Bayonne's chocolate festival

amplify image

Chocolate

Bayonne, capital of the French Basque region, hosts each year at the end of May a day "festival of indulgence". And the "indulgence" in question is chocolate. The festival is a serious matter organised by the prestigious "Academie du Chocolat".

The town's streets are littered with chocolate stalls, where the artisan chocolate makers display their skill. Passers-by entranced by the sweet smell of the hot chocolate pause and gratefully accept the invitation to sample a sweet.

The history of chocolate in Bayonne goes back a long way.

Chocolate maker Christophe Puyodebat explains that in 1496, Jews fleeing from the Portuguese inquisition settled in Bayonne. The town claims that these were the first craftsmen in France to work with cocoa beans, and the town's cocoa infused legacy was started.

Claire Noblia is the daughter of a chocolate maker, and donator of artefacts to one of the local museums dedicated to the product. She says the development of a grinder to process the cocoa beans was a major step towards the town becoming celebrated for its chocolate industry, as it increased production and therefore profitability.

The Bayonne chocolate is made by seven small companies which make up the Bayonne Chocolate Makers Guild.

The chocolate itself is black in colour and bitter with a high cocoa content.