Belgian-Style Chocolate

Of the three styles of bonbons (French, Belgian and Swiss), Belgian chocolates are characterised by a thicker chocolate shell, a slightly larger size and a sweeter and heavier ganache. Belgian chocolates are made in moulds, accounting for the thicker shell. The technique of moulding was created by Jean Neuhaus, a Belgian chocolatier, in 1912, who developed a process to pour couverture into moulds creating a hard shell, enabling softer, more liquid fillings to be used. Before that time, firm centres such as caramels and thick ganaches were hand-dipped into the couverture.