(Italiano) Majani 1796 – progetto ” promozione Export e Fiere 2023″

16 May 2024

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(Italiano) Politica sulla sicurezza alimentare

30 July 2020

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Majani 1796 s.p.a. awarded with DolciSalati&Consumi Awards 2019

16 April 2019

Majani 1796 S.p.A awarded at Cibus Connect during the ceremony DolciSalati & Consumi Awards in two categories: charity initiative, with Dolce Soccorso Crimino and special product innovation award, with Tisana degli Dei.
The important project Crimino was born in collaboration with the Italian Red Cross: for every Dolce Soccorso case sold, consisting of 4 Fiat cremini, Majani donated 60 cents to the purchase of defibrillators (AEDs) for Elderly Centers throughout the country.

Tisana degli Dei was created by the Bolognese Company to offer a product with all the flavor of cocoa, vegan, totally free of calories, sugars, lactose, fats and gluten. Made with 100% “fine de aroma” cocoa peel, it is consumed like a leaf tea: just let it brew for a few minutes in boiling water.
These awards of excellence assigned by Tespi Mediagroup and attributed by a qualified jury of buyers of Gd and Do as well as by prominent operators in the food sector, have once again seen the protagonist of the historic Bolognese chocolate company, which has been producing for over 220 years its “from bean to bar” specialties, according to the traditional method.
Mrs. Barbara Orofalo, Majani Marketing and Sales Manager, received the award.

Cremino Espresso, special cocktail by barman Marco Stefanelli

03 April 2019

The Fiat Classico Cremino is the great protagonist of this special cocktail created by the barman Marco Stefanelli on the occasion of the special "Chocolate and Spirits" tasting held at the Women's Day at Eataly Bologna Ambasciatori and dedicated to all lovers of the velvety texture of the first and original 4-layer "bonbon" created in 1911 to celebrate the launch of the Fiat Tipo 4.
The intense aroma of coffee is combined in the glass with the creaminess of almond syrup, offering a unique and unforgettable taste experience.

To make this cocktail, you need:
- 60 ml coffee or amaretto liqueur
- Almond milk syrup 45 ml
- 1 cup of espresso coffee
- Ice enough to fill one half of the shaker

for preparation:
- a glass or a flute
- a jigger
- a shaker
- a strainer
- a small colander with metal links

here is how to proceed:
- hem the rim of the glass with a soft creamy sauce, spreading it with a teaspoon. Store it in a blast chiller for at least 30 minutes
- measure, using the jigger, the right quantities of coffee liqueur, almond syrup, espresso coffee and then pour them into the shaker
- fill the other side of the shaker with ice
- close and shake vigorously for a few seconds
- open the shaker and strain the mixture with the strainer, using a metal mesh strainer to prevent small pieces of ice from passing.

A fantastic cocktail to celebrate the arrival of summer!

The “Blanco de Cepe” Majani awarded as 2019 Tavoletta d’Oro at the Taste of Florence

12 March 2019

On Monday 11 March at the Stazione Leopolda in Florence, during the last day of the Taste food and wine event, the awards ceremony for the 2019 Tavolette d’oro was held, promoted by the Compagnia del Cioccolato. The Association, which has been active for more than 20 years, is made up of over 1000 members including food lovers of the gods, professional tasters, industry journalists, food experts and refined gourmets. The Tavolette d’Oro represent the most authoritative awards dedicated to quality chocolate in Italy and the tasting reviews have been assigned according to the evaluation sheets of the Company. More than eight hundred products (pralines, spreads, coated fruit …) have been the subject of tasting and the references that have exceeded 85 cents have arrived in the final, representing in their complexity the excellence of the Italian panorama. In the Cioccolato di origine category the brand new Blanco de Cepe 78% tablet by Majani 1796 was awarded the coveted prize, which will be presented to the public within the Fall Winter 2019 Collection. Cepe is a prized wild cocoa from the forests of Venezuela, which with its varied mosaic of genetics has at least 15% of white criollo beans. The grains are large and homogeneous and are F1 Fino de primera certified. Special mention for the second year as Cioccolato d’eccellenza at the Tavoletta Latte Intenso with 52% cocoa and for the first time at the Cremino Inca, made in 2018 with fine Venezuelan cocoa Maracaibo.

