Where Did I Get This Chocolate for Your Candy? A Brief History of Chocolate

The quick answer is from my local distributor, and he gets it from Belgium, but how did it get to Belgium and why is it considered the best chocolate in the world?

The chocolate that I used today to make your candy came from a long line of cacao seeds that became trees in the Amazon Rain Forests more than 40 centuries ago. These trees were most probably discovered by the Incas who then traded the seeds to the Olmecs.

About 30 centuries ago the Olmecs planted the seeds and began enjoying the fruits of their labor - cacao seeds. The Olmecs were a trading society that traveled quite extensively throughout the region and they introduced the cacao seeds, among other seeds, to the Aztecs.

The Aztecs started mixing ground up cacao with various spices and vanilla to make a chocolate drink. When the Spanish Conquistadors were exploring modern-day Central America they noticed the nobility drinking this chocolate drink. They acquired the seeds and brought them back to Spain. Unfortunately, for the Spanish, the cacao trees can only grow in the equatorial regions so they needed to plant the cacao seeds in their colonies in the West Indies and the Philippines. The Spanish being a trading society passed on their new commodity to other European countries over the next two hundred years. One country that got these cacao seeds was Belgium.

Belgium colonized an area of Africa, in the late 1800's, that had both the weather conditions and the soil to plant the cacao seeds. The Belgians took over the land (and the cacao trees) in The Congo and started importing the cacao seeds to chocolate makers in Belgium. These cacao seeds were mixed with various items by the fine chocolate craftsmen to create the best chocolate in the world. Some of the ingredients that the chocolatiers used were various nuts, thus inventing the praline. Therefore, technically, unless pralines are made from Belgian chocolate they really are not pralines.

The Belgian chocolatiers shared their recipes with foreign chocolatiers but the Belgians apparently did not share their techniques because over the last century Belgian chocolate is still the industry standard for the finest quality chocolate available. Belgian chocolates place in History was solidified in 1912 when the Belgian chocolatiers Jean Neuhaus created what is called couverture (the term translates from the French as roughly meaning "coating"). This creation made it possible to make chocolates with fillings. Today the European Union regulates the amount of cacao (at least 35%) and fat (at least 31%) in the finished chocolate.

A. Conway
Owner/Chocolatier
The Nut Shop
http://www.thewoodburynutshop.com/
We offer the finest hand-made chocolates available.
We're nuts about chocolate!

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Love Chocolate? - Where Is It Made?

We should feel sympathy for people who are allergic to chocolate. Just think that they are not able to take pleasure in all the distinct chocolates which we have grown to love. They have never had the delight of getting chocolate gifts either.

If you are a self-confessed chocolate lover, there is a variety of ways for you to 'feed your addiction'. There are so many alternatives that sometimes it can seem difficult to choose your favorite. Will it be, plain, white, bittersweet, sweet or something else? Which nation makes the brand you look for? Would that be Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, America or some other country? These are only a few of the countries around the world that bring us that delicious treat we all long for.

Belgium makes 172,000 tons of this much-loved treat every year. There are over two thousand outlets specializing in the distribution of everyone's best loved food. Belgium tends to import their cacao beans as they are not able to grow their own on their own soil. The majority of their candy is hand crafted. If this is your chocolate of choice, you will already know that it is a high-end extravagance.

Germany originally assumed the liquid form of the cacao bean to be a dangerous drug. It is believed that a Spanish Royal, Anne of Austria, married a member of the French Court and encouraged the drinking this delightful beverage as a classy hobby. The beverage was at last permitted after the faculty of medicine in Paris approved it. Despite early fears, this beverage became hugely desirable in the seventeenth century.

Switzerland is another country unable to grow cacao. Despite that, they are recognized for their delicious candy bars. They began to create this good stuff back in the 1800s. Swtizerland's chocolate industry began to blossom between 1890 and 1920. Following World War II, the industry began to diminish. But, since becoming automated, they have been developing continuously. They continue to be known for their quality.

Italy makes "Chuao", from its own cocoa beans which are harvested at a single plantation. The nation's cacao beans are purchased directly from the chocolate bean growers. They tend not to go through a broker. In this way, Italy can buy only the finest quality of cacao beans. They were certain that they could never be thought of as the world's number 1 maker if they obtained their beans from a brokerage.

America's initiation to the liquid created from the cacao bean was 1765. At first, this beverage was very expensive. Only the affluent had the ability to buy this drink. But, in 1853, cocoa became less expensive when the import duties were decreased. This high-end treat was now accessible to people in greater numbers. Many of the present brands began production at this time.

Many of us love chocolate but don't give it a second thought. It is interesting to see how all of the different sorts of chocolates came to be. The next time I am eating a piece of my favorite chocolate, I will appreciate it that much more. Crucially, never forget that chocolate gifts will always be in fashion.

Amelie Chocolat provide the very best chocolate related gifts for all occasions. To see how we can help you please visit our website at http://www.ameliechocolat.co.uk/

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