French chocolate

Anne of Austria, the daughter of the Spanish King Philip III, is often attributed as introducing chocolate to France in 1615 despite a lack of contemporary documentation.

[2][a] Other figures that have been speculated to have introduced or popularised chocolate in France include Cardinal Richelieu, who used it as a medicine, and Marie Thérèse upon marrying Louis XIV in 1660.

Foreign firms mass-producing chocolate emulated French merchandising and had captured 48% of the confectionary gift market by 1989.

[11] Parisian craft leaders and local chocolatiers appealed to officials for authenticating French artisans and their methods and products.

[12] During the 1990s, chocolatiers institutionalized a craft identity, codifying a taste standard borrowed from wine connoisseurship, based on dark chocolate.

[13] In 1995, the Salon du Chocolat opened, attracting 40,000 visitors with exhibits of chocolate making and a haute fashion show.

In 1998, the Académie française du Chocolat et de la Confiserie was formed to codify correct linguistic use.

[13] Chocolatier involvement in the Best Craftsman of France competition requires high time, social and financial investment for success.