On March 30th and April 13th the oldest chocolate factory of italy opens its sweet doors

08 March 2019

Saturday 30 March and 13 April Majani,  in Via G. Brodolini 16 Località Crespellano, Valsamoggia a Bologna, opens the doors of the company to make known its history and its specialties. It will be an opportunity to enter the heart of the Ancient House and visit it, following an educational path that includes the entrance to the production area and a moment of training on the history and culture of chocolate, accompanied by tasting of the most famous Majani products. The visits are scheduled at 10.00, at 12.00 and at 15.00 and the participation fee per person is € 15.00. At the end of the visit will be given to participants a discount voucher of € 5.00 to be used at the company store. For info and reservations write to customercare@majani.com indicating name, surname, mail, telephone number and turn to which you are interested.

The 6th April special course of decoration of chocolate eggs for children

08 March 2019

On Saturday April 6th Majani organizes a special Easter egg decoration course for all children aged over 5 who want to learn how to make their first masterpieces. The chef Giovanna Geremicca will teach the small confectioners the art of chocolate making and at the end of the day the children will bring their creations home. The course will take place over two shifts: at 10.00 am and at 3.00 pm; the participation fee per child is € 20.00. At the end of the day a € 5.00 voucher will be given to the participants to be used at the store. For info and reservations write to customercare@majani.com indicating the name, surname and age of the child, e-mail address, telephone number and turn in which you are interested.

CRIMINO is good for the heart: Italian Red Cross and Majani together for a Dolce Soccorso

31 October 2018

On Monday, October 29th at 11 am the official press conference for the launch of the important “Dolce Soccorso CRIMino” project took place at the Oratory of San Filippo Neri. Majani 1796 in collaboration with Italian Red Cross launches this important cardioprotection initiative active in Italy until April 2019. From today, buying a CRIMINO case, it will be possible to contribute to the purchase of external semi-automatic defibrillators (DAE) that will be installed in some centers for the reception and assistance of older people in Italy.

The package, presented in counter displays that clearly illustrate the initiative, contains 4 classic Cremini with hazelnuts and almonds, the flagship product of the Bolognese company and, for the occasion, the case will have a special “dress” inspired by the initiative. For each box sold, Majani will donate 60 cents to the “Dolce Soccorso CRIMINO” project.
Added value of the initiative, the important testimonials that will support the campaign over the months: will be the smiles and the sympathy of Lino Banfi (testimonial for CRI) and Franco Oppini (testimonial for Majani), in fact, to accompany the “Dolce Soccorso” .
The widespread distribution of the CRIMINO will be ensured by the joint commitment of the CRI Committees throughout Italy and by the Majani sales network spread throughout the territory. The entire operation will be based on the key principles of transparency and traceability, which will accompany all phases of the initiative, including the number of AEDs purchased and the facilities that will benefit from it. Outside the Elderly Centers and on the display case containing the defibrillator will also be affixed a plaque identifying the two promoters, reflecting the joint commitment of the Italian Red Cross and Majani.

In Italy there are about 60,000 people who die of cardiac arrest every year. The use of the external semi-automatic defibrillator, combined with cardiopulmonary resuscitation practices, is crucial to save the life of those affected and greatly increases the chance of survival awaiting the arrival of rescue.

