Belgian Chocolate - Handcrafted Sweet Perfection

How many times have you stared at those exquisitely crafted sea shells poking out from a box? The color, the shape and the details often make one wonder whether it is truly something edible or is it just a show-piece.

But do you know the history behind Belgian chocolates? Do you know that most Belgian chocolates are handcrafted? Do you know how many tons of chocolates are exported from Belgium every year? If you do not, then go ahead and read about some of the interesting facts about chocolate, how did it all start and what is it today?

Chocolates were discovered as early as the 15th century, drank as a bitter concoction and considered to be a cure for diseases (Yeah! Wish chocolates could cure ailments; no body would have shied away from medicines).

At one point of time cocoa was considered sacred.

In old days cocoa seeds were roasted, grinded, mixed with spices and made into a bitter drink. It is said that only the affluent could afford it.

Many used cocoa seeds to buy gold in those days.

Adding sugar to the erstwhile bitter drink was an amendment that came from the European nobles, laying the path that eventually took the confectionery world by storm.

Chocolate was introduced to the Belgians in the early 1900s. What they made out of it is now history.

The uniqueness in Belgian chocolates is in the creation of "praline". Praline is the chocolate shell filled with soft milk chocolate that melts in the mouth. The praline was then given the shape of shells, which was hand-crafted to reach perfection.

The praline being very soft, packaging was introduced for the chocolate shells which came to be known as "ballotin". So these special chocolates came to be known as "ballotin de praline". The wonderful chocolate, the eye-catching packaging made these chocolates great gifts since then.

Even today many chocolate makers create the pralines by hand in Belgium.

Belgium produces over 170 thousand tons of chocolates every year.

Today Belgian chocolates may have nut covers, liqueur filling, dark chocolate filling, and crispy shells.

If you are traveling to Belgium, know that there are a number of chocolate events that take place through out the year. From sampling chocolates for free to getting valuable insight into the manufacturing process, Belgium has over the years become a chocolate connoisseurs' heaven.

The most important ingredient that makes Belgian chocolates so delightful is the careful selection of the cocoa beans, which are the finest in the world. Often the cocoa seeds are still hand picked as the legend goes.

The remaining ingredients are also chosen with great care.

Today Belgian chocolate industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. Available in almost everywhere all over the world, some authentic Belgium chocolates and some not so much so, if you are a chocolate lover then getting to know the darker side of life; the Belgian chocolate is a must.

What Are Pecan Pralines?

If you’ve never had the pleasure of tasting the delicacy known as pecan pralines, then you don’t know what you’ve been missing. This tasty confection is particularly popular in the south but once you’ve tried it you’ll soon see why it has a global appeal. To give you some idea of what makes pecan pralines so phenomenal, below is some information about what they are and where they came from originally.

A Tasty, Sugary Treat

The southern version of pecan pralines has one very important ingredient: quality pecans. That’s not the case in other parts of the world where other nuts are more commonly used in this type of treat. Besides the nuts, you’ll also have a great deal of other sweet ingredients, including brown sugar and granulated sugar. Butter is, of course, a necessity. Most southern recipes also throw in some cream to the mixture to make things even more unique.

You can sometimes find other ingredients added, such as rum or coconut, to create new flavor variations. However, these extra tastes tend to detract from the central goodness of the sugar/salt combination that makes your taste buds come to life.

Origins of the Treat

Pecan pralines did not get their start in the southern United States even though that is one of the places where they are the most popular. These candies were first invented in France by a 17th century cook who worked for a man who was big in the country’s sugar industry. At the time, the treat was made by coating whole almonds in a carmelized sugar confection. Each of the nuts was coated individually.

The confection’s name is said to have originated from Marshall du Pleiss-Praslin whose cook supposedly came up with the creation. However, no concrete evidence has established this as a fact.

Pralines around the World

Pralines are popular in France today and in some other parts of Europe, although most are not pecan pralines. The foreign versions are usually made with almonds or hazelnuts. You do want to be careful if you’re looking for pralines overseas because the term is also used in countries like Germany to refer to filled chocolate candy instead of a nut confection.

Today, pecan pralines are probably most connected to New Orleans which makes good sense for two reasons. First, the city is definitely very influenced by French culture so the praline recipe probably was well-known in advance by people populating the area. Second, pecans are one of the few naturally growing nuts in the United States and they are found in the south. Some clever French settler probably adjusted the original praline recipe to substitute locally grown pecans for the more traditional French almonds.

Thanks to that simple change, pecan pralines have become quite popular outside of Louisiana as well.

Enjoying the Taste

Pecan pralines do have one of the most exciting tastes of any confection because there are so many things going on in your mouth at one time when you take a bite. Try one today.

The Praline Story - The History Behind Your Box of Chocolates

Everyone knows that the history of chocolate goes back at least as far as the ancient Aztec people of what is now Mexico. Did you know however that the praline came on the scene much more recently than that. It seems that in 1671 the Duke of Plessis-Pralin was having a lot of trouble with rebels in the Bordelais area of France. What it was that was so upsetting these people is not really relevant to our story. What matters is that they were causing the Duke a great deal of aggravation that frankly he could have done without. He gave the matter a good deal of thought and then, wily old fox that he was, he hit upon the idea of inventing a candy that would be so tempting it would distract the rebels from their cause, whatever that was!

He got together with his chef and between them they came up with a recipe for coating almonds with a crust based on sugar. They had invented the basic praline, named of course after His Grace.

A couple of hundred or so years later in 1912, the year of the Titanic disaster another event of truly titanic proportions in the world of chocolate took place in Belgium. Jean Neuhaus, founder of the world famous brand of the same name, perfected a fine chocolate shell that he could fill with flavoured cream or nut paste. The Belgian chocolate that we know today, the praline, had arrived.

In the early days Belgian pralines were wrapped in small cone shaped paper bags as their only protection from damage. However the chocolates are easily broken so they really needed better protection. Besides, they needed packaging not just to protect them but to show them off to their best advantage as something special.

Once again Jean Neuhaus, came up with the solution. In 1920, a time of innovation in so many fields, he designed the rectangular box, the ballotin, that is still used to display and protect chocolates the world over.

Just think. If those people in Bordelais hadn't been kicking up a rumpus about whatever it was the old Duke might never have put his mind to inventing a new candy. So pralines wouldn't have been invented. In that case Jean Neuhaus might never have invented the chocolate casing. It doesn't bear thinking about does it? We should bless the memory of those rebels every time we eat a chocolate!

Natasa Petkovska

Natasa Petkovska 08339