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The Not So Sweet History of Belgian Chocolate

April 14th, 2009
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If you’re seriously interested in knowing about Belgian Chocolate, you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about Belgian Chocolate.

How It All Began

It all started with Leopold II of Belgium in the year 1885 when he colonized Congo. It was a territory eighty-six times bigger than his country. Leopold II was the very first one to commit genocide during the 20th Century.

The chocolate industry first took off during the 1880′s, supported by getting hold of the Belgian Congo that has aided an easy way in to Africa’s cocoa grounds. The truth is that it is very hard to imagine that the Belgian Chocolates’ history may be that far from being sweet.

There was an estimated 10 million Africans that passed away under the orders of Leopold II. Despite of the war that was happening, Belgians were able to maintain the cocoa importing connections. On the other hand, the Belgian contribution in the chocolate industry is the introduction of their chocolate product which is the praline. It was created and expanded by a Swiss family in Brussels, the Neuhaus family in 1912. The praline was the very first butter cream-filled bite sized chocolate. It was either filled with nuts or cream or coated with milk or milk chocolate or filled also with a very good quality of dark chocolate.

In the year 1912, chocolate started as a gift in Belgium. A Belgian chocolatier created the very first praline, a chocolate that absolutely complied to the gift career it was building. Not later on, a packaging called Ballotin was developed and patented for praline. At that moment the pralines in Ballotin were the most desired gift in every chance somebody has to give someone something as a present.

The Making

It seems like new information is discovered about something every day. And the topic of Belgian Chocolate is no exception. Keep reading to get more fresh news about Belgian Chocolate.

Chocolates start with the seeds of a cacao tree. A fruit bearing tree that has large football-shaped like pods, in which the seeds are contained. The cacao tree was first discovered in the United States but now can be grown in many countries near the Equator. These pods are gathered and the seeds are then dried in the sun. After drying, they undergo roasting. When the beans are roasted, they will now be crushed to produce cocoa powder, and then squeezed to get the cocoa butter.

When the powder is ready, it will be mixed with butter. Adding the milk powder and sugar creates chocolate. Each component of the mixture determines the color of the chocolate. Therefore creating different kinds of chocolate like black or the dark chocolate that can be made with up to seventy percent of cocoa in the mixture; milk chocolate containing more milk powder than the others, and of course the white chocolate that does not contain cocoa but cocoa butter only mixed with milk and sugar only.

Trivia

Did you know that if not most, all the pralines during those times were hand made? Presently chocolates are considered as an energy giving food because of its very high content of sugar and calorie. Another fact about chocolate is that it is also considered as one of the many sexual stimulant foods. In fact, aside from being an exceptional energy booster, one of the Aztec emperors drank chocolate to have access to women. It is also known to be use as an anti-depressant. It is known to contain a substance called ?pheryletylanine? that has a positive effect in the event of a nervous depression but not only that, there is something in chocolates that gives anyone a lighter mood every time it is drank.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson (Click on the link to learn more about me)

Belgian Chocolate

Finding the Best Belgian Chocolate: A Sweet Tooth’s Quest

April 5th, 2009
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When most people think of Belgian Chocolate, what comes to mind is usually basic information that’s not particularly interesting or beneficial. But there’s a lot more to Belgian Chocolate than just the basics.

When you enter a candy store, you will notice that one of the most popular products being sold are chocolates. Indeed, chocolates have been part of history for a very long time. Since the discovery of chocolate and the introduction of it in society, you will see that a lot of people love this one-of-a-kind treat. There is nothing like it and nothing will ever be like it.

Even past world leaders have been known to eat chocolate and lots of it. It is known that royal families around the world crave chocolate. If you love chocolate, you may want to taste every kind of chocolate and find the worlds finest and the best chocolate. First of all, you have to know what makes a good chocolate. Although different people have different taste in chocolate, you have to consider that they all arrive in one conclusion on what makes a good chocolate.

Naturally, chocolates are bitter. However, you have to consider that the best chocolate is a chocolate that mixes both the bitter taste and the sweet taste. The texture of the chocolate is also taken into consideration when eating chocolate, the smoother and the creamier the texture of a chocolate, the better.

So, what kind of chocolate that has a smooth, creamy and a taste that you will never grow tired of? Firstly, you have to consider that there are different chocolates produced by different countries. However, only a handful of countries have been successful in making the finest chocolate in the world. One country that produces the one of the finest chocolates in the world is Belgium. You have to consider the fact that Belgium is famous for its chocolate as they manufacture their chocolates with the original recipe that have been kept secret for centuries.

Think about what you’ve read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about Belgian Chocolate? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs?

However, you also need to know that not all Belgian chocolates are considered to be the finest. You have to consider that you also need to look at the brand of chocolate in order to know which chocolate is the best. Besides, everyone in Belgium can make a chocolate and call it Belgian. So, one kind of Belgian chocolate is branded Godiva. Godiva is considered to be the world’s finest chocolate that offers high quality chocolate with a taste that you will never grow tired of.

If you have a sweet tooth and you want to taste the worlds finest chocolate, you have to consider purchasing Godiva chocolates. Whatever kind of chocolate you want, whether dark, white, or milk chocolate, you can be sure that Godiva can provide you with high quality chocolates that once you tasted one, you can never get enough of it.

In fact, people who have tasted Belgian chocolates, particularly their finest brands of chocolate, have testified that they felt that their feet were being lifted off the ground. Research has found that chocolates are natural antidepressant that can give the person eating it a sense of euphoria, hence the feeling of being lifted of the ground. So, what more if the chocolate you eat are Belgian?

Because of this natural trait of chocolate, it has been dubbed as the “happy candy” where anyone eating it will feel euphoria and will feel happy. Even depressed people can be cured of their depression by simply eating chocolates.

These are some of the things you have to consider when you are looking for the best Belgian chocolate.

There’s a lot to understand about Belgian Chocolate. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.

Belgian Chocolate