Majani at the great Emilian exhibition of 1888

26 September 2018

After 130 years from the Great Emilian Exhibition, Majani has received an important certificate that celebrates its historic chocolate business.
The company’s commitment to create excellent products made daily with passion and craftsmanship care starting from raw cocoa seed, continues today even after more than two centuries since its birth; the organization of Giardini and Terrazzi, in collaboration with the social promotion association Laboratorio Staveco, has rewarded the sweet reality of Bologna as part of the ExpoBo 130 initiative, a re-enactment event aimed at promoting the role of the actors in the economy, culture and society that took part to the 1888 Exhibition. The Margherita Gardens, green lung in the heart of the Emilian capital, were the naturalistic setting of this historical event of national importance, at whose inauguration also participated the King Umberto I, the consort Margherita of Savoy and the President of the Crispi Council, in addition to 2,500 guests, including 340 mayors.
The exhibition took place within various structures surrounded by greenery, divided into three sectors: Music, Industry and Agriculture, Fine Arts. Majani took part in the event presenting its innovative machinery within the industrial sector, proving already then a extremely advanced reality in the Italian panorama. The main entrance of the Expo stood at Porta Santo Stefano, where two elegant structures stood on either side of a semicircular barrier. The pillars of the gate were surmounted by the statues of Agriculture and Industry and in the square in front of the entrance there was an impressive fountain adorned by four groups of statues. The Music Hall, with a large hall for symphonic concerts, the brewery, the Russian railway and the eel fishing factory set up by the Municipality of Comacchio, together with the hut of the Italian Alpine Club, animated the event. Balloon flights and lighting experiments made the unique experience of this unique event aimed at celebrating the 800th anniversary of the University of Bologna and the Italian industrial, agricultural and artistic excellence, including the Majani chocolate, unique.

Majani on the Via degli Dei

11 September 2018

A thousand-year road, 130 km of history from Bologna to Florence, a chocolaty kit in your pocket to get ready for the walk: it’s called #PathofGodsItaly, the Via degli Dei, a project promoted by Bologna Welcome, of which Majani is proudly a partner. A journey that is culture, food and wine, traditions, history, tourism. From 1 to 10 September 2018, five international bloggers had followed the path on the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, which was of the Etruscans and then of the Romans. These are three bloggers, a vlogger and a videomaker specializing in slow tourism, such as Melvin Bocher, influential influencer of TravelDudes, Dave Brett founder of TravelDave, Scott Tisson of intrepidescape.com, Laurel Robbins of monkeysandmountains.com and Rui Dantas Rodrigues. In the backpack, in addition to the tools to tell to an international audience the fabulous route through movies, photos and social content, travelers had a box with the best Majani specialties: Tortellini, Cremini, Black Snack Stick Snack and much more. On a journey made of history, wonder and slowness, Majani has immediately decided to join as a partner, because this means its products: little miracles of taste, treated as usual.

Majani 1796 registers the Platò Easter Egg design

23 July 2018

Majani 1796, the historical chocolate Company that has always produced its specialties according to the traditional method starting from raw cocoa beans, has recently registered the Community Design of the most innovative product of Easter 2018: the original Platò.

The unusual flat egg, received with great enthusiasm by the public and critics, is a truly revolutionary article: the classic oval shape is maintained, while the roundness disappears making space for a two-dimensional surface, made unique by special ingredients and artistic grains.

The concept of “design” is part of the very nature of the object, which compared to other eggs is more practical, easily transportable and less frangible; the compact package also allows to enter the surprise.

The development of the Companies happens through a good commercial propulsion that is successful the more there will be availability of practical and innovative products. We think that the Platò Egg goes in this direction and so We decided to register the new shape.

We also want to remind You that over the years Majani has invented two historical products: in 1832 the Scorza (now Sfoglia Nera) first solid chocolate in Italy and in 1911 the four-layer Fiat Cremino, the company’s jewel in the crown.

The novelty that marries tradition will continue to be one of the distinctive features of Majani 1796, along with the constant commitment to offer the public an excellent and unique chocolate.
Platò perfectly represents this synthesis between past and future, form and substance, chocolate and artistic inspiration.

YESTERDAY, TODAY AND MAJANI.

The winners of “Felici come una Pasqua” contest

30 June 2018

Today a jury of experts choose the winners of “Felici come una Pasqua” contest. Congratulations to Simona D’Agate (1st, in the center), Mirella Masina (2nd, left) e Vito La Maddalena (3rd, right).

