Belgian chocolate – Today we ventured into Antwerp to visit the Chocolate Nation. A large building which celebrates all things chocolate – ok, really Belgian Chocolate.
Why Antwerp for the home base for Chocolate Nation? It all started with the first chocolate factory of Belgium, which opened in 1831 in Antwerp. Belgian chocolate, as you may already be aware, is highly regarded to the present day, in particular thanks to the craftsmanship of Octave Callebaut.
Established in 1911 by Octave Callebaut in Wieze, Belgium, his chocolate company used the same factory building his grandfather Eugène Callebaut founded as a family-run brewing and milling company called ‘De Ploeg’ in 1850.
Octave Callebaut’s chocolate recipes quickly found liking by numerous chocolatiers, bakers and pastry chefs. As a result, Chocolaterie Callebaut PLC was established in 1930. A clear focus towards the professional market took shape and the company from then on dedicated its activities to supplying and servicing chocolatiers, confectioners and bakeries.
Using Callebaut as the beginning point, the Chocolate nation does feature the history of many other brands and artisans. While in Brussels, we learned the history of Jean Neuhaus who developed the praline in 1918 – a decadent chocolate cream ganache center inside a chocolate shell, the original filled chocolate. I confess, that we really like Neuhaus Chocolate and have had friends who are visiting Belgium bring some for us. Our visit started with an overview of the cocoa plantations at the equator and followed the cocoa bean to the world’s largest storage port of cocoa in Antwerp. A giant fantasy machine demonstrates how chocolate is made and how the velvety taste is created. Along the way, of course, there were samples to taste displays to see and questions to be asked and answered.
Going from room to room we were told short snappy bits of information about the production of cocoa and making of chocolate. At the outset, we were each given a small handheld audio device which we use to scan various points in each room for more information or descriptions. It is a simple museum, with lots of information, and took about 1 1/2 hours to go through. At one point, we were given a small spoon and allowed to taste various melted chocolate, from white to rose to milk to dark. Using the spoon, we could go round the room tasting the chocolate, sometimes several times over! Yummy
Naturally, after the tour, we ended up in the gift shop which had LOTS of different selections to choose from – but where do you stop? How much chocolate does one family need? It seems the answer to this question is “a lot”.
OK, we had CHOCOLATE and now it was time for a walking tour with a snack stop along the way. Back on the bus and off to the parking lot for a walk around (not in) the Het Steen.
This is a medieval fortress in the old city center of Antwerp and was built between 1200 and 1225 as a gateway to a larger castle of the Dukes of Brabant which was demolished in the 19th century. As the first stone fortification of Antwerp, Het Steen is Antwerp’s oldest building and used to be part of its oldest urban center. The words “Het Steen”, translated from Dutch mean “the rock” in English.
From here we wandered around the old part of the town on our way to the City Center and our snack waffles. Our stop was to be The Waffle House in the center of town next to the church. Based on the receipts of their grandmother, four siblings joined forces and opened the shop in 2018 and have been pushing out waffles ever since. We had the option of cherries, banana’s or strawberries on our waffles – along with a dollop of wipped cream.
After or treat, Janeen and I wander around looking for the perfect gift to take home.
She was able to find a couple and back to the bus we went.