0:00:11 > 0:00:14Chocolate is not any old piece of confectionery.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18For a lot of us, it holds a very special place in our lives.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21You could say we're addicted to the stuff.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25It's no surprise the Aztecs called it "the food of gods".
0:00:27 > 0:00:28This is fun.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32'In its long and rich history, it's been a currency, a medicine,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35'an aphrodisiac and a sinful indulgence.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41'I'm going to see how chocolate is made
0:00:41 > 0:00:44'by some of the best chocolatiers in the world,
0:00:44 > 0:00:45'what their secrets are
0:00:45 > 0:00:48'and how they've married state-of-the-art technology
0:00:48 > 0:00:51'with craft traditions centuries old.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58'But this isn't just about revelling in this luxurious foodstuff.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02'I'm on a serious quest to create my own unique chocolate
0:01:02 > 0:01:03'to use in my cooking.'
0:01:03 > 0:01:04Ooh!
0:01:04 > 0:01:07'You won't be surprised that in my search for the best,
0:01:07 > 0:01:11- 'I won't be touring the UK.' - You cannot touch the product!
0:01:11 > 0:01:13No dipping your finger in. There's no touching the product.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16'And you can forget about Switzerland and Belgium.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19'For me, if you want chocolate to die for...'
0:01:19 > 0:01:20Ohhh!
0:01:20 > 0:01:22'..you have to head to France.'
0:01:33 > 0:01:35We've all got a childhood memory of chocolate,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39a favourite bar or a particularly delicious Easter egg.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42My memories are firmly associated with my mother, Monique,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45who makes heavenly chocolates.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49She started her working life in a Parisian chocolate shop.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54- It's with my mother, my sister. - Mm. Wow.- It's a nice photograph.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59- It's a beautiful photograph. - Mm. I'm about 15 there.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03And that's the time that I went to the shop, doing the chocolate boxes.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Eating chocolates. I can see there's...
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Actually, you're more rounded there than you are now, Mum!
0:02:10 > 0:02:15- It's my cheeks!- You must have been on the chocolate diet then.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17- Yes, exactly.- Yeah.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22And look, that, I'm only a year old, but I'm already chubby,
0:02:22 > 0:02:27so I must have had some chocolate in my...biberon, in my bottle.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29SHE LAUGHS
0:02:29 > 0:02:31We've always loved chocolate in the family.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33I remember you making me not so much chocolate brownies
0:02:33 > 0:02:36- but chocolate cake for birthdays. - Yes, yes, always.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40And I used to put some - like everybody used to do -
0:02:40 > 0:02:42little Smarties all round!
0:02:42 > 0:02:45- Smarties?- I know, I know!
0:02:45 > 0:02:49- You know, I've made some for you.- Mm!
0:02:49 > 0:02:51- Right. Am I allowed?- Absolutely!
0:02:58 > 0:02:59Oh, wow.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Oh, wow.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08I don't remember making these before, because, you know, well,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10I've put some alcohol also inside!
0:03:13 > 0:03:16As you're a big boy now, you can have a little bit of...!
0:03:16 > 0:03:21- I was going to say, they are grown-up truffles.- Yes, yes.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33I'm here in Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37where I trained as a young chef many years ago.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40But I'm here to visit a chocolate dynasty,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43because it's as good a place as any to start.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47'The Bernachon chocolate-making dynasty
0:03:47 > 0:03:50'stretches back three generations, to the 1950s.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53'Founder Maurice Bernachon used to say
0:03:53 > 0:03:56'chocolate is not a simple treat or sweet
0:03:56 > 0:03:58'but an authentic gourmet food.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11'His grandson Philippe now guards his legacy.'
0:04:20 > 0:04:21Yay!
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Wow!
0:05:12 > 0:05:14'The chocolate-making machines at Bernachon
0:05:14 > 0:05:17'date back to the founding of the shop in the 1950s.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22'They believe in traditional methods here.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24'This one plays an essential part
0:05:24 > 0:05:28'in the creation of Bernachon's signature cake, Le President.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36'It was created in the 1970s
0:05:36 > 0:05:40'in honour of French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46'This is not a job for an apprentice.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50'It takes years of practice to make this look so effortless.'
0:05:56 > 0:05:57Whoa.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Bonjour!
0:06:18 > 0:06:19Mmmm!
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Wow.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38- Ah, oui.- Voila.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46'Sugar is added to the cocoa beans, which have been ground and roasted
0:07:46 > 0:07:48'and then poured into this machine,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52'which slowly heats the mixture and grinds it into a gritty paste.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04'The next machine smoothes the paste out even more, refining the mix.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10'But it's still not chocolate as we know it.'
