National Truffle Day

May 2, 2011

Truffles are a delicious dessert made with a chocolate gouache center that is then coated in chocolate powder. Talk about a piece of chocolate heaven!

The chocolate truffle was invented in 1895 by M. Dofour in Chambery, France. Their popularity increased dramatically after the Prestat chocolate shop opened in London in 1902. There are three types of chocolate truffles: American, European, and Swiss. All of these types of chocolate truffles are different in look, taste, and shelf-life of the truffle.

The American truffle was created in the mid-1980's by Joseph Schmidt. His truffle consists of a half-egg shaped chocolate coated truffle that mixes milk chocolate with butterfat. The European chocolate truffle is made of syrup, cocoa powder, and milk powder. The Swiss truffle is made by combining melted chocolate into a boiling mixture of dairy cream and butter and it is then sprinkled with cocoa powder. Swiss truffles have the shortest shelf-life and should be eaten within a few days of making.

To celebrate today, try making your own delicious chocolate truffles to enjoy or head over to your local candy shop!