There’s plenty to do in Bayonne, but discovering Basque gastronomy is at the top of the list.
In this article, we take you on a journey to the heart of the chocolate capital. Something to delight even the greediest among you.
Bayonne, a must for your trip to the French Basque Country
Chances are, if you’re visiting the south-west region of France and heading for the French Basque Country, your journey will start or end in Bayonne.
Straddling the border between France and Spain, this small town of 50,000 souls draws from its French and Basque heritage, of course, but also from its Spanish neighbors, half an hour’s drive to the south.
Bayonne may not be as lavish as its neighbor Biarritz, but it’s got plenty of history and charm. And chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate.
Bayonne’s gastronomy: a remarkable heritage
Bayonne’s gastronomic heritage is nothing new. Indeed, the city’s geographical location has fostered the development of a rich culinary culture. Two rivers converge in the heart of the city, the Nive and the Adour, ensuring the rapid arrival of produce. The town does, after all, straddle the centuries-old coastal route between France and Spain.
This situation has been exploited over the years to refine many Basque culinary specialties, two of which stand out: chocolate and ham.
Why Bayonne is called the chocolate capital of France
Bayonne has an extraordinary culinary distinction in a country already rich in culinary distinctions: it’s the French capital of chocolate.
Chocolate came to France from Spain, and was first spotted in Bayonne in the first half of the 17th century, during the marriage of Louis XIII to Anne of Austria, daughter of Philip III of Spain.
But he really became popular at Versailles under his son, Louis XIV. He was, as most French children still remember, married to the Infanta Maria Theresa of Spain, so another strong Spanish connection.
Back then, chocolate was only available as a hot drink. But most chocolate remained at Versailles, at court. Like many innovations in France, the royal family got it first, and it was only later that its consumption became widespread.
As for its appearance in Bayonne, the town’s archives refer to what is known as chicolatte in 1670.
Bayonne was a multicultural city, and many Jews had settled here, descendants of families who had fled Spain (and Portugal) following the Catholic Inquisition.
They were the first in France to work with cocoa beans, producing a more bitter dark chocolate with a high cocoa content. Thanks to them, the use of chocolate spread to the rest of the population.
In the 18th century, most self-respecting houses in Bayonne had a chocolatière, a chocolate-making machine, just as we now have coffee machines.
At its peak, Bayonne boasted 30 master chocolatiers. Then came mechanization; the new-generation steam machines were noisy and too expensive, and the electric ones even more so. The inevitable happened, and the number of chocolatiers fell to eight.
Bayonne, the meeting place for chocolate lovers
It’s hard to believe there are so few, because as you walk through the pedestrian zone of Old Bayonne, there seems to be a chocolate shop on every corner. You’ll feel strangely compelled to enter each one…
If you’re a real fan, every year a three-day festival celebrates the arrival of chocolate in France. The festival is a pilgrimage for chocolate lovers; street stalls, gourmet chocolate pieces to taste, chocolate history, chocolate tours. In other words, all things chocolate.
France, famous for its medieval guilds, even has a chocolate guild through which professional chocolatiers still pass on their knowledge and secrets.
As you can see, chocolate is a veritable institution in Bayonne. So next time you’re in the Basque Country, make a detour to the chocolate capital.
