Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Just imagine: Chocolate, made in Wallonia

By SUSAN TAYLOR MARTIN, Times Senior Correspondent
Published October 21, 2007

With Belgium in political turmoil and in danger of breaking up, about all that's holding the country together is "the king, beer and chocolate,'' as one pundit commented. Belgium is justly famous for its chocolates.
	[Susan Taylor Martin | Times]

BRUSSELS - Quick, what comes to mind when you think of Belgium? Lace? Beer? Waffles?

How about -- mmmm -- chocolate?

With the possible exception of Switzerland, no place is so closely associated with chocolate as this tidy little country of 10-million people and 2,130 chocolate shops. "Belgian chocolates" are justly famous the world over, which is why it's a shame that a political crisis could one day render the phrase obsolete.

Four months after general elections, Belgium's political parties have yet to form a government because of demands for more self-rule in Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia. The Flemish -- who consider themselves more industrious than their compatriots -- complain that they contribute 70 percent of Belgium's gross domestic product while the Walloons consume 60 percent of welfare and social benefits.

Tension between the two groups is great enough that there is talk of Belgium splitting into two countries. "We have nothing in common except a king, chocolate and beer," one Flemish politician told the New York Times.

Yes, but what a sweet thing to share. So revered is chocolate here that Brussels even has a Musee du Cacao et du Chocolat, a quaint little museum started in 1998 by the granddaughter of the founder of Godiva chocolates.

On Friday, the place was packed with people eating up the history of cocoa and the products made from it. The five euro admission about $7.50 includes a chocolate biscuit dunked in hot chocolate syrup.

Cocoa comes from the egg-shaped pods of the cacao tree, cultivated for centuries in equatorial climes around the world. The Aztec found that sacrificial victims could be lured into a false sense of well-being if they consumed a cocoa drink before they were tortured. However, the museum notes, "an anesthetic was probably added to this."

On Christopher Columbus' fourth voyage to the New World in 1502, natives offered him cocoa plants as gifts. But it was not until 1525 that Hernan Cortes, returning from a trip to Mexico, introduced cocoa to Europe. It was initially used to sooth stomach ailments, though it quickly won "great success" for its supposed qualities as an aphrodisiac.

The first trace of cocoa in what is now Belgium dates to 1635, when records show some was purchased by the abbey of Baudeloo. Chocolate production flourished at the start of the 18th century, a time when cocoa was so valuable that one pound was worth 15 loaves of bread and only the upper classes could afford chocolate drinks.

One of the biggest advances in chocolate production occurred in 1912 when the Belgian chocolate genius Jean Neuhaus invented the hard shell. That allowed the creamy fillings so popular today.

Along with displays of chocolate-making equipment, the museum has a fine collection of antique chocolate pots and old candy tins. Especially eye-catching is a photo of models wearing dresses made of chocolate, taken at the Florida Hotel in Havana. A sister museum opened in 2002 in Cuba, one of many cocoa-producing countries.

Most chocolate in Belgium is sold in shops devoted to a particular brand like Godiva, whose products here have more cocoa and less sugar than Godiva chocolates in the United States.

One exception is Chocopolis, which carries a variety of brands. Customers can even choose chocolates based on the cocoa's country of origin.

"It's a bit like wine or coffee," says clerk Francesa Randazzo, who favors dark chocolate made with Tanzanian cocoa. "If you know, you can taste the differences. The African ones are a little bit stronger."

Studies have shown that chocolate can be good for the health. And a California professor says students given chocolate before evaluating their instructors wrote kinder comments than students who didn't eat chocolate.

One possible conclusion: Chocolate makes people nicer.

So perhaps Belgium's political crisis can be resolved if the Flemish and the Walloons start eating more of their beloved national product. After all, it doesn't say much for European unity if Belgium -- the country that is the headquarters of the European Union -- can't even keep itself in one piece.

And Belgium's two feuding factions should think about this: Will tourists be as eager to buy "Wallonian chocolates?"

Susan Taylor Martin can be contacted at susan@sptimes.com.

[Last modified October 21, 2007, 00:09:53]