Purple Emperor Fairy -Postcard Friendship Friday #456

The fairy in this ad features the beauty of the Purple Emperor, which is the second largest butterfly in central Europe.  The deep purple-blue shine on the wings of the male can only be seen from various angles and in bright light.  The color shows up when  light is refracted by ridges on the insect's wing scales.

Poulain is Fench for foal.  Though the icon of the brand is usually a jumping foal, in this advertisement, they've used a whimsical little fairy.

This company has been around for a LONG time.  Chocolat Poulain is one of the oldest chocolate brands in France.  They are famous for their chocolate bars, both for eating and cooking.  They also make a lovely chocolate drink mix called Poulain Orange product. 

It all began as the dream of Victor-Auguste Poulain, who began the mass production of chocolate in 1848 in Blois, France.  In 1893, he established Chocolat Poulain as a company.

In the mid-1800's, chocolate was considered to be the food of kings.  Ahead of his time, Victor believed chocolate should be available to everyone.  His company was innovative in industrializing the production of chocolate and in their widespread marketing campaigns targeting children and families.

In more modern history--Chocolat Poulain was the sponsor of the mountains classification in the 1975 Tour de France, when its distinctive polka dot jersey was introduced; the jersey's design was based on the candy's polka dotted wrapper.  The company was bought by Cadbury Sweppes in 1988.  It was sold to Kraft Food in 2010 and since 2012 belongs to Mondelez International.

Thank you for dropping by, dear Friends!  Happy Postcard Friendship Friday.

* LINKING UP:  You can put your link in any time between now and next Friday.  Postcard Friendship Friday is open for the entire week!

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World Chocolate Day -Postcard Friendship Friday #423

I adore chocolate.  Dark chocolate was a favorite of my beloved Husband.  In his office there are still a couple bags of dark chocolate pieces I still haven't touched.

Chocolate is said to give people the sensation of being in love.  Perhaps that is why it is so popular--along with the wonderful taste, of course!

September 13 was International Chocolate Day, sometimes known as World Chocolate Day.  People commemorate chocolate several days in September, including September 12: National Chocolate Milkshake Day, September 22: National White Chocolate Day and September 27: National Chocolate Milk Day. 

International Chocolate Day is celebrated every year on Sept. 13.  You may ask why that particular date?  It was the birthday of Milton S. Hershey, founder of the Hershey Company.

Chocolate is made from the beans of  with the cacao tree. It takes about 400 of roasted cocoa beans to make a single pound of chocolate -- and two to four days to make a single chocolate bar. It is made in the form of a liquid, paste, or in a block, or used as a flavoring ingredient in other foods.  Cacao trees also need at least four years before they start producing beans.  

The earliest evidence of the use of chocolate goes back to the Olmecs of Mexico. There is evidence of chocolate beverages being consumed by people, dating back to 1900 BC.  History records people living in South America loved chocolate, including the Maya and Aztecs.

So, get some chocolate and have a wonderful day.  Happy Postcard Friendship Friday!

* LINKING UP:  You can put your link in any time between now and next Thursday.  Postcard Friendship Friday is open for the entire week!     

  * BADGE:  When you submit a postcard, be sure to put a link back to this page.  You can copy and paste the PFF badge, which has the link embedded.  Thank you! 

*  THEMES: You don't have to stick to the theme I choose each Friday. Just put up the postcards you love and tell us why you like them.

*  REMINDER:  If you post anything other than a postcard to share, your link will be removed.   Postcard Friendship Friday is specifically dedicated to postcards, both modern and vintage. 

Bitter Sweet Chocolate Day -Postcard Friendship Friday #202

It is a truth most everyone loves chocolate.  Chocolate has a long and colorful history.  It started out as a bitter beverage.  The word "chocolate" can be traced back to the Aztec word "xocoatl," which referred to a bitter drink brewed from cacao beans. The Latin name for the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, means "food of the gods."  The Mayans and Aztecs believed the cacao bean had magical, divine properties.

Chocolate with sugar didn't appear until Europeans came along. Legend has it that the Aztec king Montezuma welcomed the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes with a banquet which included a cup of chocolate.  Cortez did not appreciate the drink, calling it "a bitter drink for pigs."  However, it was discovered chocolate mixed with honey or cane sugar was delicious.

By the 17th century, chocolate was a fashionable drink throughout Europe, believed to have nutritious, medicinal and even aphrodisiac properties (it's rumored that Casanova was especially fond of the stuff).  But it remained largely a privilege of the rich until the invention of the steam engine made mass production possible in the late 1700s.

The creation of the first modern chocolate bar is credited to Joseph Fry, in 1847.   By 1868, a little company called Cadbury was marketing boxes of chocolate candies in England. Milk chocolate hit the market a few years later, pioneered by, of course, Nestle.

In America, chocolate was so valued during the Revolutionary War that it was included in soldiers' rations and used in lieu of wages.   While most of us would not take chocolate as payment for a job well done, true chocolate loves might just consider it!

May you have the joy of sampling chocolate this weekend and Happy Postcard Friendship Friday!


* LINKING UP:  You can put your link in any time between now and next Thursday.  Postcard Friendship Friday is open for the entire week! 

* BADGE:  When you submit a postcard, be sure to put a link back to this page.  You can copy and paste the PFF badge, which has the link embedded.  Thank you!

*  THEMES: You don't have to stick to the theme I choose each Friday. Just put up the pieces you love and tell us why you like them.

*  REMINDER: Comments and links which contain advertising will be deleted. Also, any and all suspicious links which do not lead to a correct website will be reported and deleted.