Chocolate, One of Brussel’s Most Precious Jewels

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When you arrive in Brussels, close your eyes... and breathe in the magical scents permeating the neighbourhood of its master chocolatiers. Melt before the manons, truffles, mendiants and other chocolate delights that are bought and sold in the innumerable shops all around you. Try your hand at one of the many workshops just waiting to teach you the art of making chocolate delicacies. Have a party with your colleagues or friends in the chocolate shops that open their doors and their hearts to you... there’s even something for the very youngest among us. Discover chocolate's most intimate secrets in the city’s museums. Give yourself a head-to-toe chocolate experience. Pure bliss…

The story of the little coco bean that became praline

Ten years after Christopher Columbus arrived in America, the cocoa bean set about its conquest of Europe. This rare bean, more precious than gold, had been the exclusive preserve of the most powerful rulers and kings. As the industry developed, it became more readily available to ordinary Europeans. The love story between Brussels and chocolate was about to begin. Jean Neuhaus, a pharmacist, developed an original technique to mask the unpleasant taste of medicines by coating them in a thin layer of chocolate. In 1912, he had the gourmet-inspired idea of replacing the medicines with... fresh cream. The praline was born! And to protect these delicate pralines, his wife created a cardboard package designed to look like a jewellery box: the ballotin. One hundred years later, a ballotin box filled with pralines is always the most popular gift to give or receive in Brussels.

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Walks to relish

Sablon

The Sablon district alone has an enormous range of chocolatiers to visit. Pierre Marcolini is one of the leaders, reinventing the industry with his intensely flavoured, exciting chocolate creations. Wittamer is still the master of chocolate art and the Frenchman Patrick Roger works with the raw material, transforming chocolate into giant edible works of art. Close by, don’t forget to visit these chocolate boutiques: Belvas and its 100% organic and fair trade pralines, the mythical manons of the historic house of Léonidas and Passion Chocolat, which aims to rediscover lost flavours.

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