Look for updates at http://chocolatour.net.
Chocolate is a fascinating elixir that unites everyone in the world. We all love chocolate — in one form or another.