1.2.2-Bobcatmoran

Ninety-Three 1.2.2 A Night on Shipboard, and Concerning the Passenger
At one point in this chapter, M. Not-A-Peasant “drew out of his pocket a cake of chocolate, broke off a piece and ate it.” My first thought was that this was something like a chocolate bar, but molded bars of chocolate as we know them today weren’t invented until 1847 (and milk chocolate wouldn’t come along until the 1870s).

So…chocolate cake then? It’s possible but unlikely — chocolate started being used in Europe for baking in addition to drinking in the mid-18th century. However, I’ll be darned if I could find any contemporary references to a cake (as in pound cake) flavored with chocolate.

What he’s most likely gnawing on is basically a chunk of compressed cocoa, probably flavored with spices, which would be used to make drinking chocolate. You can see a picture of a modern-day recreation of one of these cakes (and a 1750s recipe for chocolate meringues) here. It sounds like a chalky and not very appetizing snack.

Commentary
Shirley-keeldar Original says “tablette de chocolat” which is literally a chocolate bar, so maybe Hugo’s just indulging in some anachronism to show off how not-at-all-a-peasant this guy is…

Or maybe it just meant something else at the time. I don’t know! Though thinking further about it as I just have, would the compressed cocoa require having all your teeth to be able to eat it? Though on that thought — would a chocolate bar? I’d think either of those would melt in your mouth. Possibly Hugo mentions it because he’s just specified that he was chewing the chocolate. Hmmm.

Pilferingapples (reply to Shirley-keeldar) Just having ANY chocolate would be pretty ritzy, because chocolate was basically a *spice*, and while it wasn’t the most expensive spice in the world, it was still something you got with the intention of using it in diluted form in recipes. Hence NOT SOMETHING AWESOME FOR THE SNACKENING

sorry if I seem unduly interested in this but this is one field where I have some experience (Do Not Ask about my desperation chocolate days, okay) and WOW I can’t help thinking that this is supposed to be a serious Character Moment, like Scare Quotes Peasant is taking something that’s meant to be used at lesser strength for a pleasant domestic good and using it full strength as a fortifier or something because it’s Hugo and EVERYTHING IS SYMBOLISM

and apparently symbolic foods are AWFUL. :P

Pilferingapples THIS IS THE THING I’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT SUPER NOT TASTY

Why does Hugo feed his characters such awful things whyyyy

Lifeisnotyetfair (reply to Pilferingapples) Thanks for the info…here I was picturing him enjoying a pain au chocolat!

Marsmeadow I wonder if the chocolate would resemble those 85% cocoa bars? If so, I’m impressed; those are definitely not nice, easy snacks.

Bobcatmoran (reply to Marsmeadow) I think it would be more like 100% cocoa, sort of like a baking bar, but nastier, with very little of the “chocolate” texture our 21st century palates would expect. Ever try a bit of straight up cocoa powder (not hot chocolate mix, the stuff used for baking)? Probably that level of tasty.

Marsmeadow (reply to Bobcatmoran's reply) Oh yummy. You know, this is beginning to remind me of a story my grandfather told about how sailors would chew on Fisherman’s Friends when cold and tired, way back when. Tastes like a boot to the tastebuds, vaguely medicinal… Similar, no?

Way less expensive, though, less of a giant flag screaming WHY YES I AM A NOBLE IN DISGUISE. But still.