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Et ca, c'est ce qu'il va donner.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Le fondant du chocolat, c'est grace a cette machine.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32'If I'm going to create my own chocolate blend,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36'I'm going to have to take on board what I've learnt at Bernachon.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39'Good chocolate is like wine.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42'Its taste is determined by where the cocoa beans come from,
0:09:42 > 0:09:46'how they're grown, roasted and combined.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47'There are so many factors
0:09:47 > 0:09:51'that contribute to making this complex foodstuff.'
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Wow!
0:10:27 > 0:10:32'Philippe's grandfather was right. Chocolate is NOT for beginners.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39'The history of chocolate goes back thousands of years,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42'to the ancient civilisations of Central America,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45'to the Olmecs, Mayans and Aztecs.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49'For these people, chocolate took the form
0:10:49 > 0:10:51'of an exclusive and sacred drink.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55'At the chocolate museum in Paris,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58'I'm going to make and taste chocolate Aztec-style
0:10:58 > 0:11:02'in the company of its director, Fabrice Stijnen.'
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Right, Fabrice, this is the Aztec recipe,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08so all these ingredients are here for the drink,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11- because it was a drink then. - It was a drink.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Actually, the history of cocoa and chocolate has
0:11:14 > 0:11:20more than 3,000 years of consumption as a beverage exclusively.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24So, we have the cocoa beans, of course, we have corn,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28- we have sapota kernels...- Sa... - Sapota kernels.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33- So it's a fruit, or a...? - Actually, it's like an avocado.- Ah!
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- But we use the kernel of it.- Hm!- OK?
0:11:36 > 0:11:41Here, we have some chilli, of course, pepper...
0:11:41 > 0:11:44'The ingredients of this Aztec recipe come down to us
0:11:44 > 0:11:46'from the Spanish monks and priests,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48'who minutely chronicled life in the New World.'
0:11:48 > 0:11:51..cocoa or achiote, and maybe - we are not sure about that -
0:11:51 > 0:11:55they used a little bit of honey.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59'These ancient societies would use a grinding stone called a metate
0:11:59 > 0:12:02'to crush the cocoa beans into a paste.'
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- You see, it starts to... - Oh, yeah, yeah.- ..to...
0:12:06 > 0:12:11- to be ready here. - Can I have a go?- Sure you can.
0:12:11 > 0:12:12MICHEL CHUCKLES
0:12:12 > 0:12:14This is fun!
0:12:14 > 0:12:15Right...
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Right, here we go.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25- So, I mean, it's a kind of a mortar and pestle.- A large one.- Yeah!
0:12:25 > 0:12:27- FABRICE LAUGHS - Hey, look!
0:12:27 > 0:12:31I've nearly made chocolate. It's nearly there.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33It definitely smells of chocolate.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38- Hopefully.- It's recognisable as chocolate so far.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40'For the majority of Mayans and Aztecs,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44'chocolate was a drink only to be taken on special occasions,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47'to celebrate a birth, a marriage or mourn a death.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50'The nobility would drink it more frequently,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53'as they could afford the costly ingredients.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57'It was said that the Aztec emperor Montezuma sometimes drank
0:12:57 > 0:12:59'50 cups of chocolate each day,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02'though that seems a bit over the top.'
0:13:02 > 0:13:03So, the qualities of this drink
0:13:03 > 0:13:07- would be for invigorating and for health purposes.- Yeah.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Actually, this beverage was used for different purposes.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15The first, the main one, we know, it was to bring a boost for the body,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18and the other purpose of using this beverage
0:13:18 > 0:13:21was for making offerings to the gods.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25To get the favours of the gods, they had to make offerings to them.
0:13:25 > 0:13:26- Mm.- So what did they offer to them?
0:13:26 > 0:13:31They offered what's the most valuable, like cocoa beans
0:13:31 > 0:13:35- and also blood.- Blood?- So they added some blood, too, in the beverage.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- I'm not drinking this.- No, but...
0:13:38 > 0:13:40We need to add some blood into it.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44So they used some tools to, well, slit their ear lobes,
0:13:44 > 0:13:50their tongue or the lips to spill some blood onto it.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54But today, we have a substitute that they also used.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57It was called the achiote. You used it before?
0:13:59 > 0:14:01'Achiote was a natural food colouring
0:14:01 > 0:14:04'produced by the fruit of a small tree.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06'You can tell how important
0:14:06 > 0:14:08'the cocoa bean was to these American civilisations
0:14:08 > 0:14:12'by the fact that it was used as money.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14'A 16-century Spanish chronicler
0:14:14 > 0:14:17'noted that a prostitute could be bought for ten cocoa beans,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20'while a slave was worth 100.'
0:14:20 > 0:14:25- There you have the molinillo. - Molonio.- Molinillo.
