Easter and the chocolate egg.
Many people ask how the chocolate Easter egg came to be. It’s not as clear as say, Valentines, which appears to be the first concrete association with chocolates for a specific holiday or occasion. Cadbury marketed their beautifully decorated chocolate boxes in 1868, and then eventually a specific Valentines Day candy box soon after.
History of Easter & The Egg
Easter and eggs have a long history together. Christian Easter celebrations adopted the egg as a symbol from pagan traditions much later in the history of Christianity as it spread across Europe. Over the centuries, many European desserts, breads, and cookies incorporated whole coloured eggs into them. Examples include Tsoureki braided sweet bread in Greece, or Sicilian Cuddura cookies in Italy. Not to mention the traditions of painting and colouring eggs which became tied into Easter as well eventually. So although Easter was not always associated with eggs, it eventually became associated as Christianity moved across Europe.
History of Chocolate
Chocolate was a drink for most of its history, and wasn’t a “chocolate bar” until the mid 20th Century. Before this, chocolate and cacao was used as an ingredient not only in Mesoamerican foods, but also in Italian and French as well. For instance, in Italy chocolate was used for sorbets, but also in many savory foods such as lasagna and meats. It was in France where it was more heavily associated with desserts and pastilles (candies - not chocolate bars or bonbons) in the 1700’s.
However, it wasn’t until 1847 in Bristol England where Fry & Sons created what we can call the worlds first chocolate bar. It consisted of cocoa powder, sugar, and cocoa butter, and was easily poured into molds and shaped into bars and eventually other shapes as well. They created chocolate pretty much as we know it.
Easter & Chocolate Eggs
Since eggs and Easter had been associated with baked goods and foods at this point in Europe, it was only natural for many chocolate makers to began molding their newly found eating chocolate into egg shapes. We don’t know exactly when or who fist created this, but we know it did catch on very quickly.
So in the mid to late 19th Century, you see many countries across Europe begin to adopt chocolate Easter eggs into their social and culinary traditions. Even today, some of the more traditional Easter desserts now opt out of the brightly coloured hardboiled egg for a chocolate egg instead. A swap some might say is a bit more delicious.