Culture & Lifestyle • Food

Chocolatine

Chocolatine is a French-language term for a viennoiserie made from laminated dough and filled with one or more bars of chocolate.

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated September 10, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

Chocolatine is a French-language term for a viennoiserie made from laminated dough and filled with one or more bars of chocolate. It is the usual term in Quebec and is also used in parts of southwest France, while *pain au chocolat* is more common elsewhere in France. The pastry is often rectangular or croissant-shaped.

Definition

Chocolatine is a French noun used for a pastry made from flaky laminated dough and chocolate filling. It is a regional synonym of *pain au chocolat*.

Regional usage

The term is the standard one in Quebec and is widely recognized there. In France, it is associated especially with the southwest, while *pain au chocolat* dominates in most other regions.

Etymology

The word is formed from *chocolat* plus the suffix *-ine*. Sources note an earlier attestation in 1790 and say the pastry meaning appeared later, likely during the interwar period.

The difference between *chocolatine* and *pain au chocolat* is mainly lexical rather than culinary: both names refer to the same type of pastry. Public discussion of the term has become a cultural marker in parts of France and Canada.

Key facts

It refers to a pastry made of laminated dough filled with chocolate.
In Quebec, *chocolatine* is the most common term for this pastry.
In France, *pain au chocolat* is more widely used, though *chocolatine* remains common in the southwest.
The term is attested in French usage from at least 1790, originally in a different sense.
Its current pastry sense emerged between the two world wars, probably in Toulouse.

🍁

Canadian context

In Canada, especially in Quebec, *chocolatine* is the usual French term for the pastry that most of France calls *pain au chocolat*.[3][1]

Frequently asked questions

What is a chocolatine?

A chocolatine is a laminated pastry filled with chocolate, equivalent to *pain au chocolat*.

Is chocolatine used in Canada?

Yes. In Quebec, *chocolatine* is the common term for this pastry.

Is chocolatine the same as pain au chocolat?

Yes. The two terms generally refer to the same viennoiserie.

Where is chocolatine used in France?

It is especially associated with southwest France, while *pain au chocolat* is more common elsewhere.

What is the origin of the word chocolatine?

It is derived from *chocolat* plus the suffix *-ine*; the pastry sense became current later, probably in Toulouse.

References

Office québécois de la langue française — https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/fiche-gdt/fiche/25399166/chocolatine
Supports: Definition of chocolatine as a pastry and its common use in Quebec; regional usage versus France.
La langue française — https://www.lalanguefrancaise.com/dictionnaire/definition/chocolatine
Supports: Definition, regional usage in Canada and southwest France, and etymology/history notes.
YourDictionary — https://www.yourdictionary.com/chocolatine
Supports: Notes that in Quebec, chocolatine means pain au chocolat.
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain_au_chocolat
Supports: General equivalence of chocolatine and pain au chocolat and regional naming variants.