Speaking of cake

I had 7 eggs that were approximately 3 days past the expiration day. Let's say I'm not a big egg consumer, but they were 99 cents for a dozen over Labor Day weekend. How could I pass that up? Yes, that is when they made their first appearance in my fridge. However, we also had cake mix that required a whopping 3 eggs! Score!

It was Pillsbury German chocolate cake mix. There was also funfetti, but we decided to go with the chocolate for obvious reasons. I mean, there are certain things in life you should never have to live without and one of those things is cake. And if one of the options is German chocolate cake, you would be a fool to pass it up. Seriously. Why deprive your taste-buds? Seriously.

So apparently German chocolate has nothing to do with Germany. A man who went by Samuel German invented it. It's a baking chocolate with the sugar already added. He thought it would be more convenient. What a swell guy!

Speaking of swell men, has anyone heard of Coenraad Johannes van Houten? Perhaps you have heard of Dutch chocolate. C.J. was a Dutch chocolate maker who invented the cocoa press, which treats cocoa with an alkalizing agent and gives it a milder flavor. The Dutch process also destroys antioxidants, but what I'm really into it for is the yummy deliciousness!

Swiss chocolate refers to... you guessed it: Switzerland! Swiss chocolates offer no misleadings. Don't you love that? Straightforward and high class, just like Roger Federer. Being the pioneering chocolatiers they are, the Swiss have refined chocolate into a high class indulgence using only the best ingredients. Don't we love them for it? Manifest destiny!

Where was my life before Switzerland? In Belgium. Even the Swiss imported from Belgium. Belgian chocolate is best known for its quality ingredients and also its stubborn devotion to old world manufacturing techniques. In a fast paced world where it's all about mass production and automatic chocolate spitter-outters, it's nice to come across chocolate still made by hand in small shops using original equipment. And don't we love them for it!

Aren't we forgetting a neighbor? Not as renowned, but just as delicious is French chocolate - another source of Swiss chocolate (I guess Swiss aren't so original after all). Chocolate seems to be a secret the French have kept for themselves, and what a shame! Just like wine, the French have a standard for chocolate just as well - a definite preference for fine dark chocolate. Not only chocolate, but the French have a knack for creating unique masterpieces with their chocolate by mingling exotic fruits and spices with traditional scents and flavors. A variety of quality ingredients and pure dark chocolate make French chocolate more than an indulgence, it's an art.