Mousse

Four thousand years ago, the Olmecs, an ancient Mesoamerican civilization, were the first to consume chocolate. The conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés discovered cocoa in Mexico in 1529, bringing it back to Spain, but they decided against sharing this with the other nations of Europe. Originally, South Americans drank cocoa as a bitter medicinal drink, but when European cooks added sugar and fats, the sweet chocolate we know today was born. When Princess Anne of Austria married Louis XIII in 1615, Spain's rulers prepared chocolate in the form of mousse as a component of the wedding celebration’s feast. The first chocolate mousse recipe that was shared with the public is thought to be in the book La Science du Maître d’Hôtel Confiseur written by Menon in 1750, but there is little traction behind the dish until the 19th century, at least, in France. Before that time, it was mostly used in savoury recipes as part of an entrée (mainly seafood & vegetable dishes). The invention is now credited to a famous painter named Henri Toulouse-Lautrec in the late 1800s, who called the dish “mayonnaise de chocolat.” He liked making dishes unique to him that couldn’t be found elsewhere. This one was one of his only successes. Traditionally, chocolate mousse is made with raw eggs, chocolate, cream, and sugar.

Rigó Jancsi (pronounced “ree-go yon-chee” ) is a variation of chocolate mousse that is culturally native to Hungary. The dessert was originally named after a Hungarian Romani violinist, who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There are many versions of the story of Rigó Jansci and where it came from originally; some say that it was invented by a chef somewhere in a restaurant in Paris, France that hosted Rigó and his orchestra while others say that it was originally created in a pastry shop. Another popular theory is that, while taking his lover to his birthplace of Székesfehérvár, Rigó invented the dessert, which spread through the Austro-Hungarian empire as he travelled. Although the couple did not stay together, the dessert went on to become one of the most famous in the country. However, the true history of its place of origin remains unknown. The dessert bloomed both within and outside of Hungary. It is made with 2 layers of Chocolate sponge cake, which is filled with a chocolate mousse-like cream and topped with a rich dark chocolate ganache.