0:14:25 > 0:14:26- Molonio.- Moli.- Moli.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30- Moli-ni-llo.- Molinillo. - It's a Spanish word, OK?- Yeah.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36- OK.- And it's used for... - Straight in.- Yeah.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Then you twist it in your hands.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Oh! Look at that! Mm!
0:14:46 > 0:14:48I'm not sure what to expect from this, but here goes.
0:14:53 > 0:14:54Well, it's a bit bitty.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Blood...
0:14:58 > 0:15:02It's a bit bitty, and it's very hot, as in spicy. My God!
0:15:04 > 0:15:05They liked it this way, actually.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Oh!
0:15:07 > 0:15:11- You're going to be good for a full day. Maybe a week.- Yeah.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14I can imagine after a drink of this, you'd face the world.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18No enemy would be strong enough.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21'If Montezuma drank 50 cups of this a day,
0:15:21 > 0:15:23'he must have had cast-iron bowels.'
0:15:23 > 0:15:26I think it smells a lot better than it tastes. A lot better.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Mmm. Mmm.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33It wasn't long before the conquerors of the Aztecs,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37the Spanish conquistadors, took an interest in this rare foodstuff,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41and soon chocolate made the journey to Spain.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Almost as soon as Europeans had discovered chocolate,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48they were speculating about whether it was good or bad for them.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Many, like Parisian doctor Joseph Bachot,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54sang its praises. He wrote:
0:16:14 > 0:16:17This is one of my favourite chocolate shops,
0:16:17 > 0:16:18in the heart of Lyon.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22And whenever I come to Lyon, I always come here and stock up.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29It is just unbelievable. I mean, it's almost playful. I mean, look.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Lipstick. Edible chocolate lipstick.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35But, made with real chocolate.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Proper chocolate.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Even CDs in the shape of chocolate.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48You can't play them, but you can eat them.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53Wonderful mixtures of oranges, figs, pralines,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57but what I absolutely adore with this shop
0:16:57 > 0:17:00is the name that they give to their chocolates.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02For example...
0:17:03 > 0:17:07"Barres Anti-Stress".
0:17:07 > 0:17:10You eat this, and all your stresses, all your worries go away.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14Here we have "Le Conquistador".
0:17:14 > 0:17:20This big monster here, and this is a particular chocolate
0:17:20 > 0:17:24that between myself and my daughter, we used to fight over this.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Fight over this! It's such a delicious, delicious chocolate.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30It's more than a chocolate. It's a dessert.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31But then, there's also...
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Buchette Aphrodisiaque.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Yes! I think I will take one of these home with me.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51When chocolate made the journey from the New World to the Old,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54it underwent a major transformation.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58So, the conquistadors arrived in Mexico, they tasted this
0:17:58 > 0:18:02wonderful food/drink, kind of, and took it back with them.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05- That's right, that's correct. - They tweaked it?
0:18:05 > 0:18:06They made it a little bit more...
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Yet, they made some changes, of course.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14The one who brought back the recipe to the Spaniard king
0:18:14 > 0:18:16was Cortes, Hernan Cortes,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19and when he brought back this recipe, of course,
0:18:19 > 0:18:23it was not suiting the European tastes,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25of course, as we saw earlier.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27So we're going to make it up?
0:18:27 > 0:18:31So, we basically have kind of the same ingredients,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35but missing some, and adding new ones.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40So we are removing the chilli, we've still got some pepper,
0:18:40 > 0:18:45but in lower quantities, we have new spices.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49The most important one is sugar.
0:18:49 > 0:18:55They added sugar cane, and of course, for the European taste,
0:18:55 > 0:19:02they added hazelnuts, almonds, aniseed, cinnamon.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Straightaway, this looks a lot more appealing to me.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Appealing and interesting and palatable.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12So, a little bit of crushed-up clove, pepper and aniseed,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- and into hot water. This was a hot drink?- That's hot water.
0:19:15 > 0:19:16Yeah, yeah, we drink it hot.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20- Here we go.- And we hold it still.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24- Still a bit of work to go into it, though.- That's necessary.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Better have servants to do that! Yeah, really.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33The servants that was preparing the beverage was called the Molina.
0:19:33 > 0:19:34"Molina."
0:19:34 > 0:19:36It was a woman as well.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38So there would be a dedicated person just for making the chocolate?
0:19:38 > 0:19:41They were very rich.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45- So here we have a beverage made out of water, basically.- Yes.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50And the first writings about using milk are in the 1700s,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52so we still have to wait a little while.
0:19:54 > 0:19:55Let's try it. Yeah.
0:19:59 > 0:20:00- Quite good.- Actually...
0:20:03 > 0:20:04You did well.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08It's not unpleasant. Maybe I could have put a bit more chocolate in.