Majani wins “DolciSalati & Consumi Awards”

08 May 2018

May 7, 2018 Majani 1796 S.p.A. was awarded at Cibus during the “DolciSalati & Consumi Awards” ceremony, awards of excellence assigned by the retail sector and organized by the Tespi Mediagroup magazines awarded by a qualified jury of Gd and Do buyers as well as by prominent operators in the food sector, to the initiatives that distinguished themselves during the year 2017. Majani 1796 was awarded in two categories: Best of recurrence product innovation – Easter campaign – with the unprecedented Plató flat egg and Best new media campaign with the Facebook campaign. Historical Characters. Ms Barbara Orofalo, Marketing Manager of the Company, together with the Lampi Communications Agency in Parma, received the award.

Balsamic Truffle

12 February 2018

photo by Massimo Nobile

The traditional balsamic vinegar, exalted by the prestigious 75% Colombian Majani chocolate, is the protagonist of this delicious recipe, proposed by the Chef Giovanna Geremicca (www.giovannageremicca.it) on page 96 of her book Cioccolateria Italiana, working techniques, recipes and tasting -2012, Calderini publisher.

INGREDIENTS

250 g of dark chocolate 75% cocoa

100 ml of fresh cream

20 g of butter

balsamic vinegar of Modena

100 g of bitter cocoa powder

doses to make 20 truffles

PROCEDURE

– Bring cream and butter to the boil, let cool for two minutes. Pour the chocolate into small pieces and stirring gently turn these ingredients into a fluid and shiny ganache.

– Leave to cool and keep in the fridge for 4 hours. With the tines of a fork grated the dough, with the same movement you would do with a spoon to remove the dough, large crumbs will form.

– Take a quantity equal to a large hazelnut and compact quickly forming a depression in the mixture, pour into it three drops of balsamic vinegar.

– Close and roll in the bitter cocoa.

– Leave the tartufini in the fridge to rest, but before tasting, leave them at room temperature for a few minutes to enhance the preciousness and sweetness of the balsamic vinegar and the velvety taste of the truffles.

Chocolate Cake Lactose and Eggs Free

12 February 2018

photo by Massimo Nobile

For all the greedies with problems of intolerance to milk and eggs, here is a recipe … discomfort proof. The Chef Giovanna Geremicca (www.giovannageremicca.it) on page 36 of her book Cioccolateria Italiana, processing techniques, recipes and tasting -2012, Calderini publisher- proposes this delicious recipe without eggs, milk and its derivatives.

INGREDIENTS

200 g of Majani dark chocolate 52% cocoa

50 g of vegetable margarine without lactose

250 g of 00 flour

1/2 sachet of baking powder

200 g of granulated sugar up

1/4 liter of coconut milk (or goat’s milk)

doses for a cake of 28 cm of diam

PERFORMANCE

– In a bain-marie, melt the dark chocolate with the lactose-free margarine and add the sifted flour with half a sachet of yeast, the super-fine caster sugar and the coconut milk (if you have problems with the digestibility of milk I recommend that goat).

– Whip all the ingredients with electric whisk for a few minutes at maximum power until they form a frothy cream and pour into a non-stick mold.

– Bake in a preheated oven at 180 ° C. The cake will be cooked when, sticking a wooden stick, it will come out dry.

– Keep well in the refrigerator for 4 days, in an airtight container.

Cremino

12 February 2018

photo by Massimo Nobile

The Chef Giovanna Geremicca (www.giovannageremicca.it) on page 74 of her precious book Cioccolateria Italiana, working techniques, recipes and tasting -2012, Calderini editore- proposes an inviting recipe for making a great Cremino using Majani chocolate. The original Cremino Fiat was born in 1911 from the creativity of the Bolognese Company to celebrate the launch of the new Fiat Tipo 4 car model. The first 4-layer Cremino is here reinterpreted in a “domestic” version.

