Yes, there is a chocolate museum in Québec City! Yes, it is a place where there is endless delicious chocolate. My kind of place! Located on rue Saint-Jean, a short walk from Old Québec, and “your Québec City chocolate maker since 1988,” I visited this museum (and store!) three times. Yes, three!
The first time I went to Érico Choco-Musée it was closed. But that didn’t matter. At least I became aware of its existence, and was able to drool over the window displays of items made out of chocolate. During my tour of Québec City, my wonderful guide, Sharon, and I discovered that we both love chocolate. Had this museum-store been open when she showed me this place, we would have had some of their home-made ice cream. Instead as we continued on with our tour of Québec City, I made a note-to-self that I needed to come back here later.
Therefore at the end of my tour, I actually had Sharon drop me off right in front of Érico Choco-Musée. My second visit. I went straight for that ice cream. Before lunch, in fact. I indulged in a “three chocolates” flavor. Dark, milk, and white – with chunks of chocolate. Mmmmmmm.
After enjoying my pre-lunch appetizer, I walked around the one-room museum, which is next to the store, full of so much information on chocolate that I was amazed. History of chocolate from the Mayan’s time to today; chocolate-making techniques and process (from the cocoa bean to the chocolate bar); secrets of artisan chocolate making; and a collection of 200 antique chocolate-related objects, including items originating in Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Europe, the U.S. and Canada. You can also observe the artisan chocolate making process through a window overlooking the kitchen where they make their chocolates right there. I even found a list of how to say “chocolate” in 19 languages – it is good to know that other than in China and Finland, I can easily recognize chocolate!
In the shop itself, they sell all kinds of tasty treats. A specialty is their tiny chocolates, filled with goodies like fruits, nuts, truffles, liquor, dessert wines, spices, fine herbs, or even flowers. Not to mention some of these tiny chocolates labeled as “double bites” combining two or more ingredients. The outsides of all these are coated with either white, milk, bitter-sweet (60% cocoa), or extra-bitter (70% cocoa) chocolate. (Have I got you drooling yet?) If not, here are some sample flavors:
“Exotique” – milky ganache with caramelized banana.
“Belge” – hazelnut and coffee crème fraîsche with walnuts.
“Truffle Sésame” – extra-bitter ganache, tahini, roasted sesame seed oil.
“India” – bitter-sweet ganache with coconut milk, mangos, lime, Indian spices.
“Fleur de Lavande” – white chocolate with lavender flowers and honey.
“Cappucino” – bitter-sweet ganache with Italian Espresso coffee.
“Alizé- white chocolate ganache with passion fruits and Alizé liquor (Cognac and passion fruits).
The list goes on and on and on.
I should also mention that Érico Choco-Musée sells gourmet hot chocolate; cookies; brownies; blondies; cupcakes; cakes; chocolate bars; chocolates molded into various shapes; chocolates to celebrate various occasions and special events; and you can even have photos infused on chocolates. And all of them come in a wide variety of chocolate flavors. (I’m sure that you are drooling now.)
I went back the next day for my third time. I couldn’t resist. I absolutely needed to try their double chocolate cookie (can you tell I love chocolate?), and three samples of their tiny chocolates (elegantly served on a silver tray). I also needed to bring back home for my boyfriend three samples of their chocolate bars, one flavored with cardamom, another with Chipotle pepper, and one made with Jamaican chocolate. Mmmmmmmm.
Oh, there’s free admission to the museum. Which is great because no doubt you’ll spend your money on chocolate in the store. But definitely worth every Canadian penny!
Check out the Érico Choco-Musée website, there’s more. And more. And more. Even chocolate recipes. A list of chocolate museums around the world. And an explanation of the health benefits of dark chocolate (when consumed in moderation).
Their Chocolate Menu brochure that I picked up there says, “Delivery service available.”…To Seattle??
Sweet (and I mean, sweet) Travels!
This trip was provided to me courtesy of Montréal Tourism, Québec City Tourism, and VIA Rail Canada, which brought me from Montréal to Québec City (links to all below). Thank you to Sharon Frenette, my tour guide, who introduced me to Érico Choco-Musée.
Related blogs:
Montréal and Québec City: Watching the world go by on on VIA Rail Canada.
Montréal: Endless, Nonstop, and Unlimited…In a Good Way (Part One)
Montréal: Endless, Nonstop, and Unlimited…In a Good Way (Part Two)
Québec City: Simply The Best
Québec City: Île d’Orléans
Travel Information:
VIA Rail Canada
Québec City and Area
Tourisme Québec
Bonjour Québec
Tourisme-Montréal