0:20:10 > 0:20:11And sugar.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13- I like sweet.- Yeah, yeah.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17But it's not too spicy. It's really different than before.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Chocolate didn't stay long in Spain,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28despite the Spanish having a temporary monopoly
0:20:28 > 0:20:31of cocoa bean production through its American conquest.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Soon, this new indulgence found its way
0:20:35 > 0:20:37to the very centre of European power.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53The Palais de Versailles is one of the most extraordinary
0:20:53 > 0:20:55royal courts of Europe,
0:20:55 > 0:21:00built in the 17th and 18th century by the Bourbon dynasty of France.
0:21:00 > 0:21:06Amongst all this extravagance and opulence, it really is no surprise
0:21:06 > 0:21:10that chocolate and the drinking of chocolate found its home here.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55Like his father, Louis XIV also married a Spanish princess,
0:21:55 > 0:21:56Marie Therese.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Her love of chocolate meant it became a firm court favourite,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02served at all the parties given by the king.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35Chocolate was all about pleasure.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Every type of pleasure.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50After I've sort of really had a nice fill of it,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53I just feel really relaxed.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54Almost like an orgasm.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03Chocolate and romance are inextricably linked together.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05I mean, after all, who doesn't like
0:24:05 > 0:24:07to give or receive a box of chocolates?
0:24:07 > 0:24:11It does warm the heart, but it is in this era
0:24:11 > 0:24:15that chocolate gained its reputation as an aphrodisiac.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19It stimulates the blood circulation, aids in lovemaking,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22especially to these naughty kings and mistresses.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Given its reputation as an aphrodisiac,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29it's no wonder that drinking chocolate was a favourite
0:24:29 > 0:24:32of courtesans such as Madame Du Barry,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34the last official mistress of Louis XV.
0:25:11 > 0:25:12Ah!
0:25:19 > 0:25:22You can tell the importance of drinking chocolate
0:25:22 > 0:25:25as part of a daily ritual of the powerful and wealthy
0:25:25 > 0:25:28in the 18th century by the number of portraits it features in.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20'One last chocolate recipe with Fabrice.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23'This one would have been served at the court of Versailles.'
0:26:23 > 0:26:26- Looks familiar. - It does look familiar.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28And I think we should have the egg yolk in it.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Because I think an egg yolk's going to be lovely.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33It's going to add a real richness.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37Egg yolk in.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Oh, look at that!
0:26:43 > 0:26:44Oh, yes.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Mmmmm.
0:26:50 > 0:26:51Oh, yes.
0:26:52 > 0:26:53MICHEL CHUCKLES
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- Ah, yes.- That's what I know.
0:26:59 > 0:27:00Maybe better.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Yeah. Ohhh.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Congratulations, you did well. MICHEL CHUCKLES
0:27:08 > 0:27:10- Very well. - This is proper drinking chocolate!
0:27:20 > 0:27:24The 1700s saw a revolution in drinking habits.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Tea and coffee came to Europe, and the cafe was born.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Here in the Procope, one of the oldest cafes in Paris,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35chocolate became the drink the wealthy middle class could enjoy.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Even before the French Revolution, the practice of drinking chocolate
0:27:39 > 0:27:43was moving out of the courts and palaces and into the cafes.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55Writers, thinkers and public figures would set the world to rights
0:27:55 > 0:27:57over a cup of hot chocolate.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02And here, in La Procope, Voltaire would enjoy his chocolate
0:28:02 > 0:28:04with other members of the French Enlightenment.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08Chocolate was no longer the food of Kings.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19It's worth reflecting on the fact that this explosion in the drinking
0:28:19 > 0:28:23of tea, coffee and chocolate was driven by slave labour.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25It wasn't just sugar plantations
0:28:25 > 0:28:27that were worked by slaves in this period.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35In 1800, Sulpice Debauve, former pharmacist to Louis XVI,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38opened up his first chocolate shop in Paris.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41It was a sign that chocolate was undergoing a transition
0:28:41 > 0:28:43from liquid to solid,
0:28:43 > 0:28:45from drinking chocolate to sweets.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49# The more I see you
0:28:50 > 0:28:53# The more I want you
0:28:54 > 0:28:56# Somehow this feeling
0:28:58 > 0:29:02# Just grows and grows... #
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Chocolate in the 18th century was like caviar is today,
0:29:05 > 0:29:07an expensive delicacy.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09But it was treated with reverence,
0:29:09 > 0:29:15and thankfully, in these Parisian chic boutiques, it still is today.
0:29:15 > 0:29:20Chocolate is a serious business in France, not to be taken lightly.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28This is one of the Parisian chocolate shops
0:29:28 > 0:29:31of top French chocolatier Jean-Paul Hevin.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34You might think you're in a high-end jewellers,
0:29:34 > 0:29:35or an haute couture boutique.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39This is what's unique about chocolate in France,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42a mix of style, the best ingredients,
0:29:42 > 0:29:45superb craft, and a playful vision.
