The Easter chocolate is already on the shelves in the supermarket as soon as Christmas is over.

The range becomes a bit more varied every year: the Easter bunnies from Lindt are now also available in a leopard look or made of white chocolate with strawberries.

But that's by no means all of the sweets that are given away for the holidays.

Anyone looking for extravagance should take a look around the Chocolaterie Bitter & Zart in Frankfurt's old town.

There you will find everything that cocoa bean lovers could wish for – and delicacies that will also surprise you.

Kim Maurus

volunteer.

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One thing is clear when you enter the shop, which also includes a small café: the owners Sabine Seidel and Gabriele Fürstenberger have perfected how chocolate is presented.

The colorful sweets are arranged on tables with large and small étagères, and chocolate bars with retro-design packaging come into their own on the dark green painted walls.

Although the shop has only been open for a few minutes this morning, it is busy.

In the shop window there is an Easter bed with daffodils and moss, in between there are small cardboard signs with a peace symbol.

"As a rule, we always have six to seven weeks of Easter sales," says owner Seidel.

"It was pretty quiet for a while this year." Seidel suspects the war in Ukraine is behind the reluctance.

"It depresses people, they don't feel like shopping." But now that the holidays were approaching, customers were rushing in.

Kilo heavy chocolate bunny

Seidel sources its sweets from chocolatiers all over Europe - and this selection has its price.

Small nougat sheep in cellophane bags are available for 5.90 euros, the raspberry brittle eggs for 7.60 euros.

Easter chocolate in different colored packaging, shapes and sizes is enthroned on the wall-to-ceiling shelf in the back corner: lambs, ducks and, for the first time this year, a rooster in copper-colored foil (600 grams: 26.80 euros).

Those who like it life-size will enjoy what is probably the largest product from Bitter & Zart, a chocolate bunny weighing 1.3 kilograms (62 euros).

A special novelty can be found in the large selection of chocolates (100 grams: 9.60 euros): a chocolate egg decorated with nonpareille with a mousse of lavender and pink grapefruit.

If that's not special.

Bitter & Zart, Chocolaterie, Braubachstrasse 14, Frankfurt;

Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday until 4 p.m.;

Café closed on public holidays, Easter Saturday 12pm to 6pm.