Chocolate & Praline & Marzipan

From the cocoa bean to chocolate: How did chocolate come into being?

Cocoa, the basis of fine chocolate, has fascinated people for thousands of years. As early as 1500 BC, the Olmecs in South America, followed later by the Maya and the Aztecs, were amongst the first to discover the special taste and stimulating effect of the cocoa bean. They consumed a strong, bitter drink of cocoa and water, which they called xocolatl. It was Christopher Columbus who then brought cocoa to Europe, where people quickly succumbed to ground cocoa beans, sweetened with sugar and honey, and consumed as a hot drink. Chocolate coffee came into fashion in Europe in the mid 17th century, but it was not until the start of the 19th century that chocolate was industrially produced in the form we know it today. Some of the early manufacturers – such as the German brands Hachez and Rausch, and the Swiss company Toblerone – can still be found today in the Heinemann range, alongside a plethora of other chocolate treats.

Chocolate bars, drops, boxed chocolates and Neapolitans: sweet diversity from Heinemann

The powerful and intensive scent of cocoa is incredibly versatile, and can be combined not only with sweet ingredients, but equally well with tangy or spicy flavours. Fine dark chilli chocolate, for example, or chocolate sauce with venison, have become acceptable options. Heinemann offers chocolate in all its diversity – with the most popular products from major brands such as Lindt, Milka and Feodora and the exquisite specialities of smaller producers: 

• Chocolate bars are classics, and generally available as 100g or 300g bars. Miniature bars are referred to as Neapolitans, and are perfect with a cup of coffee.
• Chocolate drops are chocolate and sugar-coated nuts, fruits or grain products. Chocolate drops – such as M&M’s, for example – are deliciously crunchy and more robust than other types of chocolate, thanks to their sugar coating.
• Boxes of chocolates are miniature works of art and often contain nougat, marzipan, truffle mixture or fruit fillings as well as chocolate. Boxes of chocolates by Lindt and Godiva, for example, are known and loved around the world.

Of course, you can also buy chocolate bars, chocolate-based confectionery and countless further varieties of chocolate from international manufacturers. Taste the variety and order online from Heinemann.

Chocolate – perhaps the most beautiful gift from the Heinemann Shop

With chocolate as a gift, you can never go wrong. Finest boxed chocolates and exquisite chocolate bars demonstrate good taste and show that you understand the good things in life – the small but intense pleasures. Present a loved one with a special gift – exclusive chocolate and delicacies from the Heinemann Shop.