Is Belgian chocolate a fad or indeed the best?
What reminds you of chocolate? A rainy day, a sad day, a nag-by-the-boss day, or a hungry tummy. There can be endless reasons. But have you ever tried chocolate because you want to enjoy every bit? To find out how delicately it melts in your mouth? How fast does it disappear from your palette before you can savor its taste? If yes, then you fall into the category of a chocolate connoisseur. Being one, you can never deny trying Belgian chocolate at least once.
It is the legend of all chocolates and is famous for many reasons. But other chocolates have a great deal of share in the current market. So, are the claims real or just a marketing gimmick? Let us find out the truth about Belgian chocolate.
Belgian chocolate has an impressive past
Cocoa is a native plant of Mesoamerica. The Aztecs and Mayans used the fruit to make a special drink during celebrations. The Spanish first discovered the fruit during their voyage to America in the 16th century. They brought the beans back with them to the Royal courts of Spain. But it only became famous all over Europe in the 17th century.
The cocoa beans arrived at Belgian ports during the 17th century. Belgium was one of the Spanish colonies under the Spanish Netherlands provinces then. The chocolate was famous only among the Royals and was highly prized. In 1830, Belgium became a free nation and got its first king, Leopold I, in 1831.
By the 20th century, Belgium’s second king, Leopold II, had colonized south-central Africa and declared it a Congo-free state. It was the king’s private property, with no interference from the Belgian government. Belgium shifted its focus from American cocoa beans to African cocoa during this period. The event proved profitable, as they started importing a large amount of cocoa. They started exporting cocoa and chocolate to other parts of Europe. Soon, they became one of the pioneers in chocolate.
The claims
Belgian chocolate holds a high rank in the chocolate trade. It is based on the claims that the Belgian chocolatiers and traders make. The claims are mostly related to the quality, taste, and fame it carries due to ‘Praline.’
Praline
The transformation of chocolate from a mere drink to a solid bar started in the 19th century. The first chocolate bar came into being in 1847 in England. But Belgium took one step forward and made cold chocolate shells. The invention opened the door to the world of cream-filled chocolate.
Jean Neuhaus, a Swiss pharmacist in Belgium, started coating medicine with chocolates just to please his customers. Later, his grandson made Praline in 1912. Praline is a cold chocolate shell filled with cream or nougats such as coffee, hazelnut, fruit, and chocolate. The creation made Belgian chocolate renowned.
Molding and enrobing are the two methods of Praline production. In molding, the shells are filled with a soft filling. In enrobing, the hard filling is dipped in the liquid chocolate, forming a thin layer on the hard filling.
Belgian chocolate has a smooth mouthfeel
Chocolate production has to go through various stages, like;
- Harvesting ripe pods from a cocoa tree.
- Collecting pulp and seeds from the pods.
- Fermentation of the pulp and the seed.
- Drying of the beans.
- Roasting and deshelling the beans.
- Grinding the beans into chocolate liquors.
- Pressing the liquor to separate the cocoa butter and solid mass.
- Refining; mixing all the ingredients, like sugar, with solid mass and grinding them into small particles.
- Conching; evaporation of unwanted flavors
- Tempering and molding.
These are standard methods to produce decent chocolate; Belgian chocolate is no different. But the difference lies in how these steps are carried out. Especially the three major stages; Fermentation, Refining, and Conching.
- For fermentation, a 3-microbe inoculum is used.
- During refining, the chocolate is ground to a particle size of 18 to 20 microns.
- Conching is done by heating the chocolate for 78hrs which ensures the removal of the unwanted flavor of acetic acid. It provides the chocolate with a pleasant caramelized flavor.
The Regulation and code
In 1894, Belgium passed a law to prevent adulteration with cheap fats. As per this law, Belgian chocolate must contain 35% pure cocoa. In 2007, the EU declared a Belgian chocolate code for labeling. According to this code, only the refined, conched, and molded chocolates within Belgium can be labeled “Belgian Chocolate.”
The whole truth
Belgium has little to do with the technical advancement of chocolate. Most of the creations happened in other parts of the world. For like, the design of chocolate sausages by a coffee shop in London in 1674. England made the first chocolate bar in 1847. In 1875, the world got its first milk chocolate, a creation of Swiss Nationalists, and so on.
What put Belgium on the map of the chocolate trade was the creation of Praline and the timely imposition of codes and laws. Through the rules, Belgium declares that Belgian chocolate is something of value and high quality. And the certified ones are the true chocolates. The chocolate stood out among all.
Now Belgium is the second largest exporter of chocolates. However, it gets its cocoa from Africa and America. But it’s ruling the world of chocolates with a share of 11% of the total chocolate export. Germany stands first with 16.4%, Italy with a share of 7.6%, and the USA with 5.1%. Switzerland is at the lowest with only 2.6%.
So, a good marketing strategy backed with claims can make a product popular.