Advent Calendar - Day 6 - Sinterklaas II

Photo © Rob Jones

At the risk of appearing to be obsessed with chocolate and alcohol, oh and Belgium. Here is a post that largely revolves around chocolate, alcohol and Belgium.

I present a quick Q&A - Everything you ever wanted to know about Belgian chocolate but were afraid to ask (and to be honest probably never thought of asking.)

So - Why are you talking about chocolate again?

Sinterklaas - Yay! An opportunity to buy a hollow piece of chocolate in the shape of a patron saint. How often can you do that?

What’s the connection between chocolate and Belgium?

Well you may ask. It’s complicated

Back in the 17th century, when Belgium was still ruled by the Spanish, explorers brought cocoa beans from South America and introduced them to Europe. History notes that Henri Escher, the major of Zurich, was served a cup of hot chocolate when visiting the Grand Place of Brussels in 1697. He promptly took the recipe back to his native Switzerland, now regarded as one of Belgium’s competitors - Epic Fail. The Belgium and chocolate love affair took off when they colonized the Congo. King Leopold the Third then made Belgium the number one trader in cocoa and chocolate. (Note: Belgium’s involvement in Congo turned into a humanitarian disaster.) Jean Neuhaus (ironically, from Switzerland) first put Belgian chocolate on the map when he opened a sweety shop in Brussels in 1857. He created the first ‘Praline’ or soft-centred chocolate in 1912.

What is a Belgian Chocolate? Is it unique?

There are strict rules governing the production of Belgian chocolate. They must be made in the country. The chocolate is ground very finely - to just 15 to 18 microns. It has a high Cocoa content. It contains 100% Cocoa Butter. The beans are high quality and carefully selected.

Is Belgium still the world leader in chocolate?

Hmmm. Debateable. There’s a lot of competition. Most of the big names are Belgian - Godiva, Leonidas, Callebaut, Neuhaus. There are around 2,000 chocolate shops to be found in Belgium with annual exports nigh on two billion euros. However, Germany sells more chocolate abroad. But, there are chocolate museums, walks, and workshops.

Any other interesting facts?

Belgium invented French Fries, obviously.

You would need to eat 700 grams of liqueur chocolates to get drunk.

RJ