National Chocolate Eclair Day – June 22, 2024

History of National Chocolate Eclair Day

The French are famous for making delicacies out of the humble dough and eclairs are made from a special kind of dough called ‘pâte à choux.’ The pastry of an eclair is in an oblong shape that, once baked, becomes light and crispy on the outside and hollow on the inside. In the next step, the pastry is filled up with vanilla or chocolate cream. The word ‘eclair’ also originated in France. It means ‘flash of lightning’ — some believe that the treats have been named so because they would fly off the shelves at the confectioners!

These delicious treats were invented by French chef Antonin Carême in the 19th century. The story of the creation of this delicious treat is actually quite tragic. Carême was abandoned by his parents during the French Revolution and he had to find work as a kitchen boy to earn his livelihood. Sometime later, he started working as an apprentice to a famous pâtissier named Jean Sylvain Bailly. The young boy blossomed into a talented chef and decided to start making his own creations, one of which was the eclair. Since then, eclairs have become a regular feature of French cuisine and the recipe has been adopted by other countries, too. However, in countries like the United States, Long Johns are sold as eclairs, and they are very different from the original ones. Long Johns are made with donut pastry and are typically filled with vanilla pudding or custard. The French eclair, on the other hand, requires far more effort, expertise, and expense to make.