Belgian chocolate creates feelings of happiness – and so the little Belgian kingdom has an almost magical attraction for all happy chocolate fans.
The famous, melt-in-the-mouth Belgian chocolate has its origins as early as the second half of the 16th century. After the first cocoa imports from Mexico and later also from the Congo, the enjoyment of hot chocolate became particularly popular in the 18th century. Less time then passed until the invention of the praline and the rise of Belgian chocolate in the 1960s. Belgian chocolate has fans all over the world – many can hire a campervan in Belgium and enjoy the country and its people as much as the famous Belgian chocolate.
Why the chocolate is so famous?
The famous Belgian chocolate convinces with unique flavours of the best quality. The success story can be traced back to the “Belgian Chocolate Codex”: which stipulates that refining, mixing and conching must take place within the Belgian Kingdom and that the 35 per cent cocoa content in the composition of the chocolate had already been fixed since 1894.
As a result, Belgian chocolate and delicious pralines are carefully handcrafted by renowned manufacturers in Belgium. The training of chocolatiers to the highest standards, plus the use of pure, good ingredients and a constant focus on the traditions of chocolate making explain the enormous spread of around 2,000 chocolate shops and the numerous chocolate museums in the country – and all the chocolate hotspots are very popular with visitors.
The Chocolate Hotspots
1. Belgian Chocolate Village
The Belgian Chocolate Village Museum in Brussels has been around since the 19th-century interesting insights into the manufacturing processes, chocolate workshops and extremely popular tastings are the reasons for its popularity.
De Neckstraat 20
1081 Brussels
2. Planete Chocolat
From pralines to chocolate sculptures, Planète Chocolat makes its chocolate products with the best ingredients, such as 100 per cent pure cocoa butter. The chocolatier was voted one of the ten best chocolate makers in the world. Chocolates are handmade, sold and distributed in the shop.
Rue de Lombard 24
1000 Brussels
3. Mary Chocolatier
Mary Delluc founded the traditional company, Chocolaterie Mary, as early as 1919, offering real jewels made of chocolate.
Rue du Lombard 28 b
1000 Brussels
4. Corné Port Royal
This chocolate shop as well as the renowned internet trade goes back to the patissier Maurice Corné, who founded Corné Port Royal in 1932. The great name is synonymous with a passion for fine chocolates.
Rue au Beurre/Boterstraat 46
1000 Brussels
5. Pelicaen Belgiam Chocolates
The Pelicaen chocolate boutique in the historic heart of Brussels offers high-quality chocolate products from renowned suppliers with a reputation for great chocolate quality.
Rue de l’Etuve 22B,
1000 Brussels
6. Groovy
On the Groovy Brussels Chocolate Tour, chocolate lovers visit five of Brussels’ finest chocolate shops. You can taste traditional chocolates and truffles as well as avant-garde combinations.
Meeting point: Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries,
Galerie du Roi 5, 1000 Brussels
7. Beer and chocolate tour
On the “Beer and Chocolate” tour, there are many stops at several renowned chocolatiers, where various chocolate specialities can be sampled, for example with crunchy hazelnut, finely salted butter, with ginger, coffee, saffron, allspice or tea. Afterwards, famous Belgian beers are offered in bars on the Grande Place.
Meeting point: A l’entrée du magasin Chocopolis entre le Novotel et l’Ibis Hotel
1000 Brussels
8. La Chocolaterie Darcis
With its museum, production, studios, boutique and café, La Chocolaterie is also one of Belgium’s chocolate sites. The house is the boutique and gourmet centre of Jean-Philippe Darcis, “Ambassadeur du chocolat belge”, a chocolate ambassador for life.
Esplanade de la Grâce 1
4800 Verviers
9. Pierre Marcolini
The Atelier Pierre Marcolini employs 80 craftsmen, all of whom have unique chocolate expertise. The Maison’s recipes for pralines, confectionery and ganache are constantly reinvented to keep up with the times, while production is done by hand. Tasting and buying become a special experience in boutiques at various locations.
Steenstraat 10
8000 Bruges
10. Chocolate Nation
exhibitions in the chocolate museum, chocolate workshops and handmade chocolates, pralines and macarons are offered by Chocolate Nation opposite Antwerp Central Station.
Koningin Astridplein 7
72018 Antwerp
Belgian culinary delights
Anyone who sets out on a pleasure trip through Belgium after renting a motorhome will not be able to resist the culinary temptations:
The country is considered the cradle of chicory and French fries. Less well-known is the stoemp made from potatoes and young vegetables, as well as delicate Flemish meat dishes such as the chicken coucou de Malines. Ardennes ham, delicious stuffed pâtés and the national fish stew Waterzooi, which becomes a treat with wine and pureed herbs, are some other examples of the excellent Belgian cuisine. There are also Belgian beers in many varieties, hundreds of types of genever and the excellent Elixier d`Anvers with its top-secret herbal recipe.
In addition to tempting baked goods such as waffles, croissants, crépes and pannekoekjes, Belgians enjoy more than 500 grams of Belgian chocolate, pralines and confectionery per week! This is sure proof of the overwhelming popularity of unrivalled chocolate.