What are two things that are crucial for the survival of the world? No, I’m not talking about water and oxygen, but something even more important: coffee and chocolate! Okay… maybe not so much more important, but to the 1 billion people who enjoy chocolate every day and the 2.25 billion cups of coffee consumed, by a lot of those same people, they would agree that coffee and chocolate are vital in our every day lives.
Coffee and chocolate are some of the most popular products in the world. Because of this, thousands of ways for these two ingredients to not only be consumed, but utilized in every day life have been created, passed down and refined from all around the world. Here are just some of the different countries and how coffee and chocolate have influenced them.
Coffee
Though over 150 million American’s drink coffee every day, North America isn’t in the world’s top 10 coffee drinking countries. The Top 10 list ranges with Brazil coming in at no. 10 with an average 1.32 cups consumed daily per person to Finland being the world’s no. 1 coffee consumer with each Finn drinking an average of 2.64 cups daily! The list also includes Germany, Denmark, Serbia, Norway (no.2) etc. Australia has also been called “the coffee mekka of the world”.
Coffee isn’t just consumed in access, but created as well! Depending on where you live in the world, different cultures prepare coffee in certain ways. France’s signature coffee is known as café au lait, which is just a sophisticated cup of coffee with a side of warm frothed milk. The perfect drink to cool you in the hot, Mediterranean sun comes from Greece! A frappe is made with instant coffee, evaporated milk, and ice-cold water. The Italians have been pouring espresso for close to a hundred years and one of the ways it’s prepared is called an Espresso Romano, which is espresso served with a slice of lemon.
Chocolate
With the average American consuming 12 pounds of chocolate a year and the average European consuming 15 pounds per year, it’s easy to see why nine out of ten people love chocolate. This love of chocolate then begins the conversation for as to where the best chocolate is made around the world.
Known for being home to the “Chocolate Capitol of the World” of Brussels, welcome to Belgium! Belgium’s signature chocolate is the Neuhaus praline, which are crisp, chocolate shells filled with a soft, fresh cream. As the country that developed the first milk chocolate recipe, Switzerland is home to Lindt chocolates. Lindt’s standout quality comes from the high percentages of cocoa solids, which create a rich, roasted flavor.
Before eating chocolate was even considered, the way most of the world enjoyed this sweet treat was to drink it! Some of the most delicious hot chocolate recipes come from Central and South America. Some recipes, like this Sweet and Spicy Mayan Hot Chocolate, utilize
different spices (cinnamon and cayenne pepper) to enhance the taste of the chocolate.
No matter how one decides to enjoy these two wonderful beans, I think most would agree coffee and chocolate make our world a little bit richer.
