In addition, French chocolates must contain at least 43 percent cocoa liquor, and a minimum of 26 percent pure cocoa butter. Most French chocolates now contain well above the government's minimum of cocoa liquor. The best bonbons boast up to 80 percent of this rich, dark substance. And since it is the cocoa liquor that imparts the taste to all chocolates, it's not surprising that French chocolates have a remarkably intense flavor. The flavor nuances of French chocolate also depend on the quality and origin of the cocoa beans used to make it.
French consumers rank among the world's most discriminating when it comes to chocolate.
Paris is, undisputably, a chocolate-lover's paradise. The following is a guide to some of the city's best sources of chocolate delicacies. He is particularly known for jewel-like chocolate bonbons flavored with raspberry, fennel, lemon or thyme, to name only a few of his original fillings. A former employee of La Maison du Chocolate, Michel Caudun set out on his own a few years ago, opening a pristine little corner shop on Rue de l'Universite. According to one well-known Parisian food critic, Chaudun's product now equals that of his mentor, Robert Linxe, in both quality and creativity.