0:29:45 > 0:29:50Yes, that's right. It's a chocolate stiletto.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52# Can you imagine
0:29:54 > 0:29:56# How much I love you
0:29:57 > 0:30:00# The more I see you
0:30:01 > 0:30:05# As years go by
0:30:01 > 0:30:05# As years go by
0:30:06 > 0:30:09# I know the only one for me
0:30:09 > 0:30:13# Can only be you
0:30:13 > 0:30:16# My arms won't free you
0:30:16 > 0:30:19# And my heart won't try. #
0:30:23 > 0:30:26In his kitchen, Jean-Paul combines state-of-the-art machinery
0:30:26 > 0:30:29with craft skills that have existed for centuries.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46All great chocolatiers have their signature piece.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48For Jean-Paul, it's the edible stiletto.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32He's just putting a little bit of edible varnish on it,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35which gives it that lovely shine. It looks like a...
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Well, now, it really does look like a very expensive shoe.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40A really expensive shoe. Which it is.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47It needs to come down in temperature.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12For chocoholics and shoe fetishists everywhere,
0:33:12 > 0:33:15the Jean-Paul Hevin shoe.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17It might come in several colours,
0:33:17 > 0:33:21but unfortunately only in one size - 35.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23And only for the right foot.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26According to the chocolate manufacturers,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30one of the things we want is chocolate that sounds good.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33So at this research laboratory, they are trying to create
0:33:33 > 0:33:37a chocolate bar that makes the right sound when you snap it.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47Debate has raged ever since Europeans discovered chocolate
0:33:47 > 0:33:49as to whether it's good or bad for you.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52Currently, some extraordinary claims are being made
0:33:52 > 0:33:54for the health-giving benefits of chocolate.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30It wasn't until the 19th century
0:35:30 > 0:35:34that chocolate became an affordable item, no longer a luxury.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38New manufacturing techniques meant that chocolate could be produced
0:35:38 > 0:35:42cheaply and of a consistent quality.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46This was the era of the great British chocolate manufacturers -
0:35:46 > 0:35:50Cadbury's, Terry's and Fry's.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52The chocolate bar had come of age.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06In the 19th century,
0:36:06 > 0:36:10as chocolate moved slowly away from the chemist's shop,
0:36:10 > 0:36:17also, all these aphrodisiac connotations tend to fade away.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22Chocolate becomes an item that can be given to children,
0:36:22 > 0:36:24which was not the case before.
0:36:24 > 0:36:29Until the 18th century, no child would readily have chocolate
0:36:29 > 0:36:32because you don't know its properties.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36But I would say, with the development of these new techniques
0:36:36 > 0:36:38and the development of production,
0:36:38 > 0:36:41chocolate definitely had a connotation
0:36:41 > 0:36:45which was readily marketed by these industrialists,
0:36:45 > 0:36:50particularly the British ones, because most of them were Quaker
0:36:50 > 0:36:56and as such, strong believers in the fight against alcoholism.
0:36:56 > 0:37:02And chocolate was seen as a substitute for cheap gin.
0:37:02 > 0:37:07And so, you know, anyone can drink chocolate, it's good for you,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10it's good for children, it helps restore your strength,
0:37:10 > 0:37:14and certainly will help lead a healthy life.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20Applying industrial methods to making chocolate
0:37:20 > 0:37:23brought it within reach of ordinary people.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27But it also meant a dilution of the use of pure cocoa ingredients.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30The addition of milk, sugar
0:37:30 > 0:37:33and the substitution of vegetable fats for cocoa paste
0:37:33 > 0:37:36made chocolate sweeter and lighter in appearance.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42This is approximately the amount of chocolate
0:37:42 > 0:37:46which I used to eat every day - four bars of half a pound each.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48- Only black chocolate.- Only plain.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51And I used to watch at the back, it had to have a minimum
0:37:51 > 0:37:56of 51 to 55 or sometimes even 75 percent cocoa mass.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Because I don't want to get into trouble legally,
0:37:59 > 0:38:03but, I mean, the EEC commissions, I think,
0:38:03 > 0:38:07they warned England that the amount of cocoa which they had
0:38:07 > 0:38:11in a lot of chocolate here didn't qualify it
0:38:11 > 0:38:13for it to be called chocolate,
0:38:13 > 0:38:15- it should have been called vegelate. - It's true.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18Now, some manufacturers have obviously gone out of business
0:38:18 > 0:38:22because their standards have not been maintained.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25We aim to keep going on for generations and generations.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27If Jean-Paul Hevin represents the traditional, high-end French chocolatier,
0:39:27 > 0:39:30then the enfant terrible of the chocolate world
0:39:30 > 0:39:32is one Patrick Roger.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35He's managed to combine his two obsessions -
0:39:35 > 0:39:37chocolate and sculpture.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55Like Jean-Paul Hevin, Roger wears the much-coveted tricolor collar
0:40:55 > 0:40:58on his chef's jacket.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00This is a sign that he's won the highest accolade
0:41:00 > 0:41:03that his profession can bestow -
0:41:03 > 0:41:05Meilleur Ouvrier de France.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07The piece of work that won it for Roger
0:41:07 > 0:41:10was unusual in chocolate-making circles -
0:41:10 > 0:41:14a life-size sculpture of a cocoa plantation worker
0:41:14 > 0:41:16made entirely out of chocolate.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41Patrick's sculptures are made from top-quality edible chocolate.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Some are made for high-paying corporate clients.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47Others are the result of his own obsessions.
