The most well-known chocolates in the planet are Swiss and Belgian. Only a small number of people probably have not heard of Belgian chocolates. Belgian chocolate is famous for being meticulously hand-crafted, taking it a cut above machine-manufactured chocolates that propagate in the existing market. This is most sought after as a gift to loved ones. Belgian chocolate stands for the highest quality in chocolates. These fine chocolates are distributed to all parts of the world, where they are eagerly awaited to be devoured.
Chocolate, contrary to what we might think, came late to Belgium. In fact, it only came during the nineteen hundreds. That would seem difficult to consider since Belgian chocolate is so exceptional it would seem they actually invented it. It is difficult to comprehend Belgium without chocolate at any time.
The country is famous for its chocolate that people from other countries come to Belgium just to attend chocolate-making courses. This is akin to people going to France for cooking courses and going to Switzerland for cheese-making courses. There is an enormous amount of interest in top-of-the-line hand-crafted chocolates. People all over have started their own confectionary by making Belgian-style chocolates.
In Belgium, not only are there chocolate-making courses, but festivals are dedicated to the art of chocolate-making. The chocolate-making courses as well as the festivals occur throughout the year and is a magnificent chance to savour chocolates. Lessons are given to better appreciate and understand the luxury of good chocolate. By attending the activities, you will learn how using the best quality cocoa seeds available will highly affect the quality of the chocolates produced.
Any devoted fan of Belgian chocolate knows the presence of praline is what makes this chocolate special. The customary shape of Belgian chocolate is the shell. The texture of the chocolate is so fine it literally melts in ones mouth. All these perfectly-shaped shells are handmade. The praline is what makes the chocolate so light and soft. This requires placing it in specially-made packaging known as ‘ballotin’. It is the ‘ballotin’ and the ‘praline’ that makes the name of Belgian chocolates. Modern chocolate makers also use liqueur and nuts for fillings.
Belgian chocolate pralines contain many different types of ingredients: creams, coffee, nougats, fruit, chocolates, nuts, and more. Most famous chocolatier currently in business are renowned for creating gourmet pralines.
The big advantage that Belgian chocolate-making has over others is the way couverteur is kept before being use. During the chocolate-making process, the cocoa beans are ground. The grounded cocoa is mixed with cocoa butter and sugar. The combination is smoothed by applying heat, called tempering.
Most chocolate producers get their couverteur in solid form that they then reheat to use – that changes the temper of the chocolate. It is kept in better condition thus retaining more aroma than chocolates that have been cooled.
Good Belgian chocolate is pricey, but if you’ve ever tasted it, there’s no similarity between it and an ordinary chocolate bar. Belgian chocolate is an extraordinary indulgence and a fantastic gift. If you’ve ever wonder what all the hype is about, try some Belgian chocolates, and see these great product live up to its reputation.
This article was written by Alexis.