Nothing screams “romance” quite like a box of chocolate-covered strawberries. And, they make a good gift for almost any occasion. But what exactly is the story behind these decadent treats? Just how long have they been around?
Youd be forgiven if you thought chocolate-covered strawberries were around for a century or so, considering just how old both chocolate and strawberries are. The Smithsonian Magazine tells us that chocolate (or at least cocoa beans) has been around for 2,000 years, and possibly even longer. Perhaps the most famous example of chocolate in the ancient world was the Aztecs refining of cocoa beans into a bitter drink. As chocolate gained a foothold in Europe and Spain in later centuries, it was seen as a luxurious treat, seen as having both nutritional and even aphrodisiac properties.
Strawberries also were seen as symbols of “passion” during the Medieval period, representing sexual temptation to divine perfection (via Tradition in Action). In fact, the strawberry was seen as such a beautiful symbol of perfection and divinity that artists and sculptures included strawberries in everything from religious paintings to altars. It would make sense, then, that someone would have combined the decadence of chocolate and the purity of the strawberry into one “heavenly” treat.
The real inventor of the chocolate-covered strawberry was no monk or English aristocrat though, but a shop owner in 1960s Chicago.
Chocolate-covered strawberries came out of Chicago
Its 1960s Chicago, and somewhere in the bustling city, lies a little gourmet shop, and no one realizes that within its kitchen, candy history is being made using nothing but chocolate and strawberries.
According to Chocolate, the story that goes a woman by the name of Lorraine Lorusso ran a small gourmet candy shop called the “Stop N Shop” in Chicago sometime in the 1960s. Lorusso, perhaps in a mood to make a new product, decided to temper some of the gourmet chocolate she sold in her shop and dipped some fresh strawberries into the chocolate. After allowing the chocolate to harden and form a shell around the berries, Lorusso then displayed the strawberries for her customers. Perhaps this was the cause of the success and rise of the chocolate-covered strawberries.
Oddly enough, despite being the inventor of one of the most famous chocolate treats in the world, very little information can be found regarding Lorraine Lorusso or her “Stop N Shop” gourmet store. Any information one does find simply retells the same story about how Lorusso invented the strawberries. One can take comfort, however, in the fact that Lorussos creation has continued to remain a delicious treat for decades.
What exactly is it about strawberries dipped in chocolate that made Lorussos creation so incredibly popular all these years later?
Chocolate-Covered Strawberries TikTok Video – Goes Mega Viral
Who invented chocolate covered strawberries?
Although both chocolate aand strawberries have been around for a long time, it was not until a woman named Lorraine Lorusso combined the two in the 1960s that the decadent chocolate covered strawberry was created. Lorraine worked at a small gourmet store called the Stop N’ Shop in Chicago.
How long have chocolate-covered strawberries been around?
You’d be forgiven if you thought chocolate-covered strawberries were around for a century or so, considering just how old both chocolate and strawberries are. The Smithsonian Magazine tells us that chocolate (or at least cocoa beans) has been around for 2,000 years, and possibly even longer.
How did Lorraine Lorusso make chocolate-covered strawberries?
Chocolate reports Lorraine Lorusso first crafted chocolate-covered strawberries in the 1960s while working at Stop N’ Shop in Chicago. The story goes that Lorusso dipped fresh strawberries in tempered chocolate that was sold in the shop and then began to offer the berries to customers after the chocolate hardened.
Who invented strawberry ice cream?
A woman working at a gourmet store in Chicago, Lorraine Lorusso of the Stop ‘N’ Shop, is said to be the inventor of this delicious treat. She took some of the store’s gourmet chocolate and dipped fresh strawberries into the mixture, selling them to customers after the chocolate shell hardened. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the Help of Wockenfuss!