0:41:47 > 0:41:48The monkeys, for example,
0:41:48 > 0:41:51were born out of his interest in wildlife conservation.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58The chocolate sculptures eventually decay and fall apart.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00But Patrick has taken to making moulds of them
0:43:00 > 0:43:03and casting them in bronze.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07These bronze pieces sell for thousands of pounds.
0:43:57 > 0:43:58Four tonnes.
0:44:24 > 0:44:25La il y a un probleme, il manque un doigt.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Oui, il faut qu'on recree...
0:44:27 > 0:44:30'It's time for me to try my hand at chocolate sculpture.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33'A little repair job on a missing finger.'
0:44:57 > 0:45:00He's got cold hands, I mean really cold hands.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49That little bit's mine.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52That little bit there's mine!
0:45:59 > 0:46:02It's time to put into practice all that I've learnt
0:46:02 > 0:46:03on my chocolate taste-journey,
0:46:03 > 0:46:06and create my very own chocolate
0:46:06 > 0:46:07at a place that supplies
0:46:07 > 0:46:11some of the very top chefs and restaurants the world over.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14I'm here on the outskirts of Paris at the headquarters of Cacao Barry,
0:46:14 > 0:46:18more specifically the original house of Monsieur Barry.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21And this is the Or Noir Laboratory
0:46:21 > 0:46:25where they specialise in making unique bespoke chocolates.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27That's what I'm going to do.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35It's all going to get very hi tech from here on in.
0:46:37 > 0:46:39Just to show you a bit how it works.
0:46:39 > 0:46:43So, here we have all the belt of chocolate. Er...
0:46:43 > 0:46:46- The belt of chocolate?- Yes, we call it the belt of chocolate.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50Because if you take the globe, all around it you have a belt from...
0:46:50 > 0:46:53This is the Equator, and you have the two tropics Cancer and Capricorn
0:46:53 > 0:46:57and this is where all cocoa grows. OK?
0:46:57 > 0:47:00First, we're going to taste chocolate.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02So, chocolate that was created.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04This is pure cocoa paste,
0:47:04 > 0:47:06the 100 paste chocolate.
0:47:06 > 0:47:07We want your palate.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09What is interesting for me is to know your palate.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11We want to work with your signature taste.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13- So it will be unique to me? - Yeah.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16It would unique and exclusive in the world.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19It will only be in Le Gavroche that your customers
0:47:19 > 0:47:22are going to be able to taste your flavour. Your OWN flavour.
0:47:22 > 0:47:23- Yes!- Yes!
0:47:25 > 0:47:28Before the process begins, Natasha, along with chocolate-maker Julie,
0:47:28 > 0:47:33needs to get some clues as to how I want my chocolate to taste.
0:47:33 > 0:47:38Definitely I want a strong, robust chocolate flavour
0:47:38 > 0:47:41with a good amount of bitterness.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43OK.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46A hint of acidity. Just a little bit.
0:47:46 > 0:47:47OK.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49I do like the idea of a roasted background,
0:47:49 > 0:47:51and the same with the fruitiness.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54- I want fruitiness, but not overpowering.- OK.
0:48:00 > 0:48:01Based on that profile,
0:48:01 > 0:48:04she is now going to offer me a variety of chocolate to sample.
0:48:06 > 0:48:07Thank you.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16- Like a coconut liqueur. - Yeah.- Yeah.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19Nutty. Yeah, yeah...
0:48:19 > 0:48:21Definitely. I like the floral note to it.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Coconut cream kind of...
0:48:23 > 0:48:25That's it, coconut cream.
0:48:25 > 0:48:26- Definitely. - Mm...mm...
0:48:36 > 0:48:38- I like that. - I like that, as well.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45And, unlike wine tasting, we don't spit it out.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50- Got a nice flavour. - It's well grounded.- Exactly that.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53- But it's lacking in identity. - Yeah.- OK. Erm...
