EASTER...It’s a Choc Fest!

We might all be trying to eat healthier and get to the gym. However, studies have found that Australians haven’t abandoned chocolate along the way, with Australians coming in a proud seventh in the worldwide chocolate consumption stakes – with the average Australian consuming 4.9kg of chocolate each year. With their wonderful chocolate, it comes as no surprise that the Swiss people lead the way eating just under 9kg of chocolate each year – followed by neighbouring Germany with annual consumption per capita amounting to 7.9kg.

This Easter, Australians are likely to spend more than $200 million on chocolate, and on Easter Sunday millions of us will be tucking into delicious chocolate eggs as the Christian world celebrates. But while many of us may be familiar with the story of Easter, its relation to eating oval-shaped chocolate is less clear.

Interestingly, many people today associate Easter with chocolate eggs and the Easter bunny rather than the Christian commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A sign perhaps that religion plays a lesser part in our lives than ever before or that the popular custom of chocolate Easter eggs and gifts combined with a host of other factors - from the way we eat to the way we live generally - has determined the chocolate fest that is now Easter

So how did this all come about?

While the chocolate Easter egg is a relatively new tradition the origin of the Easter egg, and other modern-day Easter symbols, such as the Easter bunny, goes back a very long way and pre-date Christianity. The historical intermixing of pagan, Christian and Jewish beliefs and practices has left its legacy in many of the things we now take for granted about Easter and its traditions.

Originating in the northern hemisphere, Easter draws heavily on pagan traditions marking the change in the seasons as winter gives way to spring. Rabbits were the most potent symbol of fertility and the egg, the start of all life has been a symbol of rebirth and fertility for many centuries.

Decorating and colouring Easter eggs was a popular custom in the middle ages, and throughout Europe, different cultures have evolved their own styles and colours.

The 17th and 18th centuries saw the emergence of the egg-shaped toy, which was sold and given to children at Easter – often filled with sweets. The first chocolate Easter eggs were said to be created in Germany and France at the beginning of the 19th century. Soon the Easter egg market grew beyond all expectations - with the custom spreading throughout the world.

Thus began the tradition of Easter eggs not only as a chocolate confection but also as a customary gift which over time developed from the simple paper wrapped version to the beribboned variety wrapped in bright foil and packed in a basket.

Easter in Hunter Valley Wine Country is celebrated much like it is in most places in the world with the giving of Easter eggs and gifts and Hunter Valley Gardens hosting the annual and very popular Easter Egg Hunt.

In the Hunter Valley, Chocolate has also proved to be a big tourist drawcard and the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company is the sweetest and most addictive attraction around using only the finest Belgian couverture chocolate, together with Australian dried fruits and nuts.

No trip to the Hunter Valley is complete without a visit to the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company, especially at Easter - they have a delicious range of Easter eggs and other Easter treats on display at each of their three stores located at Hunter Valley Gardens Shopping Village, Petersons House and at "Twenty-3-Twenty'' - Broke Road in Pokolbin.

The latter also features a large viewing window where the Chocolatiers and Fudgemakers can be observed busily making the range of chocolate and fudge for all three outlets.

Whatever your beliefs, Easter today represents a time for the celebration of new life and fertility. The giving of chocolate Easter eggs and gifts, the Easter egg hunts, familiar images of young bunnies and chicks – combining many of the age-old customs that we now enjoy in our own way.

Pictured top: Real Eggshells filled with the finest Chocolate Truffle, from HV Chocolate Co. (2017).