Belgian chocolates have a reputation for extremely high quality, and a stroll down Steenstraat in Bruges proves why. The Choco-Story museum reveals the fascinating history of chocolate and why Belgian pralines are among the best in the world.
Chocolate shops on Steenstraat in Bruges
Do not, whatever you do, walk down Steenstraat while hungry. It is lined with chocolate shops, unashamedly attempting to part Bruges’ tourist masses from their money. Thing is, almost all of them are really, really good, selling sumptuous pralines, melt-in-the-mouth giandujas and thoroughly more-ish speckled truffles.
Belgian chocolates have a reputation for extremely high quality, and a Steenstraat scoffing stroll does nothing to dispel it. But the key to why standards are so high is unveiled at Choco-Story, a museum devoted to the magical brown stuff.
- If you want to skip the article and just book Choco-Story tickets, head this way.
The history of chocolate at Choco-Story Bruges
The tale, of course, doesn’t start in Belgium. “Chocolate” comes from the Mesoamerican Nahautl language, where the mixture of cocoa and water was called “cacahuatl”.
There’s evidence that this drink has been around since at least 2,000BC, with various Mesoamerican civilisations using it in sacrifice rituals, as well as a currency and luxury drink reserved for those with higher status.
The latter continued after the Spanish conquistadors were introduced to the drink. They brought it home in 1528, and for decades it was essentially kept a secret by the Spanish royal court.
But by 1580, a shop selling it had opened, and the floodgates began to open, as chocolate crossed the Pyrenees and the Dutch started smuggling their own supply out of South America.
How chocolate became something to eat
At this point, though, it is still a drink. It’s not until Dutchman CJ Van Houten managed to separate the cocoa butter from the powder, and managed to mould it, that chocolate became something to eat.
Choco-Story runs through the timeline of innovations to the present day, showing a pan-European effort with introductions from English, Italian and Swiss chocolatiers, up to Jean Neuhaus’ invention of the Belgian praline in 1912.
The global chocolate industry explained
It also goes into today’s chocolate industry, which is a truly global affair. Somewhat surprisingly, 33% of the world’s cocoa is now grown in Cote d’Ivoire. But another 14% comes from Indonesia.
Similar to wine-making, there’s an element of terroir and provenance to how chocolate tastes. But how long it is roasted for, and at what temperature, counts too. As does the beans selected – not all are suitable.
Chocolate-making process at Choco-Story
There are other variables too, as the in-house chocolate-maker explains inside the demonstration area. Hard plastic polycarbonate moulds need to be room temperature and shiny on the inside; melting at 45 to 50 degrees Celsius is followed by tempering – which controls the crystals inside the cocoa butter to ensure the right colour and texture – at around 30 degrees.
But much of the end product depends on the ingredients going in. Different percentages of cocoa paste, sugar, cocoa butter and powdered milk go into creating dark, milk and white chocolate. Here, the milk chocolate is only 10% cocoa paste, and the dark variety is 67.5%.
Why Belgian chocolate is so good
It’s what doesn’t go in it that counts, though. As the samples doled out melt beautifully on the tongue, the simple secret behind Belgian chocolate’s quality is revealed. To be labelled as Belgian chocolate, no vegetable oil or palm oil is allowed to replace the cocoa butter. Elsewhere, these oils – which melt at around 60 degrees Celsius rather than body temperature – are used as a cheap alternative.
So if you don’t want to get fobbed off with the cheap and nasty stuff on that face-stuffing amble down Steenstraat, the fewer ingredients listed on the box, the better.
Plan your visit to Choco-Story Bruges
| How much are tickets to Choco-Story Bruges? | Entrance costs €14 per adult. Book tickets online. |
| What are the opening hours of Choco-Story? | The museum is generally open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:00. |
| Where is Choco-Story located? | Choco-Story is located in central Bruges, at Wijnzakstraat 2, close to Steenstraat. |
| How do you get to Bruges from Brussels Airport? | Trains take around 90 minutes and cost €27. |
| Where can you stay near Choco-Story? | The best address in Bruges is the Hotel Dukes’ Palace, a historic five-star hotel. |
More Belgium travel
Other Belgium travel articles on Planet Whitley include:
- Travel guide to Brussels, Belgium.
- How to find the best chocolates in Brussels.
- Why Antwerp is one of the most underrated cities in Europe.
- Discovering the migration stories of the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp.
- A Liege city guide for first-time visitors.