0:48:53 > 0:48:57- Can we go stronger?- I think we could go stronger than that.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02- Mm.- Straightaway that's better. - Oh, yeah.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04Got a nice crunch to it. A nice feel to it.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08- Mouth-feel is very important, too. - Width.
0:49:08 > 0:49:09I like that, yep.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13From solid chocolate, we move to pure cocoa paste.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16First, it's just the smell.
0:49:18 > 0:49:19Ooph!
0:49:25 > 0:49:27Oh, that's unbelievable.
0:49:27 > 0:49:28- OK.- Right.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30I need to go back to this one.
0:49:30 > 0:49:31Go ahead.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34Look at the colour, also. It's much darker...
0:49:42 > 0:49:45This one I found very interesting.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49- I thought had a bit of mushroomy flavour, a bit musky... B1.- OK.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51After the smell, it's time to taste.
0:49:53 > 0:49:57But only in tiny amounts - so concentrated are the flavours.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00- It's not easy to taste this. - No.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02Without the sugar. That is NOT easy.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05But I really do like the bitterness of this,
0:50:05 > 0:50:07- and there's a hint of fruit in there, as well.- OK.
0:50:07 > 0:50:08I'm getting good at this.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11'Now, I've even got to taste the bean,
0:50:11 > 0:50:12'to compare it to the paste.'
0:50:13 > 0:50:15Mm.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17You feel the fruit here, no? You really feel the fruit.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20- It's fruit. Yep, very fruity. - Very, very fruity.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23- OK?- No, I like that. I like that a lot.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26Very interesting. Mm...hmm-mm-mm!
0:50:26 > 0:50:29- Do you want to know where they come from now?- Oh, yes.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32So, A1, we are travelling to Cuba.
0:50:32 > 0:50:34Cuba! I've never been. I want to go to Cuba!
0:50:36 > 0:50:40So we've Cuba. In Cuba the plantations are more on this part,
0:50:40 > 0:50:42then we have Santo Domingo
0:50:42 > 0:50:45and we have a bit of Venezuela.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48- So, you are an American guy.- Wow.
0:50:48 > 0:50:49MICHEL WHISTLES
0:50:49 > 0:50:52I am sorry, but Asia you don't want.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57Natasha and Julie have taken me on this wonderful taste train
0:50:57 > 0:50:59of the chocolate belt.
0:50:59 > 0:51:05And it's intriguing because I always thought I wanted chocolate
0:51:05 > 0:51:10that had a certain acidity and certain notes of bitterness,
0:51:10 > 0:51:14but I've actually found my taste buds wanted something completely different.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16The one thing that I've learnt,
0:51:16 > 0:51:18is that chocolate is very, very complex.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21It's not just one taste.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23It's extraordinary.
0:51:23 > 0:51:29And it's not just taste, it's also smell and texture.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31Julie is going to help us out.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33This is the recipe.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38We call this the orgue of chocolate.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40The what?
0:51:40 > 0:51:42The orgue of chocolate.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44Like in a church.
0:51:44 > 0:51:45Oh, the...the organ?
0:51:45 > 0:51:47Yes. The organ of chocolate.
0:51:47 > 0:51:52So, A2, can you give me 170g?
0:51:52 > 0:51:54- 170g. - Yeah.
0:51:54 > 0:51:58'Having narrowed down the blend of chocolate used in my recipe,
0:51:58 > 0:52:00'we're actually going to make it.'
0:52:08 > 0:52:10It smells lovely.
0:52:10 > 0:52:11Mmm!
0:52:21 > 0:52:24I want it to be a chocolate that I can use on different desserts
0:52:24 > 0:52:28but I also want to be able to offer to people
0:52:28 > 0:52:31a bite of the chocolate as it is.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34Because I think that would be the true reflection of my palate
0:52:34 > 0:52:37and of what I deem as a great chocolate.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44'This is the moment of truth.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46'What will my chocolate taste like?'
0:52:46 > 0:52:50It would be better to wait until it gets back to room temperature
0:52:50 > 0:52:52so that the taste is stabilised.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55It'll come to temperature in my mouth.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57SHE LAUGHS
0:53:02 > 0:53:03Hmm..!
0:53:08 > 0:53:09Mmm!
0:53:12 > 0:53:15It ticks all of those boxes.
0:53:15 > 0:53:16Chocolaty.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18Really intense chocolaty.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20- Mm-hm. - Bitterness, sweetness...
0:53:20 > 0:53:22Fruitiness.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24It's got character.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27It's unlike any other chocolate that I know of.
0:53:27 > 0:53:29It's unique.
0:53:33 > 0:53:34This is it.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36I finally got it.