INGREDIENTS

250 g of Majani dark chocolate with 55% cocoa

250 g of Majani milk chocolate

250 g of white chocolate

200 g of first-quality hazelnuts already shelled

100 g almonds of Avola already shelled

for about 100 3 layers Cremini

PROCEDURE

– Heat the oven to 170° C and bake the hazelnuts and peeled almonds in separate trays. Roast them for at least 15 minutes, stirring them occasionally to make them brown evenly. Clean the hazelnuts by rubbing them with a rough cloth, the peel will come away immediately revealing the fruit well cleaned and toasted.

– Let it cool and mix the hazelnuts until they become a sort of mush. Then pass the mixture a little at a time into the mortar and reduce even more to cream. Also reduce the almonds in cream, reminding you to wash the mixer and mortar between one fruit and the other so as not to contaminate the flavors of the two pastas.

– Melt the dark chocolate in a bain-marie and add 100 g of hazelnut paste at a temperature of 40° C. Now proceed as for a normal chocolate tempering. Once at working temperature place the cream in a square pan covered with baking paper or silicone molds, in order to make a first thin layer that will then welcome the other two. proceed in the same way with milk chocolate and the rest of the hazelnut paste and white chocolate with almond paste.

– Form a first layer with 1 cm thick hazelnut paste and leave to refrigerate for 15 minutes. proceed with the other two layers, alternating them to obtain the characteristic strips of the cremino.

– Let it solidify at room temperature for 2 hours. The speed depends on the temperature.

– Once the dough has hardened, cut the cubed or sliced ​​Cremini with a smooth-edged knife and stored in an airtight box outside the fridge for two weeks.

The Barcelona Chocolate Museum

15 November 2017

Barcelona and chocolate have always had a very deep bond. The Spanish port city was one of the first realities to get in touch with the food of the gods and to be able to appreciate its delicious nature. In the ancient Convent of Sant’Agustì, today stands the Museu de la Xocolata, a permanent exhibition commissioned by the Confectioners of the Catalan city to celebrate the origins of cocoa with objects and installations, its arrival in Europe and the spread between myth and reality, between tradition and the future. The history of the Convent that houses the Museum (which became during the mid-eighteenth century a Military Academy) is intimately linked to chocolate: the precious drink was distributed here along with bread for breakfast to the cadets of the Bourbon army, fanatical consumers of this product. The Confectioners of Barcelona have conceived the Museu with two main purposes: to develop a cultural project aimed at promoting the history of quality chocolate and to create a tool aimed at revaluing the country’s patisserie and chocolate tradition to develop the sensitivity and curiosity of the public towards this sweet world.

A Heart of… chocolate

15 November 2017

 “…Un dì mai non trapassa
senza ch’io me ne succhj
sullo spuntar del dì ricolma tazza.
A sceglier altri amari succhi impazza,
I mali di vecchiezza prevenire;
Io sol con questo amabile elisire,
dell’età grave riparando i danni,

viver vuo’ di Nestor gli anni…”

Marcello Malaspina, a Tuscan poet of the late ‘600, already testified in his Bacchus in America the beneficial and anti-aging effects of chocolate on his body, as well as on his spirit. Instead of filling the cup with other “bitter juices”, he preferred to savor at breakfast this “amiable elixire”, able to repair the damage of age and make it almost immortal. After the demonization of chocolate as a fattening and unhealthy food, today we are witnessing the rehabilitation and promotion of this product by the scientific community. A study conducted by the Top Institute Food and Nutrition of Wageningen University (The Netherlands) and published in the FASEB Journal, shows how dark chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa can help restore the flexibility of the arteries and prevent the white blood cells from sticking on the walls of the blood vessels giving rise to atherosclerosis. These beneficial effects can be attributed to the antioxidants contained in chocolate, especially flavonoids, which are able to prevent the oxidation of bad cholesterol by free radicals and the coagulation of platelets. The Malaspina in short, already more than 300 years ago he understood that the “chocolates” was good for the heart really in every sense. It is understood that to enjoy the beneficial effects of this product it is not necessary to exceed the quantity and it is preferable to choose the flux with a high percentage of cocoa.

