Interested in buying some Belgian chocolates? Find out what makes Belgian chocolates different from ordinary candy.
When it comes to the world of chocolates, Belgian chocolates are on top of the mountain. The high standard of Belgian chocolates has made them a benchmark which is used to gauge the worth of all other chocolates in the world. Even the world famous Swiss chocolates play second fiddle to their Belgian counterparts.
High end chocolates
Belgian chocolates have been around for ages and are considered to be a very special treat even today. They are known for their richness in flavor and unique delicious recipes which have made them the supreme quality chocolates of the world.
Belgian chocolates are not cheap mind you. In fact they are perhaps the most expensive of the high end chocolates out there in the world. Is the price worth the taste? If you can afford it then it sure is but you really have to eat them to believe how good they can be.
Traditional Belgian technique
There are a number of things that make Belgian chocolates stand out from others. The most prominent of these factors is perhaps the use of top quality ingredients as per tradition. You will find the makers of Belgian chocolate to favor the traditional machinery and hand made technique to the modern means of mass production. This is done in order to maintain the quality, flavor and grace of Belgian chocolates.
Rise of Belgian chocolate
The rise of Belgian chocolates came back in the 18th century. By the early 1900s the public developed a craze for Belgian chocolates. This was primarily due to the new chocolate making processes developed by Jean Neuhaus for the purpose of making the couverteur variety of Belgian chocolates.
Belgian Courverteur Chocolates
Courverteur chocolates consisted of a solid shell which is popularly known as praline. This was a sugary substance with a caramel like flavor which bears similarity with bonbons. Belgian chocolate makers would then use various different kinds of fillings to produce different flavors to the praline based chocolate. The fillings included creams, nougats, fruits, coffee, nuts and various different kinds of chocolates.
The wide variety of Belgian chocolate available today is credited to Neuhaus who started developing them when no other company could match his innovative chocolates. Today gourmet pralines are one of the cultural treasures of Belgium.
Unique making process of Belgian chocolates
Belgian chocolate is made through a unique process that is quite different from the way in which conventional chocolate is made. It starts off by grounded cocoa beans and mixing them together with cocoa butter and sugar.
Next the mixture goes through the tempering procedures which creates a smooth paste. The smooth substance then hardens and is sold to various chocolate makers as couverteur. They will in turn have to reheat the couverteur to be able to use it. This process of tempering helps the chocolate to retain a more potent aroma thereby enhancing the value of Belgian chocolates.
It is true that Belgian chocolates will appear to be a lot more expensive than ordinary candy but that is because it is not ordinary candy. Traditional Belgian chocolates offer an exotic indulgence to chocolate lovers from around the globe.