0:53:36 > 0:53:37My chocolate.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39All that hard work,
0:53:39 > 0:53:41all that smelling and tasting
0:53:41 > 0:53:43and that voyage to find
0:53:43 > 0:53:46the kind of chocolate that I want.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51I can smell that aroma.
0:53:51 > 0:53:52Here they are.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54My little chocolate beans.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57Now I'm going to make a chocolate desert.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59Something really special,
0:53:59 > 0:54:00something extravagant,
0:54:00 > 0:54:01something delicious -
0:54:01 > 0:54:03a chocolate souffle.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07Now, there are no two sterner critics
0:54:07 > 0:54:09than my wife and daughter.
0:54:13 > 0:54:17So you're the first people to have Michel's signature chocolate.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19Yes! The first one to try this chocolate.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21Better be good, uh?
0:54:21 > 0:54:24'My daughter Emily is training to be a professional chef,
0:54:24 > 0:54:27'so I expect her to be particularly hard on me.'
0:54:31 > 0:54:33I am making a chocolate souffle.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36A lovely rich, dark chocolate sauce.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39And some chocolate cookies.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45But I want the true flavour of the chocolate to come through.
0:54:45 > 0:54:46So it's not too sweet.
0:54:49 > 0:54:50Mm!
0:54:52 > 0:54:55It's looking good enough to jump in headfirst.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12They're coated in cocoa powder.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20That looks just about right.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23That's good enough to eat as it is.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27This is indulgent. Chocolaty...
0:55:27 > 0:55:29Mm!
0:55:37 > 0:55:42No swear words, so it could be... could be good.
0:55:42 > 0:55:43Or not.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48This lovely, rich, dark, bitter chocolate sauce
0:55:48 > 0:55:50is to pour into the souffles
0:55:50 > 0:55:55and then you use the biscuits to dunk into the souffles.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58They are going to love this.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07In this country, too often we think of chocolate as just one thing -
0:56:07 > 0:56:10a bar or a slab of sugary milk confectionery.
0:56:10 > 0:56:15But on my journey I've discovered that it's many things.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17It's an extremely complex and sophisticated foodstuff
0:56:17 > 0:56:21that can embrace a myriad of flavours and textures.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23It's a bit bitty.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25Its history is connected with the rise and fall of empires,
0:56:25 > 0:56:28the lives of monarchs,
0:56:28 > 0:56:30and the Industrial Revolution.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33And no wonder chocolate has been associated with romance for centuries,
0:56:33 > 0:56:36what better expression of love is there
0:56:36 > 0:56:38than the gift of chocolate?
0:56:39 > 0:56:43- Looks good! - Yes, it looks very delicious.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46I like the slight wobbliness of it.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49Now you need some chocolate sauce in this.
0:56:49 > 0:56:50Yes...
0:56:50 > 0:56:52You ready for it?
0:56:52 > 0:56:54Mmm!
0:56:56 > 0:56:57Yes, please.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02Yum! That looks delish.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04And a chocolate cookie.
0:57:04 > 0:57:05- To go with it?- Yes.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08- That's too much chocolate. - No, no, no, no.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11Never too much chocolate.
0:57:11 > 0:57:12Oh, shall I go first?
0:57:12 > 0:57:14Shall I not burn myself?
0:57:19 > 0:57:21Mm! Very tasty.
0:57:23 > 0:57:24It looks hot.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27But it's not too... Too hot.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31Intense in chocolate, that's for sure.
0:57:31 > 0:57:34Not too sweet, which is nice.
0:57:34 > 0:57:38It's very intense, but nice flavour.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41- Intense chocolaty enough? - Mm.- Mm.
0:57:41 > 0:57:43- Delicious.- What about the cookies?
0:57:43 > 0:57:44I prefer the souffle.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47I'm going to try the cookie on its own.
0:57:49 > 0:57:50That is even more intense.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52That's so delicious.
0:57:52 > 0:57:54It's a chocolate-lover's dream.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56- Yeah. No, it's perfect.- Mmm...!
0:57:57 > 0:57:59So is this good enough?
0:57:59 > 0:58:01Definitely good enough, Chef!
0:58:01 > 0:58:03Was it worth my trip...
0:58:03 > 0:58:07to find the best possible chocolate?
0:58:07 > 0:58:09- Definitely worth it.- For sure.
0:58:09 > 0:58:10Oh.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12Mmm!
0:58:12 > 0:58:13This is MY chocolate.
0:58:13 > 0:58:15My very own mix of chocolate.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17Good choice.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19I'm really pleased with it.
0:58:19 > 0:58:21Are you proud of yourself?
0:58:21 > 0:58:23- Yeah, I am! - Well done, Dad.- I am.
0:58:23 > 0:58:25So you should be, darling.