Let’s get Prepared for Summer with a Chocolate Massage

15 November 2017

Chocolate is good to eat but not only: thanks to its virtues we can become even more beautiful and rediscover our psychophysical balance. To prepare for the holidays we draw from the thousand beneficial properties of the food of the gods! Thanks to a delicious chocolate massage, we free our mind from everyday stress, with its sublime scent, strong relaxing and antidepressant power, which fosters euphoria and at the same time increases the ability to concentrate. Cocoa beans contain many polyphenols with an antioxidant effect, mineral salts, theobromine, tannins, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium and potassium … which make it an excellent product to fight cellulite and water retention. Grains, combined with soothing substances such as honey, can help us to have a velvet skin, thanks to its exfoliating action, which offers an intense cell renewal. Furthermore, cocoa butter has a strong nourishing, emollient and protective power. For a do-it-yourself chocolate massage you need about 500 grams of fondant and an essential oil of your choice. After melting the chocolate in a bain-marie and adding a few drops of oil mixing well, the chocolate should be massaged still warm (be careful not to burn yourself!) Until the product is absorbed. Let the skin rest for ten minutes and then take a warm shower. For best results try a high quality product, such as dark chocolate Majani!

Follow us to discover other chocolate secrets for your beauty.

A Sweet Fast

15 November 2017

Chocolate has always made to speak of itself: “exotic, dark and mysteriously euphoric food, non-food”, has been at the center of many social, nutritional and even religious debates over the centuries. Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, especially in Spain and in Italy, numerous moral treatises have been written that indicate whether the product is more or less suitable to be taken during Fast. These texts represent real disputes about the nature of the food of the gods (is it a food or a drink?) And the possibility of savoring it in fasting time without losing its Catholic precepts. One of the most significant volumes is that written by Antonio de Leòn Pinelo Moral Question if chocolate breaks the ecclesiastical fast, published in 1636. The author, born in Argentina, later moved to Spain, where he became Minister of the Council of the Indies, explains the reasons why chocolate should be considered a drink that, if taken once a day in moderate quantities, does not break penance. Even Cardinal Brancaccio, a few years later, stands in defense of the dark drink stating that “Liquidum non frangit jejunum”, thus finally exonerating the chocolate from every sinful connotation.

Majani and the Universal Exhibitions

15 November 2017

Grandeur. This is the keyword of the Universal Expositions, which have always marked the triumph of humanity’s “magnificent progressive destinies”, contributing to the dissemination of ideas and the technological development of the world. The first Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations was held in London in 1851; already at that time Giuseppe Majani had understood that the future of Italy would have been in Europe and that to stand out on the stage of world excellences he would have had to be present with its chocolate – produced with the most avant-garde steam machines – to the main world Expositions.

On the occasion of the Exposition Universelle de l’Art and de l’Industrie de 1867, the Bolognese Company received a silver medal in the section Agriculture et Industrie – Chocolats et Dragées. On 18 August 1873 Majani participated and was also awarded at the Expo in Vienna whose theme was culture and education.

Paris was again at the center of the world scene in 1878 and during the exhibition event visited by sixteen million people (a record for the time!) Majani received a new medal. Inside the Group IV Pavilion – Food and Prepared Products, the excellence of the Bolognese Company was awarded (this time at the national level) at the Milan Industrial Exhibition of 1881, conceived to create the opportunity for a constructive comparison between the various regional industrial realities of Italy.

Majani and… Homeopathic Chocolate

15 November 2017

In the mid-800s, the food of the gods was also appreciated for its “medicinal” function. The simple chocolate, obtained with eight pounds of cocoa Caracca, two cocoa of the islands and ten of sugar mixed with milk or water, was called health chocolate and, as Felice Cassone teaches in his text Medical-Pharmaceutical Flora, produced a “Relaxing and little repairing feeding”, suitable for robust and strong stomachs. The aromatic chocolate was made by mixing the previous compound with three ounces of vanilla and two of cinnamon and it was easier to digest. Nutrient chocolate incorporated certain starches into the drink, such as those of salep, sago and tapioca, often substituted due to the high price with potato flour and starch. Sometimes lentils, peas, almonds, butter and egg yolks were allowed to enter the chocolate. The real medicinal chocolate prevented the use of the brown food to make reticent people to take substances of a particularly unpleasant taste: the pectoral chocolate was made for example using lichen of Iceland. In Majani’s list dating back to 1856 we find the presence of pectoral chocolate, ferruginous, with milk of almonds and even … homeopathic! The latter, devoid of aromas, had the task of not annulling the action of other remedies, as explained in the text “Homeopathic home medicine” written in 1859 by Professor Mengozzi of La Sapienza University of Rome.

