By Theyo Team
Swiss chocolate is considered the best chocolate in the world. It is best known for its delicate melt and milky creaminess. And the Swiss also seem to be convinced of their chocolate: they are regularly neck-and-neck with Germany when it comes to annual chocolate consumption . But just as the French once had to learn that good wine does not only come from France , the Swiss should also take a closer look at their favorite sweets. So much can already be revealed: It's worth taking a look beyond the national borders!
While the common misconception has spread that chocolate was invented by the Swiss, the truth - as so often - is far more complex. Because of course chocolate is not a Western invention. The first cocoa beans grew as early as 5000 years BC. in the Amazon region and had been consumed by the Mayas and Aztecs for several thousand years until they found their way to Europe in the time of Columbus. Gradually, the consumption of cocoa beans spread to European countries and became a real hit in England as early as 1600. It is therefore not surprising that the first bar of chocolate was also developed in Bristol by Fry & Sons in 1847. At this point, it was made from cocoa powder, sugar, and cocoa butter, and its texture was anything but creamy. And this is exactly where Rodolphe Lindt came into play with his groundbreaking invention.
In 1879, Rodolphe Lindt invented the conche, supposedly by accident. He was looking for a way to reduce the particle size so that the texture would hardly be noticeable on the tongue. With the conche, Lindt managed to reduce the size to less than 30 microns and made Swiss chocolate known around the world as melt-in-the-mouth and silky smooth. At the same time, Lindt continued to develop the conche so that today it not only refines the texture, but can also extract unwanted aromas from the chocolate by adding oxygen.
[ Here you can find out how chocolate is made and exactly how conching works ]
But not only that! A few years earlier - in 1867 - the chemist and entrepreneur Henri Nestlé had dealt with the question of how milk could be preserved in the face of a massive Swiss milk surplus. In the course of this he found a way to dry the milk and thus invented milk powder. While chocolate and cocoa powder had been mixed with milk for several hundred years, it was now possible for the first time to mix the chocolate mass with milk powder. The famous, creamy and melt-in-the-mouth Swiss milk chocolate was invented. But with growing popularity, the quantities produced and marketing budgets also grew, while the demand for quality decreased.
As is so often the case, the answer here is: It depends. Because, just like in any other country, good and less good chocolate is made in Switzerland. While Taucherli, Garcoa ... and last but not least Original Beans produce fine chocolate in Switzerland, there is a lot of industrially produced chocolate with a Swiss label. So instead of explicitly looking for chocolate from Switzerland, you should potentially avoid it. Or next time take a close look at what information you can find on the packaging that speaks for good quality.
Now it is out ;-) ! And while we don't want to badmouth the really fine, fair and sustainably producing bean-to-bar manufacturers at this point, we want to take the opportunity to draw your attention to even 'better' chocolate. Namely the chocolate, which is more than fair. Chocolate that is produced directly in the country of origin, whereby the largest possible part of the turnover goes back to the origin and creates skilled jobs locally. For this very reason, we at Theyo have set ourselves the goal of distributing as many origin providers as possible. A small selection of our favorite manufacturers:
Cacaosuyo
altitude
marou
MIA
Kuna
Menakao
Latitude Chocolate from Uganda, ©Latitude
In our interview with MIA chocolate founder Brett Beach you can find out exactly what production means and what advantages it brings.
Would you like to learn more about really good chocolate? Then take a look atour chocolate tastings or do a delicious team tasting with us!
Who invented Swiss chocolate?
While the common misconception has spread that chocolate was invented by the Swiss, the truth - as so often - is far more complex. Because of course chocolate is not a Western invention. The first cocoa beans grew as early as 5000 years BC. in the Amazon region and had been consumed by the Mayas and Aztecs for several thousand years until they found their way to Europe in the time of Columbus. Gradually, the consumption of cocoa beans spread to European countries and became a real hit in England as early as 1600. It is therefore not surprising that the first bar of chocolate was also developed in Bristol by Fry & Sons in 1847. At this point, it was made from cocoa powder, sugar, and cocoa butter, and its texture was anything but creamy. And this is exactly where Rodolphe Lindt came into play with his groundbreaking invention.
What is special about Swiss chocolate?
In 1879, Rodolphe Lindt invented the conche, supposedly by accident. He was looking for a way to reduce the particle size so that the texture would hardly be noticeable on the tongue. With the conche, Lindt managed to reduce the size to less than 30 microns and made Swiss chocolate known around the world as melt-in-the-mouth and silky smooth. At the same time, Lindt continued to develop the conche so that today it not only refines the texture, but can also extract unwanted aromas from the chocolate by adding oxygen. [ Here you can find out how chocolate is made and exactly how conching works ]
But not only that! A few years earlier - in 1867 - the chemist and entrepreneur Henri Nestlé had dealt with the question of how milk could be preserved in the face of a massive Swiss milk surplus. In the course of this he found a way to dry the milk and thus invented milk powder. While chocolate and cocoa powder had been mixed with milk for several hundred years, it was now possible for the first time to mix the chocolate mass with milk powder. The famous, creamy and melt-in-the-mouth Swiss milk chocolate was invented. But with growing popularity, the quantities produced and marketing budgets also grew, while the demand for quality decreased.
So how good is Swiss chocolate really?
As is so often the case, the answer here is: It depends. Because, just like in any other country, good and less good chocolate is made in Switzerland. While Taucherli, Garcoa ... and last but not least Original Beans produce fine chocolate in Switzerland, there is a lot of industrially produced chocolate with a Swiss label. So instead of explicitly looking for chocolate from Switzerland, you should potentially avoid it. Or next time take a close look at what information you can find on the packaging that speaks for good quality.
Really good chocolate doesn't come from Switzerland
Now it is out ;-) ! And while we don't want to badmouth the really fine, fair and sustainably producing bean-to-bar manufacturers at this point, we want to take the opportunity to draw your attention to even 'better' chocolate. Namely the chocolate, which is more than fair. Chocolate that is produced directly in the country of origin, whereby the largest possible part of the turnover goes back to the origin and creates skilled jobs locally. For this very reason, we at Theyo have set ourselves the goal of distributing as many origin providers as possible. A small selection of our favorite manufacturers:Cacaosuyo
altitude
marou
MIA
Kuna
Menakao
Latitude Chocolate from Uganda, ©LatitudeIn our interview with MIA chocolate founder Brett Beach you can find out exactly what production means and what advantages it brings.
Would you like to learn more about really good chocolate? Then take a look atour chocolate tastings or do a delicious team tasting with us!
