Tübingen Chocolate Festival – ChocolART

“Food of the gods” or Theobroma cacao in Latin, precisely describes my sentiment for the tree that gifts us with cacao.

Seemingly agreeing with Ursula Kohaupt that “chocolate is happiness that you can eat” Tübingen, Germany’s old quarter bustles with chocolate lovers every year in early December.

Walking over the Necar River, watching the reflection of Christmas lights dance atop the gentle waves caused by the slow-moving current, you can hear the buzz of the market ahead. With eyes drawn to the Stiftskirche Church, my toes point toward the hill it sits upon, nestled in the middle of the market.

The aroma of citrus, warm spices, and sweet chocolate delicately dance in front of my nose, causing my mouth to water and my brain to urge me to stop at the first hot chocolate vendor I see. Small wooden stands decorated beautifully with Christmas cheer line the cobblestone streets.

Weaving between the jolly market goers from all over the world, I let my nose lead me to the most delectable cup of hot chocolate I can find near to me. After requesting a splash of rum, the attendant hands me a festive chocolArt mug I am allowed to keep as a souvenir for an extra euro. A little bewildered, I wonder why the mug includes a spoon. Tipping the warm cup to my lips, I realized this rich and creamy chocolate needed as much scooping as it did sipping. Different than the liquidy hot chocolate drink I’d grown up with in New England, I was pleasantly surprised to find this was more of a snack and less of a drink.

A cheerful wave of a friend coaxes me on to another stall with my chocolate drink in hand. Eyes bright and wide, they are ecstatic about the chocolate wine they have just tried. Simple, yet beautifully labeled white and red wine bottle are presented to me by a man wearing a warm blue sweater.

Most all the vendors in the chocolate market provide samples and taking mine in hand I think of Forest Gump sitting in his cream-colored suite, blue shirt, and dirty shoes telling me,

“Life is like a box of chocolate.You never know what you’re gonna get.”

To this point Forest Gump’s wise statement has defined my life, and I’ve yet to turn down the opportunity to try something new. New things can be questionable, new things can be strange, but new things can also be yummy as was the case with the chocolate wine.

As a sip of wine trickles over my tongue I savor its rich and creamy taste and decide this wine would be a perfect complement to a piece of raspberry cheesecake. Moving on to the ruby red chocolate wine, I press the cold wine glass to my lips letting the tart, bitter, and dry accents from the cherry and dark chocolate dance atop my taste buds. Oh the possibilities! I’d love to make this into a decadent Christmas sangria.

Chocolate mug in one hand and wine glass in the other, I’m off with my group of holly jollies to visit the other Chocolatiers that are sprawled over the tiny streets of the now lit up historical downtown. Dancing my way through the stone streets to the holiday tunes of several street musicians I feel like a child on Christmas day. Everywhere I look I see chocolate, lights, and decorations. Stands are stocked with tiny chocolate creations impersonating everyday items such as shoes, food, and tools. Laser displays blanket the side of old lovely buildings surrounding the market square painting them with Christmas murals.

I notice a crowd hovering in front of a demonstration tent. Mingling my way toward the front a woman stands on a small platform dipping her paint brush in light brown chocolate, applying several smooth strokes over her white chocolate canvas. The candy creation is still so new I am left to imagine what is to come, all the while staring past a chocolate breast plate that is reminiscent of the Augustus of Prima Porta sculpture.

Becoming giggly and full of glee I realize I may need to pair all these chocohol (chocolate and alcohol) drinks with some real food. Leave it to my lovely friend Laura, hailing from the great State of Texas, to find mole or as I would like to call it “Holy Mole”. Hey, its Christmas! Ursula Kohaupt also said,

“Chocolate is happiness that you can eat.”

Holy moly is this true about Mole. I’d never eaten mole, but somehow the sweet, spicy, and fruity chocolate sauce spread over turkey and stuffed in a corn tortilla was as close to heaven as I might be for a while. Had I known how good it would be I would have ordered two, three, or the entire stand!

Full and happy we leave the hustle and bustle of the market behind, descending back down the hill past the stands, decorated store fronts, and beyond the rich smell of sweet treats. I smile to myself and remember a quote by Sandra Boynton,

“As with most fine things, chocolate has its season. There is a simple memory aid that you can use to determine whether it is the correct time to order chocolate dishes: any month whose name contains the letter A, E, or U is the proper time for chocolate.”