The Marquise de Sévigné once wrote a friend saying: "If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you. But you have no chocolate! I think of that again and again! My dear, however will you manage? Everyone knows the meaning that this quote tries to portray. What would our life be like without without chocolate truffles, this time of year.

Chocolate has been used as a gift for the gods, kings and an exotic gift for thousands of years. Even today a box of luxurious truffles says; "Thank You", "I Love you", "I'm sorry" or even, "I hope you feel better." Nothing expresses these sentiments better than the beautifully boxed truffles of today.

When people think of chocolate they think of something sensual, sweet, sumptuous, gratifying, luxurious, creamy, seductive, silky and ooohh so good! Is there another food that can express these feelings in a better way? It has always been associated with passion, romance and love, and such association goes as far back as our ancient civilizations. Some ancient civilizations believed it brought wisdom, energy and even sexual power.

The Invention of the Truffle

How was the chocolate truffle that we see in the gourmet shops invented? It appears that the invention evolved from several different inventions in the industry, and they really were not produced until the mid 1800's. The process first began in the world until about the 1840's when the cocoa press was invented and allowed for the separation of the cocoa butter from the bean solids, and thus inventing the solid form (previously it had always been in powdered form).

The first factory was Fry's in England and it wasn't until 1879 when A Swiss named Henri Nestle invented milk chocolate by combining solid form with powdered milk, and this same invention brought about the experimentation and the development of ganache which is the center of a truffle which occurred in the late 1800's. Learn more at http://www.gourmetdarkchocolatetruffles.com

Today there are thousands of different types of truffles, and chocolates available and just as the Marquise de Sévigné wrote, chocolate is a world unto itself, it is the ultimate comfort food.

As Miranda Grahamm would put it; "It's not that chocolates are a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is, let's face it, far more reliable than a man." And this is truly the way most people feel about sensual, creamy, elegant chocolate truffles.