The Lure of Belgian Chocolates

p/p pandnbsp;/p pLike wine and art, great chocolate stands several buttery, nutty notches higher than the rest. But when it comes to Belgian chocolate, andlsquo;greatandrsquo; seems to be the norm rather than the gourmet exception. Why is it that this nation churns out such sinfully splendid chocolates?/p pandnbsp;/p pWeandrsquo;ve all bitten into a Godiva and once the cocoa-induced ecstasy settled, wondered why other chocolates rarely taste so good. Be it the quality, richness, texture or aroma, Belgian chocolates have redefinedspan /span gourmet and luxury chocolates. Take Mary Chocolatier, for instance; it was 1919 when the enterprising Mary Delluc set up her own chocolate shop in Rue Royale, frequented by the King of Belgium every day. The oyster- and snail-shaped pralines crafted by her and her master chocolatier captured peopleandrsquo;s imaginations to such an extent that she was declared the Purveyor to the Royal House of Belgium. Maryandrsquo;s is just one of the several chocolate inspired success stories in Belgiumandrsquo;s capital city, Brussels. Itandrsquo;s impossible to walk more than a few feet in the city without bumping into an excellent chocolatier!andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pstrongAn enduring heritage/strong/p pandldquo;Belgium has a long heritage of making chocolates, dating back to a century. Belgian chocolates have the perfect combination of taste and texture. In some parts of the world, people might find dark chocolate too bitter. But thatandrsquo;s not the case with Belgian chocolates. They are being highly appreciated in emerging countries as well. This is because Belgian chocolate is perfectly adapted to pralines, bonbons and an assortment of different intensities of tastes. It consists of a very rich palette of flavours,andrdquo; explains Denis Convert, Vice President, Gourmet Asia Pacific, Barry Callebautandmdash;a Brussels-based supplier of gourmet chocolateandmdash;which has recently opened a chocolate academy in Mumbai. Apart from the highly touted andlsquo;secretandrsquo; recipes, Belgian chocolatiers are even special due to the stories that accompany them. For instance, Starbrook chocolates are packed in the same watercolours that Belgian artist Jaak De Koninck used in his paintings and are named after the imaginary airline companyandmdash;Starbrook Airlinesandmdash;he created. When it comes to premium Belgian chocolates, the proof of the pudding is as much in the making as in the eating. The chocolate-making process typically consists of fourandnbsp;stagesandmdash;roasting, refining, conching (blending) and tempering./p pandnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"andnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p pandnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pstrongFrom bean to bar/strong/p pWhile many chocolate manufacturers across the world are happy to source the roasted beans,span /span most Belgian chocolatiers roast their own beans, an approach termed as andlsquo;bean to barandrsquo; by Barry Callebaut. andldquo;Since a few years, some chocolatiers understood that we needed a higher level [of quality]. That is why I started roasting the cacao beans myself and making my own chocolate. I call it andlsquo;high chocolateandrsquo;. That is how I can really make the difference, choosing the beans, roasting them, then crushing and performing the whole procedure until finally it is 100 per cent originalandmdash;the purest chocolate you can imagine,andrdquo; says Herman Van Dender, owner of the Brussels based Van Dender Chocolates BVBA. andldquo;We conch much longer and at different temperatures. Moreover, our cooling and tempering techniques are different from all the other chocolate producing countries. We pack right after production to retain the smell and taste,andrdquo; adds Patrick Gilis, Captain and Founder, Starbrook Chocolate Company NV. According to Gilis, the unique taste, andldquo;mouth-feelandrdquo; and texture of Belgian chocolate is due to three main factorsandmdash;firstly, the higher than the average cocoa powder content (typically around 43 per cent, compared to around 20 per cent in the US and the UK); secondly, the longer conching process ensuring a smoother end-product; and thirdly,andnbsp;the top-quality training that most andnbsp;Belgian chocolatiers receive. He adds that Belgium and Switzerlandspan /span are the only two countries, where the use of the term andlsquo;chocolateandrsquo; is legally restricted to products containing only cocoa butter, cocoaspan /span solids, sugar and milk. But that begs the question: How is Belgian and Swiss chocolate different? andldquo;The techniques for making Belgian and Swiss chocolates are different. Even if the cocoa beans are sourced from the same place, other ingredients are locally sourced, which makes a difference to the taste and texture,andrdquo; says Convert. andldquo;To understand good chocolate, you need to know the difference between compounds and gourmet chocolate. Cocoa butter contains different types of crystals, which need to be tempered. Once you nail tempering, you have the key to good chocolate,andrdquo; says Chef Manikandan Raman, Head of Academy, Callebaut Chocolate Academy Centre Mumbai./p pandnbsp;/p pstrongFlavours of the season/strong/p pFor the globetrotting food lover, the approach to chocolate is changing. Mikael Neglandeacute;n, President, Chocolate Asia Pacific, Barry Callebaut, talks about the current trends in luxury Belgian chocolates, andldquo;The demand for premium chocolates is on the rise. Cocoa beans from Ecuador and Madagascar are the flavours of the season. Caramelised products, white caramelised chocolate and chocolates with health benefits are some of the trends in luxury chocolates. Chefs are more interested in chocolates with 90 per cent cocoa.andrdquo; Today, around 2,00,000 tons of chocolate products are manufactured each year in Belgium, by around 400 different manufacturers and sold through 2,000 specialist shops, says Gilis. But modern trends and demands notwithstanding, the Belgian chocolatiers of yore remain true to their traditions and may this delicious tradition never fade.andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pstrongCacao vs Cocoa/strong/p pCacao is hardly the misspelt cousin of cocoa. It is, in fact, the rawer, healthier version of the more widely available cocoa powder. The seeds or nuts of the cacao tree are called cacao or cocoa beans. The procedure for making raw cacao and cocoa powder differs./p pRaw cacao powder is prepared by cold-pressing unroasted cacao beans. This process leaves the living enzymes in the cacao intact and is responsible for a variety of health benefits. andnbsp;/p pCocoa powder, on the other hand, is made by roasting raw cacao at high temperatures. While this process reduces its enzyme content somewhat, cocoa powder still has a high amount of beneficial antioxidants.andnbsp;/p pFor maximum health benefits and the pure taste of cacao, try to buy cacao powder whenever possible or cocoa powder with no added sugar or milk solids./p pandnbsp;/p pstrongMore On andgt;andgt; a href="http://www.luxpresso.com/lifestyle/food-drink" target="_blank"Food andamp; Drink/a/strong/p

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