Belgian chocolate.
The discovery of chocolate, the drink of the god.
Christopher Columbus discovered the chocolate in the new world at the end of the15th century. Indeed, the
Aztecs drank chocolate well before everybody. It was a bitter drink based on roasted kernels seeds of cocoa
blended with spices.
That drink was really appreciated by the Aztecs but it was so sacred that only the rich people could afford it. It had nothing to compare with the nowadays well-known chocolate, so much so that the conquistadores found it undrinkable.
But, as the Aztecs used also the cocoa seeds as money, they first looked at cocoa like a means to buy their gold. The chocolate conquered the old world.
Even if the chocolate recipe was kept secret by the Spanish aristrocrates, the succes of this drink was so that it went through the european borders.
Indeed, because of sugar addition, it became a very appreciated drink by the european nobles. And even doctors thought that chocolate was able to treat diseases.
Thus each nation was going to find a particular way to accomodate chocolate and to enjoy it.
The famous Belgian Chocolate : ' praline ' and ' ballotin '.
From the beginning of its history in Belgium, the chocolate was considered as a gift.
In 1912, the belgian confectionery created the ' praline ', a filled chocolate mouthful which perfectly complied with its gift vocation. To protect the delicate nature of the ' praline ', an adequate packaging has been patented under the name of ' Ballotin'. Since that time the ' ballotin de pralines ' became the perfect gift appreciated in all circumstances.
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on Aug 25, 2002
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