Belgian Chocolate - Chocolate from Belgium

Belgian chocolate wins hearts around the world

Everyone around the world thinks they know that Belgian chocolate is the best chocolate. But what makes Belgian chocolate special?

The good reputation of Belgian chocolate is based on two inventions from Belgium: filled pralines and the ballotin, the classic praline packaging. The Swiss pharmacist Jean Casanova settled in Belgium and changed his name from Casanova to Neuhaus. There he sweetened his bitter medicine with a layer of chocolate. His grandson developed the idea further and instead of medicine, he coated delicious fillings with his chocolate. This is how the Belgian pralines came into being in 1912, which to this day establishes the reputation of Belgian chocolate as good quality.

In 1915 Louise Agostini, the wife of Jean Neuhaus Jr, invented the ballotin, the classically elegant transport packaging for chocolates.

Certainly there are very good manufacturers in Belgium today who produce top quality. There are, for example, the praline manufacturers Marcolini, Witamer, Galler and Gerbaud, who should definitely be visited when you are in Brussels!

However, there is also the world's largest producer of supermarket chocolate based in Belgium: Barry Callebaut. The name is probably only known to insiders, because it does not produce its own brands, but rather it produces chocolate from cocoa beans and then delivers it to the manufacturers, who then pour the chocolate into bars, add ingredients and then advertise it in different colors. Around 40% of the world's chocolate comes from Callebaut and then finds its way onto the supermarket shelves. Chocolate producers, who you might know as chain stores from the city center, also use the inexpensive bulk couverture for their creations.

You can find good Belgian chocolate in selected specialist shops.