LA CHOCOLATERIE
- Oct 8, 2016
- 1 min read
THE DEFINITION OF BELGIUM?
WAFFLES, BEER AND CHOCOLATE!
I know, it makes me hungry too. ;)
Today, I got to experience a traditional Belgian chocolaterie and its museum in Verviers; as well as dropping by the Curtius brewery for some traditional Belgian beer.
For a chocolate fanatic such as myself, the chocolaterie was paradise. The process is fascinating; delicious, and at the end, of course, we got to sample their delicious pralines.
Historically, the journey of chocolate is intriguing. The origins of chocolate in Belgium date back to 1635, in the Abbey of Baudeloo in Ghent.
Chocolate shops were set up as early as the end of the 17th century, but chocolate remained a product reserved for the aristocracy. England founded the first chocolate houses. They served a hot chocolate made with milk, enriched with an egg and a drop of Madeira wine. It sounded heavenly.
Then, in the 18th century, the first industrial chocolate factories appeared; first in England, then in France and the Netherlands.
Today, cocoa has crossed over from the culinary into many other fields, including cosmetics. It’s health benefits are plentiful, mostly due to a high concentration of fatty acids, phospholipids, polyphenols and tannins. Cocoa protects skin, has anti-ageing properties, tightens pores and makes the skin firmer. *
Chocolate’s got it all! Tastes wonderful and makes you beautiful. Could one desire anything more?
At the end of the day I was leaving the chocolatery with a bag full of delicious pralines and makarons. I ate some already on a way back home. I just could not help myself. ;)
*All credit for text comes from darcis.com, museum
*Photography by Veronika Badova
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