Everything you ever wanted to know about pain au chocolat and chocolatine

Want to finally learn the truth about the history of pain au chocolat and chocolatine ? What is the status of the eternal debate between fierce supporters of pain au chocolat and ardent defenders of chocolatine ? What are the geographical and historical origins of this deep cultural and gastronomic divide between south-western France and the rest of the country ?

To try to understand, let’s take a leap back in time.
Some historians agree that the pain au chocolat was invented in the 15th century. At that time, the Aquitaine region was under the authority of the Kingdom of England, and it was the English who gave it the name chocolatine, a literal translation of ‘chocolate in’, to refer to the pain au chocolat.
Others believe that pain au chocolat was invented in 1830 by two Austrian bakers as a variation on the croissant sold in their Parisian bakery: the ‘Schokoladeen croissant’, which the French quickly transformed into ‘chocolatine’. According to this same theory, in the 20th century French bakers changed the recipe and the name. The bread dough was replaced by puff pastry and the name chocolatine by pain au chocolat.
It’s not so simple after all, and the mystery surrounding the origins of this difference remains unsolved… but which side should we choose ?

Rest assured, both terms are correct; it is more a matter of regionalism that makes us smile today. When visiting south-western France, opt for chocolatine or even choco to blend in with the locals…

And imagine what Marie Antoinette might have said in 1789 in response to her people crying out in hunger: ‘If they don’t have pain au chocolat, let them eat chocolatines !’

Article written without the help of ChatGPT !