Chocolate in Early Modern Europe: Class and Tasting

Class Description

In early modern Europe, chocolate was a luxurious and expensive drink sourced from the cacao tree, recently discovered in the “New World.” Consumers enjoyed this ostentatious beverage at breakfast, while socializing with friends, and as a costly medicinal cure. Political, religious, and medical leaders placed the drink at the center of religious debates, geographical exploration, and medical observation. Learn about the surprising history of chocolate through a lecture and tasting of modern and historically-sourced chocolate samples.

Sarah Peters Kernan, culinary historian, is a regular collaborator with the Newberry Library. In addition to regularly writing and teaching, she is co-editor of The Recipes Project and host of the Around the Table podcast.

What to Expect

Format: In Person

Class Capacity: 24

Class Style: Mix of lecture and discussion; participation encouraged

Materials List

Required

• Chocolate samples provided by instructor—$10 collected at registration

Cost and Registration

1 Session, $65 ($58.50 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($65), Community Supported ($55), and Sponsor ($65). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

* Chocolate samples provided by the instructor cost $10, which will be added onto the registration fee. *

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

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