Different people have different preferences and tastes when it comes to chocolates. Some like their chocolate sweet and milky, while others like theirs dark, rich and bitter. Chocolate is made in different places around the world and each country or place has its own distinctly unique chocolate product. U.S. chocolates tend to taste distinctly different from French chocolates, as well as from Belgian or Swiss chocolates. The best kind of chocolate depends on the taster or eater.
In general, Belgian and Swiss chocolates tend to be lighter and sweeter than French chocolate and have a shell-shaped outer mold, while French chocolates are commonly enrobed, such as the famous dark chocolate bonbons. French chocolates in general have subtler flavors and have a darker and richer chocolate taste, and are also consequently less sweet than Belgian and Swiss chocolates. Traditional American chocolates are even lighter and sweeter than Belgian and Swiss chocolates, and have more pronounced and identifiable flavors.
Americans have a sweeter and lighter palate than most Europeans when it comes to their chocolate, but in recent years the American palate has been changing. The nouvelle American chocolate is French-inspired and is thus darker and less sweet. It also has less pronounced flavor, being more subtle and harder to identify. Most nouvelle American chocolates are shell-molded rather than enrobed.
The U.S. is one of the biggest chocolate distributors in the world with two of the top leading international chocolate manufactures: Hershey's and Mars. The American chocolate business is big business and has considerably grown at a fast rate more than any other country in the world. The U.S. chocolate industry started to grow during the American Revolutionary war, beginning 1765 when the firs chocolate factory was established. Thomas Jefferson, former U.S. president, became a chocolate lover and even wrote to John Adams that "The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain."
France produces some of the finest gourmet chocolates in the world. It has long been popular among the royal family and was even considered a luxury. During the reign of Louis XIII, his wife, Anne of Austria, declared chocolate as the official drink of the French court. Wife of Louis XIV, Maria Theresa or Austria, shared her love of chocolate with the French people.
Swiss chocolate is one of the top exports of Switzerland together with watches. Nestle, one of the biggest chocolate brands in the world, originates from Switzerland. It was first established in 1819 by François-Louis Cailler. Other top Swiss chocolate products include Suchard and Lindt. Swiss chocolate is equated with high quality, made with the finest ingredients using pure cocoa butter, and with high manufacturing standards.
Belgian chocolate is famous for its wide variety of flavors and fillings, presented in the famous confectionary gift, the "praline." One box of chocolates can contain several flavors and fillings using a variety of fruits and nuts, and an assortment of chocolate types, usually dark and milk chocolate.
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