Monday, October 22, 2018

Chocolate Museum

Browsing through literature we discovered this museum last evening. We had the morning free so we decided to go looking for it.And we were successful. It was hard to believe that all of these scenes were made of chocolate. The history of chocolate was fascinating and we learned so much.

Museu de la Xocolata - chocolate museum

Not only children love this museum

The chocolate museum Museu de la Xocolata shows the history of chocolate in Europe: its origins, how it got to us and how it was traded as an element between myth and reality, between medicine and food or as an aphrodisiac. It also shows the manufacturing of chocolate, from the cocoa bean up to industrial production processes.
The chocolate museum is one of the smaller museums in Barcelona. But none of the other museums will tickle your senses as much as this one. The smell of chocolate is all over the place, teasing your appetite, so the piece of chocolate that you receive at the entrance may not last for long. If you bring your kids with you on your trip to Barcelona, this museum will probably become their favourite.

Tour through the chocolate museum.At the beginning of the tour of the history of chocolate, you learn how chocolate was brought from South America to Europe by the Spanish conquerors. Columbus knew of the existence of cocoa, but he was not aware of its power. Without additional sweetening, the cocoa brought home by the Spaniards was not a very popular drink. But with the addition of sugar or honey, it soon made itself a reputation.

In the first hall, you also see the cocoa plants and the fruits of the tree.
In the second hall, you will learn about the recipe of "Xocoatl", the cocoa drink of the Aztec and the importance of chocolate for the ancient cultures of Latin America such as the Aztec and the Maya.
The tour continues with the history of chocolate in Europe, its influence on art and bakery. Several works of art made of chocolate are on display here. Sculptures and paintings of famous artists are imitated. Unfortunately, these pieces of art are not meant for eating... you still got that piece of chocolate from the entrance?


A large section is devoted to the audio-visual presentation of the history and industrial production of chocolate. But the largest section of the museum shows the manufacturing of chocolate. Machines are on display, showing the different manufacturing processes – from the grinding of the dried cocoa beans up to the moulding of chocolate bars.
Here are pictures of just a few of the displays etc.










All of the chocolate displays are in glass cabinets so it is difficult to get a picture without reflections but you can see how amazing they are.

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