Liotard the Chocolate Painter

15 November 2017

“…È mezz’ora che sbatto;
Il cioccolatte è fatto, ed a me tocca
Restar ad odorarlo a secca bocca?
Non è forse la mia come la vostra?
O garbate Signore,
Che a voi dessi l’essenza, e a me l’odore!
Per Bacco, vo’ assaggiarlo. (lo assaggia)
Com’è buono!…”

Despina, the maid of the comic opera “Così fan tutte” by Mozart, staged for the first time in Vienna in 1790, manages to express in these few rhymes his relationship of love and hate with chocolate. To make it skim properly, she had to shake it for a long time and now she would like to be able to get some food of the gods to recover from so much effort. She cannnot resist and she has to taste it, but she knows that certain delicacies are destined only for the “ladies”, the only ones who can enjoy the pleasant essence, while she has only to smell it. The social difference is evident even if the poor servant does not understand in what she differs from them, perhaps these are only more “polite”, otherwise the temptation of chocolate is strong for everyone.

Jean-Etienne Liotard, the Swiss painter famous for his realistic pastel works, depicts around 1745 the Bella Cioccolatiera, recognized as his most famous work. The tranquility and the measured gesture separate it from the image of impatient and greedy Despina; It still seems to hear the delicate wimp from the maid’s shoes echo along the wide corridor of a wealthy mansion as she brings chocolate to her lady. The parchment made in Vienna and now kept at the Dresden Museum, after being purchased by Francesco Algarotti in Venice and Augustus III of Poland, portrays the young woman with a valuable tray in her hand, which she absolutely must not let fall. The cup of fine porcelain is supported by a trembleuse in silver to dumple vibrations. Chocolate is so prized that you cannot even drop a drop! The glass of water invariably accompanies the drink and allows those who consume it to cool off after taking the dense pleasure.

In another famous portrait of 1753 entitled La colazione (Das Fruhstuck), Liotard makes us understand how the “gentle lady” is to whom chocolate will be served. The figure of the maid in this work almost disappears, but the beautiful tray with the chocolate in the cup and the glass of water, essential symbols of status, remains the same. The woman depicted is preparing to enjoy her energetic morning chocolate, which has become a fashion at the Austrian court of the time.

Another rich and thoughtful girl is the protagonist of the Viennese opera of 1744 Woman pouring the chocolate (A lady pouring chocolate). Liotard portrays a young woman who is preparing to enjoy in company (of those who do not know it) the chocolate that has just been brought by the waitress. We are probably in a cold season, as we can guess from the presence of the foot warmer next to the satin petticoat. The chocolate is made more pleasant by the addition of milk and sugar, whose presence emerges on the tray in a game of expert reflexes.

The artist continues to celebrate the special relationship between women and chocolate in this tender cross-section of her family life. Mrs. Liotard and her daughter (Madame Liotard and her daughter) savor the delicious chocolate of the morning together. The mother looks proudly at her little girl, intent on dipping a biscuit still snoozing and with paper curlers on her head, ready to prepare herself for an intense ladies day.

