Belgian chocolate is often commended as the most delicious of all kinds of dark chocolate. But what makes Belgian chocolate different from other artisan chocolates? In this article you'll learn the history and development of the Belgian chocolate that we all love to consume today.
The standard of ingredients and an almost obsessed conformity to Old World production strategies are what make Belgian chocolate unique. Even in today's world of automation and mass production, most Belgian chocolate is still made by hand in small shops using original hardware. In fact these miniscule chocolate outlets are a favored draw for vacation makers visiting Belgium today.
Much like wineries, tours of Belgian chocolate shops include tastings and exclusive souvenirs. One technical advantage Belgian chocolate has over other chocolatiers is the storage of couverteur before use. In the chocolate making process, the cocoa beans are ground and combined with sugar and cocoa butter and then smoothed out through tempering ( the careful addition of heat ). Most chocolate companies receive their chocolate in solid form, suggesting it has to be heated up so as to be serviceable. Belgian chocolate corporations regularly receive their couverteur in heated tanker trucks quickly following the tempering process. As the chocolate has not cooled, it keeps much more of the wonderful aroma than the cooled types.
Belgian chocolate itself has been preferred since the 18th C, but a new process made by Jean Neuhaus in 1912 raised its commend ten-fold. Neuhaus employed a special version of chocolate called "couverteur" as a cold shell for what he called 'pralines'. These pralines are not the same as the sweet treats offered in American candy shops. Belgian chocolate pralines could be full of a variety of flavored nougats or creams. Examples include coffee, hazelnut, fruit or maybe more chocolate.
Few other chocolatiers in Neuhaus ' day could copy the complex flavours of his pralines. Lots of the Belgian chocolate praline firms are still in operation today : Leonidas, Neuhaus, Godiva and Nirvana are known for their gastronome pralines. One technical advantage Belgian chocolate has over other chocolatiers is the storage of couverteur before use.
So there you have it! The couverteur is the secret to making Belgian chocolate the unique sensation that it is today. Why not pop over to your local gourmet chocolatier and enjoying a bite now?
