Chocolate caramels, tasting at Atelier du Goût

It was in Bayonne, between Nive and Adour, in the 17th century, that the first line of French craftsmen capable of transforming cocoa beans into chocolate was born. It all began a little further south, in Portugal and Spain, where the first cocoa beans arrived from the South American colonies, and where those who knew how to process them settled. Among them were Jews who, driven out by the Inquisition, settled in the Saint-Esprit district of Bayonne. Armed with their know-how, they developed a chocolate-making business. A craft that developed in the 19th century, spread throughout the region, and was sometimes industrialized before enduring. A stroll down Bayonne's Rue du Port-Neuf is enough to see a number of old and new names competing with each other.

While all the region's chocolatiers make them, only one has the official right to use the name: Pariès, which has claimed paternity and registered the name. At Cazenave, however, it's Jacques Damestoy, the company's former chocolatier, who first made it here before going independent and bequeathing the recipe to his children, including his eldest, Catherine, who married a Pariès. So you can buy caramels from some, Kanougas from Pariès, and touron, Espelette pepper, coffee, orange, ginger or simply plain from others. Wrapped in transparent or silver foil, they are all more or less melt-in-the-mouth, more or less creamy... Each family has its own habits, its own preferences handed down through the generations, with the conviction, for all of them, that they have always made the best. That's why we decided to put them to the test!

• Henriet ❤

This is the most recent house in the selection, created in the aftermath of the Second World War, the only one no longer independent. Henriet was bought by the Dolfi family, who also own Stohrer and À la Mère de famille... giving it a serious boost: stores in Anglet and Saint-Jean-de-Luz have been added to the original Biarritz address.

Tasting notes: A clean, very caramel, shiny appearance with regular shapes. The aroma is not very pronounced, mainly chocolate. Quite melting in the mouth and a little sticky, like caramel. A well-balanced whole, quite pleasant in the mouth, the chocolate is correct with a final impression of milk caramel.

8.70 € (150 g bag)

Place Georges-Clemeanceau, 64200 Biarritz

www.chocolaterie-henriet.com

• Cazenave

Founded by Pierre Martin Cazenave in 1854, the chocolate factory that bears his name enjoyed its heyday thanks to the Biraben family of chocolatier-confectioners, who acquired it in 1929. Then two employees, the Bimboire sisters, took up the torch. Their descendants are still at the helm. In 2014, Cazenave was the first chocolate maker in the Basque Country to obtain organic certification. The original Bayonne tea room, with its wood panelling and stained glass windows, remains the mythical place to enjoy a frothy chocolate accompanied by buttered brioche bread.

Tasting notes : A candy that holds together well, like an enveloped caramel, with a chocolate and dried fruit nose and a good mouthfeel. A little doughy, but still supple and melting. The ingredients are of high quality, the whole is interesting and well chocolateized.

28.20 € (300 g box)

19, rue Port-Neuf, 64100 Bayonne

www.chocolats-bayonne-cazenave.fr

• Dodin

There was a time when the Maison Dodin, inventor of the famous "béret basque" (chocolate cake), was absolutely everywhere on the Basque coast, from Bayonne to Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Created at the end of the 19th century and bought in the early 1920s by Samuel Garrigue, what had become a small empire seems to be in decline. But the fourth generation of Garrigues is still at the helm, with an elegant boutique and tea room overlooking Biarritz's long beach. Here we find the recipes and charm of an identity that relies as much on know-how as on the Art Deco style of the place.

Tasting notes: A slightly dull, palet-like appearance, with a balanced nose of caramel and chocolate. The palate is frankly chocolatey and sweet, leaving little room for caramel and milk, with lightly roasted notes.

20.15 € (250 g box)

Quai de la Grande Plage, 64200 Biarritz

https://dodin-biarritz.fr/

• Maison Pariès

After five years with Cazenave, Jacques Damestoy became his own boss in 1895. His children joined him, before his grandson Robert Pariès took over the family business in the 1950s. The fifth generation took over in the early 2000s, opening branches in San Sebastian, Bordeaux, Paris... The company uses only the finest 100% pure cocoa butter, almonds from Catalonia, vanilla from Madagascar and hazelnuts from Urrugne.

Tasting notes : A dark, chocolatey hue, a little dull but engaging. The chocolate comes through powerfully on the nose as well as on the palate, then gently mellows into a certain balance, leaving the impression of a decent chocolate bonbon, just a touch too sweet.

16.20 € (300 g box)

14, rue du Port-Neuf, 64100 Bayonne

www.paries.fr

• Garrigue

Off the radar, this store seems totally frozen in time, having remained unchanged since the 1960s. It has become a UFO in Biarritz's gentrified shopping street. Opening hours are unpredictable, and orders are often necessary, but the caramel recipe, also unchanged, continues to have a (very) large following.

Tasting notes: A softened texture more reminiscent of marshmallow than nougat, like a melted bonbon in which chocolate predominates, with a light caramel. The palate is pleasant with this spun texture. A good chocolate, with the sugar only coming in at the end.

22.50 € (300 g box)

7, rue Gambetta, 64200 Biarritz