How 10 Different Places Do Hot Chocolate

The Mayans and the Aztecs had created what might be the earliest iterations of “hot chocolate” thousands of years ago wherein chocolate was mixed with masa or corn flour. The result is a drink with a deliciously thick texture. Contemporary recipes use sugar for a drink that makes for the perfect cool-weather treat.

Transport yourself to a cozy table in a charming Parisian café with this hot chocolate recipe. Like all the best French food, chocolat chaud tastes so indulgent simply because it uses a few high-quality ingredients. To make your own, combine high-quality semi-sweet chocolate, some whole milk, and some sugar and you’re well on your way to having a perfectly velvety beverage.

Cheese and chocolate are great separately, but bringing them together requires the circumstances to be just so. You wouldn’t throw a slice of American cheese in a pot with a Hershey bar. Enter chocolate santafereño to guide your way. Before any cheese comes into the picture, though, you have to make sure the hot chocolate part is sufficiently frothed (sufficient equals very, very frothed!). Then, once your individual cup is poured, you’ll swirl in a cube of salty white cheese. The result is a delightful interplay of salty and sweet flavors.

Viennese hot chocolate is famous for its uniquely creamy and thick texture. How is this achieved? By taking the standard mixture of chocolate and milk and adding in an egg yolk. It’s amazing how something so simple can transform your average hot chocolate into something that’s sumptuously silky and rich. Capping it off with a dollop of whipped cream will leave you with Viennese perfection.

Many styles of hot chocolate involve taking chocolate and, before adding it to the heated milk, breaking it into smaller pieces that are better suited to mixing. El Submarino flips the script by, instead, mixing sugar and milk, pouring that into a mug, and then taking a whole bar of chocolate and sticking in the mug of hot milk. Then, as the chocolate starts to melt, you swirl the melting bar in with a spoon until it’s been fully submerged.

This hot chocolate, made from cacao tablets, commonly served at breakfast time and served along with a breakfast roll. If you’re looking to have the ideal tsokolate experience a random spoon from your kitchen drawer won’t do. In order to get this drink’s characteristic frothiness you’ll need a good whisk. Or, if you’re feeling especially ambitious, a molinillo (essentially a special wooden baton that’s specifically meant for whisking hot chocolate).

If you’re looking for a hot chocolate recipe that gives you that cozy, comfort-food experience that’s able to cut through the heaviness of the chocolate, give this Hungarian spin on this sweet treat a try. While this recipe would be delicious enough with just the addition of cloves, a sprinkle of paprika gives this version a delightful kick.

Milo isn’t a general recipe like the other versions on this list. Milo is actually a brand of powdered chocolate and malt. Although it was originally created in Australia during the 1930s, it’s enjoyed widespread popularity throughout Southeast Asia, South America, Africa, and much of Oceania. It can be prepared hot or iced and was succinctly described in a headline from The Takeout as being like “Nesquik—if Nesquik tasted good.”

Almost every notable style of preparing hot chocolate that’s worth its salt would have “thick” in the description of its texture. And while Italy’s signature style doesn’t sacrifice the drink’s flavor, the thickness is its most famous element. Cioccolata calda is occasionally prepared so that it’s so thick in texture that you’re better off eating it with a spoon like a mousse instead of trying to sip it from a cup.

Like the other European hot chocolates, Spain’s is characteristically thick. But there’s an additional purpose beyond flavor and texture. A common accompaniment of chocolate caliente are some delicious churros for dipping in this delicious, chocolatey concoction.