A Belgian consumes 9,69 kg "chocolate" every year.
Of all Europeans, Swiss are the biggest consumers of chocolate (including "pralines", choco pastes and powders chocolate for drinks) : about 10,2 kg each and every year. However, we must keep in mind the fact that as every year the very large amount of visitors in Switzerland contributes largely to achieve the highest record.Respectively after Switzerland comes Germany (9;8 kg per people and per year), then, Belgium (9,69 kg), Danemark (8,94 kg), United Kingdom (8,65 kg), Norway (8,58 kg), Ireland (8,29 kg), Austria (7,85 kg), France (6,94 kg) and Sweden (5,05 kg).
Spanish and Italians on average only eat 3,3 kg per year and the Portuguese 1,6 kg.
Belgium got hold of a delightful delicacy known as praline, made wih almonds and burnt sugar also improved by a dip in hot chocolate.
Today, who says praline, says Belgium.
As uou know, Belgian chocolate has a high reputation ; these are the are several reasons for this. Lest's just mention 5 of them :
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the very high quality of beans. Only after inquiry on the origin and following the making done then choose the best quality |
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special care is taken when beans are grilled and grinded. We go dow 12 microns when in Great Britain they stop at 24 microns). |
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the quality of the different ingredients such as sugar is also high. |
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Practically the minimum percentage of cacao is 35 %,but in practice, it is more or less 43 % of cacao. |
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the "know-how" and the passion tha stimulates the small chocolate makers and factories... |
"Le chocolat belge" : pralines, assorted lines of chocolate, sweets, desserts, biscuits...
Author : Jacques Mercier
Publisher : La Renaissance du livre
