Belgian chocolate
Belgian chocolate is very certainly the most important speciality of our gastronomy. Cacao's import in Europe is dated back to the XVI century. In the beginning, such as the Maya's, cacao was consumed by the European aristrocracy as a beverage only. The presence of Cacao in our Kingdom is dated (at latest) from 1635. It's in 1679 that the Swiss H. Escher tasted for the first time chocolate in Belgium, before bringing it back to Switzerland.
In 1857 Jean Neuhaus is opening a pharmacy in Brussels and in order to hide the bitterness of the drugs he envelopes it with chocolate, the first chocolatier is born. His grand son Jean II, would be the inventor and patent holder of the famous pralines.

Belgian chocolate is appreciated for its quality selection of Cacao and its fine production process. Hereunder a list of Belgians most famous chocolatiers.