An Easter egg hunt is a staple springtime event in many families around the world. Whether the eggs are plastic, hard boiled or chocolate, the spherical shape has become synonymous with Easter.
Eggs have been a long-standing symbol for Easter, representing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Eggs are said to symbolise fertility, Spring, birth and rebirth.
Not coincidentally, Christians could not eat eggs during Lent, a 40-day period leading up to Easter. But since chickens couldn’t stop laying them, there was an abundance of eggs at Easter time. The eggs that could not be eaten were decorated, inspiring many Easter traditions we know around the world today.
Chocolate and Easter
Chocolate entered the Easter scene in the 19th century when chocolatiers from France and Germany began creating chocolate eggs for Easter. These first chocolate eggs were handmade and solid.
Later in the 19th century, innovations in the chocolate-making industry allowed for cocoa butter to be mass produced. This led to the invention of moulded hollow eggs. This also meant that chocolate eggs were cheaper and easier to produce in large quantities, making it more widely available and thus growing its popularity.
Now, master chocolatiers take advantage of Easter as a way to show off their chocolate making and moulding skills. It is common to find more than just chocolate eggs in the stores. Rabbits, flowers and church bells are some other common shapes for Easter chocolates.
What makes chocolate Belgian?
Belgium is one of the top countries globally famous for its chocolate.
Belgian chocolate sets itself apart from other products because of its fine-grinding production methods, use of 100% cocoa butter and high cocoa content. A minimum of 35% cacao is needed for a treat to be considered Belgian chocolate.
Fatima Drejtova, an employee at Belgian artisanal chocolate shop Passion Chocolat, says she loves Belgian chocolate because of its high quality.
“I consider chocolate as a luxury food,” she said.
“That’s the standard of a Belgian chocolate. Belgian chocolate is a luxury chocolate. You’re supposed to feel it when you eat it and not just eat and have a sweet tooth.”
She said Belgian chocolate is not as sugary as some other chocolates.
Cacao first arrived in Belgium in the 17th century, when the territory was under Spanish rule. Spanish explorers brought it over from South America, and the Spanish nobility at the time enjoyed cocoa as a warm, luxury drink.
In the late 19th century, Belgium colonised the Congo and found cacao beans there. This led to Belgium becoming a main trader of cacao and cultivated mass cocoa production.
Chocolate terms to know
If you go to a chocolate hub, like Belgium, for your Easter chocolate treat, you will likely be bombarded with delicious options. To select the ideal sweet, one must understand some key terms in the chocolate industry.
The praline is an iconic Belgian chocolate. It was invented by Belgian chocolatier Jean Neuhaus II in 1912. In Belgium, a praline is defined as a filled chocolate.
Drejtova from Passion Chocolat says the standard for a praline should be that it is coated in a thin layer of chocolate.
“If you see a praline with a thick layer of chocolate, this means that it was not handmade,” she said.
The hard chocolate shell of a praline often contains praliné, which is a paste of caramelized sugar and nuts. Praliné can be either smooth or crunchy depending on how finely the nuts are ground. Pralines can also hold gianduja, which is a smooth blend of chocolate and hazelnut.
Drejtova says pralines are therefore often crunchier and nuttier than their chocolate counterparts, such as ganaches or truffles.
“When you bite a ganache, the inside part is softer,” said Drejtova.
A ganache refers to a smooth mixture of chocolate and cream. In a Belgium chocolate shop, you will typically find ganache as a filling within a soft chocolate shell. However, ganache is versatile and can also be found in truffles.
A truffle is another classic Belgian confection, typically made by forming ganache into balls and rolling it in cocoa powder, chocolate or nuts. Truffles may be completely shell-less or coated in a thin chocolate layer.
