Chocolate: Belgium vs. Switzerland

Source: http://kitchentalks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Kitchen-Talks-Swiss-Chocolate.jpg

If there's ONE thing that makes me want to go to central Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium) more than anything, it's this: the chocolate.

I still remember that time my dad brought a tin of German/Swiss truffles back home. Let's just say that I claimed the box, and it was clean and empty within three days. 

Creamy, was what I thought. It was rich and smooth and velvet that melted on your tongue. There were subtle flavors; hazelnut layering on coffee-hinted dark with just a whiff of vanilla. The outer shells were marvelously crispy, while the insides were heaven to my taste buds. 

(If I'm making you salivate, then I've done my job.)

There's no question; they have the best chocolate in the world.

But what about the best of the best--Belgium and Switzerland? They have quite a chocolate rivalry, but they both boast of proud chocolate histories and special techniques that make the delicious confections taste so spectacular. 

Belgium: 

Taste: Belgian chocolate is known for its quality of the cocoa taste in the chocolate. The flavor is stronger, more brusque, but also more pure. 

Contributions: The Belgians invented the praline in 1912--a man named Jean Neuhaus was credited coming up with the idea that would change the face of the chocolate manufacturing. He would make a chocolate mold (the converteur), and add soft fillings such as cream, nougat, or toffee (there are different flavors--hazelnut is a popular choice.)

Switzerland:  

Taste: Swiss chocolate is known for its smooth, creamy taste--since Switzerland is credited for the invention of milk chocolate, it has perfected the soft texture that melts in your mouth. 

Contributions: The Swiss had many chocolate innovations, but the most important of them came from a man named Daniel Peter. Originally a candle-maker, he switched to chocolate when he was said to have been besotted with the daughter of a chocolate-maker. He began experimenting with chocolate, and eventually ended up with a product known as milk chocolate--something that is so common today that it is unfathomable that the Europeans back then had only dark chocolate to eat. 

Which is better, you ask? 

I don't know, actually. If I ever get to go to Switzerland and Belgium, I will definitely find out for myself. 

But regardless, chocolate is a food that is quite near and dear to my heart, and it's quite cool to learn how two countries dedicate themselves to the innovation of chocolate. To have each person constantly strive to improve the technique of production and the taste--that's what gives European businesses such credibility and uniqueness. Sometimes, when I think of Europe, I think of homey, family-run businesses and individual shops that counter the American mindset of mass-production and major chain industries that, at times, sacrifice identity and quality for convenience. 

Food for thought, isn't it?

I hope you're still salivating. I certainly am.



Sources: http://earthlydelightsblog.com/belgian-vs-swiss-its-a-chocolate-off/
http://www.venere.com/blog/belgian-chocolate/
http://www.zchocolat.com/en/swiss_chocolate.asp