Here's where to find the world's best chocolatine (in France, of course).
The best chocolatine (or pain au chocolat for others) is French! It was a baker from Gers who won the world cup on Sunday March 10, 2024.
It's the first time it's happened: France isn't torn between the two appellations of chocolatine and pain au chocolat. On the contrary, everyone is delighted with the French victory at the latest world chocolatine championship. We tell you all about it!
The best chocolatine is in Toulouse
On Sunday March 10, 2024, at the Vins et Terroirs trade show in Toulouse, the second edition of a much-anticipated competition took place. At stake? The title of World Champion Chocolatine/Pain au Chocolat. After hours of waiting, the winner was announced: Dimitri Bordon, a baker from Toulouse, representing his bakery "D'apprèt Nous". Not a surprising victory, given that he had already won the first-ever title of champion de France de la chocolatine et du pain au chocolat in 2020. The 29-year-old from Gers won with"a pain au chocolat with Sichuan pepper in the shape of a mill, topped with a mandarin, bitter orange and yuzu juice jelly".
Another Frenchman took the podium, Tom Jean, head of the patisserie Les Gourmandises de Flora et Tom, in Avord (Cher). He created a revisit to the chocolatine, featuring a chocolate brownie, a peanut and praline crunch and a gianduja praline ganache. Third place went to Italy's Mirko Zenatti, who won the special prize from a second jury of private individuals.
Highly competitive competitors and criteria
A total of twenty candidates from twelve different countries competed in the Cup: Cameroon, Canada, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, France, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Vietnam.
They each had to make 24 viennoiseries, including twelve classics and twelve revisited versions, all weighing between 70 and 90 grams and using the same ingredients (butter and chocolate). They were assessed according to criteria of baking, regularity, puff pastry quality, taste and texture.
"Our test took place in two stages. On Saturday evening, we had 1 h 30 to make the dough and fillings, and on Sunday morning, the same amount of time for turning and detailing", Tom Jean explained to our colleagues in Le Berry Républicain.
And because good news never comes alone, it was also a Frenchman, Théo Leclercq, who won the Junior Cup from seven candidates from all over the world!
