Flavors of Austria

All About Chocolate > Cocoa in Austria

The scholar Johann Volckammer tasted a cup of hot chocolate on a trip to Naples and brought cocoa beans back to Nuremberg, Germany in 1645. From there, cocoa crossed the Austrian border and became royally established in Vienna. At the beginning of the 18th century, King Charles of Spain returned to Vienna, and from his native land, set up a network for cocoa importation.

Chocolate is often associated with "viennoiseries," chocolate-filled Viennese pastries, but what really left a mark on the history of Austrian pastry was the appearance of the famous Sacher Torte in 1852.