http://www.cheerychocolate.com/chocolate/belgian.html Belgian chocolate has a long history in Europe, giving Belgian chocolate a solid reputation. en-us Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:54:49 EDT Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:54:49 EDT Weblog Editor 2.0 Belgian Chocolate and the Praline Throughout the history of chocolate in Belgium, it had a long tradition of being given as a gift, but it was not until 1912 did it come in bite-sized pieces. It was in that year that a Belgian confectioner created the now famous praline, which put Belgian chocolate on the map. Belgian chocolates are traditionally molded chocolate shells with soft fillings, typically a whipped butter cream, praline, ganache, or caramel. With the advent of this new smaller and more delicate form of Belgian chocolate came the necessity for them to be handled in a more delicate manner. And so the "ballotin de pralines" came to be considered the perfect gift. The box, or ballotin, was made just to house and protect the delicate Belgian chocolate pralines in transit. The box itself was patented and is still the traditional box for all pralines. For their pralines, only the best cocoa beans are used. The quality of the beans for Belgian chocolate is determined by its smell, color, and feel. Most of the artisans who create pralines still manufacture most of them by hand--especially the decoration which adds a personal touch to each and every praline. This is just one of the features that makes Belgian chocolates so special. Today Belgium produces 172,000 tons of Belgian chocolate every year and has 2,130 chocolate shops that continue the tradition of quality to the present day. Another of the advantages that Belgian chocolates have over other European chocolate is that most other companies receive their chocolate in solid form that has to reheated. But Belgian chocolate, which is only cooled after its production, retains much of its aroma. Even the Swiss, who are known for their high quality of Swiss chocolate imported the basic recipe for chocolate production from the French and Belgian chocolatiers. Much of the headway that was made in the manufacture of chocolate which led to its present form was initiated by the Belgians, who produced many of chocolate "firsts." Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:54:49 EDT