Science in cooking and the art of eating … chocolate

15 November 2017

A masterpiece of Italian gastronomic literature, translated into many languages ​​and re-edited fifteen times after the first print of 1891, Science in the kitchen and the art of eating well is the first famous recipe book made by Pellegrino Artusi to celebrate the Italian gastronomic union. Artusi tells us that the two most esteemed types of chocolate are Caracca (Venezuelan) and Marignone (from the Antilles) and that to guarantee a quality product one must “escape the lowest price and give preference to the most accredited manufacturers”. The author defines chocolate as a “nervous food that stimulates intelligence and increases sensitivity”, a nutritious food suitable for those who “work hard with the brain”. The food of the gods is the protagonist or ingredient of many of his recipes, such as DOLCE DI CIOCCOLATA and DOLCE TORINO, DOLCE DI MARRONI WITH PANNA MONTATA, SFORMATO DI FARINA DOLCE, PASTRIES OF PASTA BEIGNET COVERED WITH CHOCOLATE, NICE CAKE and QUELLA ALMONDS, the BISCUIT AND CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE.
Some preparations include the use of chocolate in combination with savory ingredients, such as MILANESE CAKE, with minced meat, pine nuts and candied fruit. The use of COCOA is also interesting as an ingredient of PUERPERAL BISCOTTINS, conceived by Arthusi as reconstituting ideals for women who have just given birth.

Fiat Tipo 4 and the sweetest gadget in history

15 November 2017

The Società Anonima Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili was founded in Turin on 11 July 1899 on the initiative of some Piedmontese aristocrats united by a common passion for engines. After some time his business name became FIAT -Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino– a Latin acronym with a meaningful meaning: “be it!”

Following the release of the first 3 ⅟2 HP and subsequent models, in 1911 the 2,3,4,5 models were born. FIAT TIPO 4 was a luxury car that could reach up to ninety-five km per hour.
The company wanted to celebrate in a particular way the commercialization of this special car, advertising it also through the creation of a “gadget” that the Italians could pleasantly remember and reconnect to the product. What better opportunity to give their customers a precious box of FIAT chocolates? Majani realized for the Turin company an unprecedented four-layer cremino that recalled the car model in a sublime way, reminding each bite of the indelible number four. The “Bonbon FIAT” (this is the original name) was a huge success and after more than one hundred years is still considered the jewel of Majani, the product that most of all connects the Bolognese Company to the country’s cultural and economic history.

Dudovich, Mercury and the Locomotive

15 November 2017

A boy covered with a red cloth stands victorious on a powerful racing locomotive.

Lighted headlights, power, metal and speed: the industrial society has now taken giant steps and the Mercury portrayed by Dudovich, one of the most famous Italian poster designers of the early 1900s, perfectly represents the concept of commercial progress and promotes with suggestive graphics the Majani chocolate, telling a story made of Bologna, of intertwining railway networks and innovative and delicious products that reach with their goodness the main cities of Italy and Europe.

From Social Ritual to Ritual of the Self: The Magic of Chocolate Through History

15 November 2017

Food has always played a central role in people’s lives, with allegorical and social meanings that go well beyond the mere nutritional aspect. Chocolate has always been associated with highly symbolic consumption rituals, which have made it such a fascinating food in the common perception that it can be considered almost “magical”. Among the Amerindian populations cocoa was used to accompany the ceremonies and was considered a real mystical food. The consumption of xocoalt (the traditional cocoa and water drink, often flavored with chilli and vanilla) thus strengthened membership in the social context and allowed the sharing of the same spiritual experience. From the 16th century cocoa began to arrive at the main European courts; the cost and the rarity of the imported product, together with the exotic imaginary that it carried with it, made the consumption of this specialty once again a strong discriminating factor of social belonging. The voluptuous chocolate fascinated and liked Europeans for the creamy feeling together with the “vicious” aspect of its consumption. During the eighteenth century in Europe the first chocolate products were born, where the ritual of chocolate in the cup offered the opportunity to share a social moment and cultural exchange. With the subsequent arrival of solid chocolate and industrial production, the product became accessible to more and more social groups, gradually losing the extremely luxurious connotation it had at the time of its first introduction. Today the food of the gods continues to have its magic and its “charm” and its ritual of consumption is becoming more and more an intimate experience tended to try new emotions and new adventures of the senses. Through the choice of chocolate, the individual expresses himself and his culture, redefining his identity.