In our latest Paris interview with an author, Nikita Harwich talks to 56Paris about a delicious topic – chocolate!
Nikita is an American living in Paris. And we find out about the new edition of his book, which reveals there’s much more to this ingredient than you might think.
About the author, Nikita Harwich
Dr Nikita Harwich is a retired professor of Latin American History at Paris-Nanterre University.
He is the author of numerous works devoted to the economy and revolutionary movements in South America. Since 2002, he has been a member of the French Academy of Chocolate and Confectionery.
In 2018, he became a Knight of the National Order of Merit in France.
Now in a new French edition, Nikita’s book on the history of chocolate traces the long saga of cocoa, from the Mayans and Aztecs to today’s global food industry and mass consumption around the world.
Writing about the history of chocolate
56Paris: Hello Nikita. Tell us about your fascinating book, Histoire du Chocolat.
Nikita: This book tells the story of a commodity – cocoa – and of the foodstuff derived from it – chocolate. It details its origins up to the present day, in all its various aspects: economic, social and behavioral.
56Paris: Have you written other books? What inspired you to write this one?
Nikita: As part of my academic career, I’ve written several other books on Latin American economic and social history.
In my previous research, I had run across the Venezuelan 19th-century cocoa trade, something never studied before in any depth. This prompted me to enter the world of chocolate.
I was then approached by a French publisher who was launching a collection of works on ‘exotic’ commodities. They asked me if I would write a book on the history of chocolate. This was in 1990. I saw that the previous work in French on the subject was over 65 years old, which left room for saying something new.
56Paris: Is the book in its first printing?
Nikita: This is the book’s third French edition. The previous ones came out respectively in 1992 and 2008.
Each edition was duly updated, both about its current developments and figures with regard to new archaeological finds in Central and South America.
The best chocolate in the world
56Paris: Does chocolate vary among different countries? Which have the best chocolate?
Nikita: Chocolate can vary considerably from one country to another. It all depends on the type of cocoa bean used, the blending between cocoa beans, and the amount of sugar or cocoa butter added to the original cocoa paste.
There’s also the addition of milk powder to make milk chocolate, or of any other type of flavor such as mint or coffee. Then of course, other ingredients like raisins and nuts are sometimes added.
So, determining which country has the ‘best’ chocolate is a matter of taste.
Excellent cocoa can produce awful chocolate. And mediocre cocoa, if well processed, can produce perfectly acceptable bars or bonbons!
France and Italy probably produce the best dark chocolate, while Switzerland’s milk chocolate does stand out. The US, at least to my taste, adds too much sugar to its cocoa paste. It’s the same in the UK and Germany.
56Paris: What does the history of chocolate tell us about world history?
Nikita: It tells us that globalization goes back much earlier than you might expect. And that the ‘discovery’ and adoption of new products has multiple and often unforeseen consequences on the behavioral patterns of mankind.
56Paris: What is ‘artisanal’ chocolate?
Nikita: It’s chocolate made from the bean to the bar through a process entirely supervised by a single craftsman-manufacturer.
The availability of smaller-sized machinery now makes it economically feasible. But, of course, this must also include the talent and inspired know-how of the chocolatier himself.
Photos: Pierre Marcolini & Paul and Jill
Shopping for chocolate in Paris
56Paris: Who are the best chocolatiers in Paris?
Nikita: This is a matter of unresolved controversy! I would personally venture to say that, at present, Jean-Paul Hévin and Pierre Marcolini – who is actually Belgian despite his Italian-sounding name – share the top steps of the podium.
56Paris: Which is your favorite Parisian chocolate shop, and why?
Nikita: The most spectacular chocolate shop is, undoubtedly, Debauve & Gallais, on rue des Saints-Pères, near Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It still displays its original early 19th-century decoration designed by Percier and Fontaine, who were Napoleon’s favorite decorator-architects. It is well worth a visit.
Unfortunately, while the shop is spectacular, the chocolates sold there are not necessarily the best!
Photo: Reinhardhauke
56Paris: What is your take on ‘Wonka’, the cinematic remake of Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s book ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ that recently opened in France?
Nikita: I’m afraid I haven’t seen the remake. But it will be difficult to surpass Tim Burton’s 2005 version, starring Johnny Depp.
At the same time, no one seems to remember the first version of the movie, filmed in 1971 by Mel Stuart. That one stars Gene Wilder as Willie Wonka, and Roald Dahl himself wrote the screenplay.
The best parts of Paris
56Paris: Where do you live in the Paris area?
Nikita: I live in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a nice town on the edge of a forest. It’s one of the ‘royal’ towns surrounding Paris. Its woodlands were favorite hunting grounds for the French royalty, and its castle is one of the first Renaissance castles built in the country.
It’s also a very cosmopolitan environment, with the famed Lycée International (International High School) nearby.
It’s about 20 kilometers west of Paris, but within easy reach by RER line A.
56Paris: Where are you from originally?
Nikita: Born in the US, I moved to Paris with my parents as a child. This was in 1959, and I grew up here.
I then went back to the US for college, and to grad school in the UK. After many years, circumstances of life brought me back to France where I have settled permanently since 1994.
56Paris: What is your favorite part of Paris, and why?
Nikita: The Square du Vert-Galant is a small, triangular-shaped park overlooking the Seine. Located at the western tip of the Ile de la Cîté, it’s next to the Pont Neuf in the 1st arrondissement (district) and just across the Place Dauphine.
Created in 1884 by joining two small islands to the larger island, the view from it is breathtakingly romantic. It is the ideal place to fall in love… as was my case, many, many years ago.
Photo: Oliver Hertel
Starting your own Parisian adventure
56Paris: What is your favorite story about your time living here in Paris?
Nikita: I wouldn’t know where to start, there are simply so many!
Perhaps it was as a child, attending a live evening performance of the Passion of Notre-Dame on the cathedral’s forecourt. It was literally like going back in time to the Middle Ages and meeting the ‘hunchback’ in person.
56Paris: What advice would you give to people just starting their own Parisian adventure?
Nikita: They should realize they are the luckiest people on earth. Paris is a city that can never be truly discovered in full, even after living nine lives.
To simply walk in the streets, looking up at all the sights, is a constantly renewed pleasure. There is something in the city’s proportions, in its atmosphere, that inspires harmony in the soul.
56Paris: Where can our readers get a copy of the book?
Nikita: The book is available in French on Amazon. There is also a Spanish edition, which came out in 2018. Unfortunately, there is no English edition planned at present.
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