Cacao originated in central America. The Mayans and Aztecs drank it (with chilli pepper and without sugar) as an aphrodisiac. But chocolate as we know it today is a purely European invention. The Englishman Joseph Fry made the first chocolate for eating in 1847, followed in 1849 by the Cadbury brothers. But everybody know that the best chocolate is the Belgian variety. It was the Swiss immigrant Jean Neuhaus who invented the praline chocolate in Brussels in 1857.
Nowadays, the best chocolates around the world, be them Belgian, French, Swiss or other, follow the Belgian tradition of chocolate making. Côte d'Or and Galler are the two brands that I consider to be the leaders and main innovators in the market. Here is a list of the most common types of chocolate bars :
- praliné dark
- praliné milk
- praliné white
- dark with liqueur
- milk with liqueur
- white with liqueur
- dark with hazelnuts (or almonds)
- milk with hazelnuts (or almonds)
- white with hazelnuts (or almonds)
- dark with coffee
- milk with coffee
- white with coffee
- dark with crunchy biscuit
- milk with crunchy biscuit
- white with crunchy biscuit
- dark with vanilla cream
- milk with vanilla cream
- dark with cherry
- dark with orange
- manon (white with hazelnut paste and coffee)
- piedmontais (nuts, crispy rice, coconut)
Here is an overview of the Galler chocolate bars and here are the products of Côte d'Or.
Personally, I only like dark chocolate, with a preference for liqueurs, pralinés and cherries. I never really liked milk chocolate. I used to like white chocolate as a child, but almost can't stand it anymore.
In winter (in Belgium at least) I eat in average one bar of chocolate per day. :bluush:
Nowadays, the best chocolates around the world, be them Belgian, French, Swiss or other, follow the Belgian tradition of chocolate making. Côte d'Or and Galler are the two brands that I consider to be the leaders and main innovators in the market. Here is a list of the most common types of chocolate bars :
- praliné dark
- praliné milk
- praliné white
- dark with liqueur
- milk with liqueur
- white with liqueur
- dark with hazelnuts (or almonds)
- milk with hazelnuts (or almonds)
- white with hazelnuts (or almonds)
- dark with coffee
- milk with coffee
- white with coffee
- dark with crunchy biscuit
- milk with crunchy biscuit
- white with crunchy biscuit
- dark with vanilla cream
- milk with vanilla cream
- dark with cherry
- dark with orange
- manon (white with hazelnut paste and coffee)
- piedmontais (nuts, crispy rice, coconut)
Here is an overview of the Galler chocolate bars and here are the products of Côte d'Or.
Personally, I only like dark chocolate, with a preference for liqueurs, pralinés and cherries. I never really liked milk chocolate. I used to like white chocolate as a child, but almost can't stand it anymore.
In winter (in Belgium at least) I eat in average one bar of chocolate per day. :bluush:
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