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Not Chocolate, but Sho-co-LAAAA-dehIf you want to experience the best chocolate in the world, visit Hoogstraten, a small city in the far north of Belgium. You don’t just buy chocolates there, you buy pure delight.By Mieke Roos |
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In Belgium, we don’t make chocolate, we make “chocolade” (sho-co-LAAA-deh). Need I say more about the difference between average and hmmmm…? Okay, then, maybe a few more words. It all started with a bean Chocolate is made from the cacao bean. The word cacao has been around since 1000 BC. The Mayas discovered the aroma of roasted cacao beans and started creating cacao plantations in 600 AD. The Aztecs were the first known for drinking chocolate in 900 AD. In 1502 Christopher Columbus was the first European to be introduced to the cacao bean and to this special drink called "xocolatl" when he traded with the Aztecs, who considered the cacao bean a form of money. The drink was based on roasted kernels of cacao but it was blended with spices, which made it very bitter and quite undrinkable for the Spanish taste buds
Once back in
Spain, they replaced the peppers with honey and started experimenting
with ginger and vanilla, which greatly improved the taste.
It wasn’t until the end of the 18th century, that the cacao bean became accessible to the general public when, with the industrial revolution, the mass production of chocolate started. Soon after, each nation found a particular way to adapt chocolate for local tastes. In 1800, Kasper van Houtem from Amsterdam discovered that part of the natural fats could be extracted from the cacao, which made the chocolate even tastier and more digestible. His process also made chocolate available as a powder, allowing everyone their cup of cocoa. In 1865, Swiss chocolate producer Daniel Peter started experimenting with chocolate and milk and discovered the soft, mild taste of milk chocolate. From the beginning of its history in Belgium, chocolate was considered a gift. It was therefore no surprise that in 1840, a Belgian company, Berwaerts, was the first to sell chocolate as tablets, pastilles, and figurines. Other Belgian chocolate companies soon were created and chocolate lovers will recognize a few names – I know I know all of them: Meurisse, Callebaut, Neuhaus, Cote d’Or, Jaques, de Beukelaere. In 1912, the Belgian confectionery Jean Neuhaus created the "praline," a filled chocolate mouthful. To protect the delicate nature of the praline, packaging was patented under the name of "Ballotin". Since that time the "ballotin de pralines" became the perfect gift appreciated in all circumstances. In 1929, the Drap family, who started Godiva, added to the Belgian reputation by inventing the
chocolate truffle.
However, it wasn’t
until the 1958 World Expo in Brussels where Côte D’Or
tickled everyone’s taste buds through a big campaign, that Belgium’s reputation
in chocolate became known worldwide. From chocolate to chocolade
Just as in any other
country, chocolate in Belgium is produced by mixing cacao powder (crushed cacao
beans) and cacao butter (squeezed cacao beans), and adding sugar and milk
powder. The proportion of each component will determine the chocolate color:
black chocolate can contain up to 70% of cocoa, milk chocolate contains more
milk powder, and white chocolate is only made from cocoa butter, sugar and milk
without cocoa powder.
But what makes Belgian
chocolate so delicious? The Belgian artisans swear by three simple but very
important rules. First, they only use top quality cacao beans and sugar.
Second, the beans are crushed to 12 microns, which is much finer than in any
other country. And last but not least, all 2,130 Belgian chocolatiers,
big and small, are driven by a passion for their work. They manufacture almost
all the pralines by hand, giving a personal touch to their creations.
Furthermore, they specialize in making true masterpieces for every occasion,
from chocolate champagne bottles, to chocolate thank you notes. And Now, for the Real Thing!
There are different
ways to experience Belgian chocolate. There is nothing wrong with visiting the
Chocolate Museum in Brussels and buying some chocolates at one of the many chocolatiers in the city.
However, if you can spare a day and would like to experience Belgian
life and truly the best chocolate in the world, visit Hoogstraten,
a small city in the far north of Belgium.
In Hoogstraten,
there is a little shop called ’t Chocoladehuisje
(The Little Chocolate House). Here, the sweet sense of chocolate sin welcomes
you at the door of a beautifully restored building. One doesn’t buy chocolates
here, one buys pure delight by the piece or the pound.
Next, while nibbling
away at your purchase, take the time to enjoy this small city of 6,500
The magnificently
restored Begijnhof (Beguinage)
– a World Heritage Site – is also very much worth a visit. It hosts the Stedelijk Museum (City Museum) where you can learn more
about the history of the Begijnhof and about local
but internationally recognized artists Jan Huet and
Alfred Ost. Of course, when in Belgium, live like the
Belgians and take a well-deserved break in one of the many cafes and taverns
for a refreshing Belgian beer. I promise you, a visit to ‘t Chocoladehuisje will be worth the trip and every calorie! |
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They also
planted their first cacao plantation in 1580. Even though the Spanish
aristocrats tried to keep the chocolate recipe a secret, the success of
this delicious drink was such that it quickly spread across Europe, or
at least through the European aristocracy. 
inhabitants. The 16th century gothic St.