Restaurant Recipe Reviews

Most people know of two nations which are associated with candies of high quality. Switzerland, the first of these, is usually very easily recalled by people. It is true that Swiss confectionery is highly prized by many people, but this is not to say that they eschew Belgian chocolates entirely.

Many famous and well loved chocolatiers call the country of Belgium their home. Guylian, Cote-d’Or, and Godiva are three of the most celebrated brands available. Prepared to very high standards, these are luxurious offerings indeed. These manufacturers take great pains to create bonbons which look as good as they taste, and some of the results are astonishing indeed.

It is the particular regional recipe that makes these treats unique. Without vegetable shortening in the mix there is greater opportunity to develop that rich cocoa flavor.

Seventeenth century explorers returned from the New World with a marvelous new thing called a cocoa bean. Europeans loved it from the very first taste. They made hot drinks out of it, just as they were told the South Americans did, and these beverages became immensely popular.

A more reliable and closer source of cocoa soon became important. King Leopold the second of Belgium found a considerable supply in Africa in what would become known as the Congo. This provided the people of Europe with plentiful cocoa and cemented Belgium’s status as the number one producer of the time.

The first shop to sell cocoa treats in Belgium is still open today. Neuhaus opened in 1857 in Brussels and remains a popular spot. The grandson of the founder is credited with the invention of the praline which is one of the more iconic Belgian chocolates. It is not certain what the future holds for this industry, but it is probably a safe assumption that whatever happens Belgium will at least try to maintain its position as one of the world’s leaders in candy.

Many people ask what makes belgian chocolates better than regularchocolates, they have obviously never tried them…