Belgian chocolate reveals its secrets

Enjoying your day off for Easter? Why not offer your loved ones the most delicious gift ever: Belgian chocolate! As you probably know, chocolate factories are all over the place here and chocolate has really penetrated Belgian culture in its multiple forms... Last year for instance, postage stamps were created in Mechelen, with their glue and ink made with essence of cocoa oil, so that they smelled authentic chocolate! The country even applied as candidate for the "European chocolate road" on 11st April and the Council of Europe will officially recognise it by 2016 at the latest (let's keep our fingers crossed). Here is an overview of what makes Belgian chocolate so good and which chocolate types you should definitely bring back home!

In general, corporate chocolate tends to taste too bland, and be full of added sugar and fat. By contrast, Belgian chocolate is well-known for containing more cocoa and be tightly controlled. It is a trend today to select flavours that reveal the original taste of chocolate (or something close to it), although it might get a little more expensive. But don't be afraid to spend your money on Belgian chocolate, because it is all worth it!

We started it! The country was first supplied in cocoa from the Spanish Empire to be the main ingredient for a drink consumed by noble people, imported from the Americas. The actual consumption of cocoa as a delicacy started in the 19th century, when Adolphe Meurisse from Antwerp and Antoine Jacques from Eupen (a city in the current German-speaking area) created the first chocolate factories and sold chocolate in bar. Legend says that this trend only later got to Switzerland, our eternal rival, but I wasn't there so I can't tell you...

Cocoa beans, basic ingredient for chocolate

One word: pralines! In 1857, pharmacist Jean Neuhaus, who now has a chocolate store in the Grand Place in Brussels and supplies the royal family, decided to cover his medicines with chocolate to make them taste better. The idea extended to that of dipping anything in chocolate, including fruits, alcohol, cream or soft chocolate. The result is what we call here a praline (filled chocolate), a must in Belgium. Be careful if you use the word in France, where it means crushed almonds with sugar on it... It's like we don't speak the same language!

French pralines and Belgian pralines

An African story... Later on, another Neuman, Charles Neuman, created Côte d'Or in Brussels, a brand currently owned by an American company and symbolised by an elephant in Africa, an idea which is actually pretty coherent: As a Belgian colony, Congo was one of the biggest African cocoa suppliers for Belgium, making chocolate industry wealthy in Belgium, an unfortunate destiny for the African country. 

Chocolate earthquake! In the 20th century, a handful of other really nice chocolate brands were created, such as Callebaut in Wieze (East Flanders), Leonidas, created by a Cyprus-Greek man who maried a Belgian woman, and Galler, a factory that started in Liège in the 70s. Recently, Callebaut created a training center, humourously called "Chocolate Academy" (opening in June this year) and which will make easier the partnership with artisans and spread across the world the culture of Belgian chocolate.

Leonidas white chocolate manons

Nowadays, a whole lot of chocolate types are available on the market, so that everyone can find what they like. The most successful ones in Belgium are manon, a cream-filled chocolate, and more fruity or floral tastes like violet, tea or strawberry...

My favourite one at the moment is white chocolate with crunchy filling and a coconut flavour from Galler! What's yours? Post a comment and share this post!