Swiss chocolate is considered to be one of the best in the world, in spite of strong competition from the other countries: Belgium, Italy, France. The world of Swiss chocolate is not simple as you might think. So, it is time to know the truth about Swiss chocolate, popular brands and factories. All chocolate products that are produced in Switzerland can be divided into two big groups: factory and handmade. The main difference is their price. Handmade chocolate is more expensive. Nevertheless, the quality of these goods is often high and competitive.
HANDMADE CHOCOLATE
There are many enterprises in Switzerland that are specialized in chocolate making and different kinds of sweets. For example, this is Tchirren in Bern, Heini and Max Chocolatier in Luzern. You may also hire a car in Zurich and go to see Sprungli. The assortment of chocolate goods is big, but not huge. As a rule, the products of all Swiss handmade products differ with cocoa containment: milk chocolate, white, dark and bitter chocolate. There is also big assortment of chocolate sweets, including truffles.
Truffles are mostly interesting when they are filled with different juicy fillers. For example, Tchirren offers to try truffles with dried plums. The present pack with 5 sweets inside and bright ribbon costs 12 francs. You have to pay 24 francs for 10 sweets. Is not it an impressive price for chocolate dried plums? Also, there are many chocolatiers which offer to buy chocolate sets made of mini chocolate bars of all kinds. Thus, Max Chocolatier offers to buy the set of 4 kinds of bars for 16 francs. It is not cheap! Nevertheless, you can try something exotic like coco chocolate or rose petals.
Looking for budget variant, you should find something from Heini. The chocolate bar costs 6-6,5 francs (100 grams). Of course, you can buy the big boxes of chocolate sweets! The small one costs 12-14 francs, the price for bigger box can be from 20 francs. By the way, there are always many tourists in the Swiss confectionaries. You can speak English and pay with EUR.
FABRIC CHOCOLATE
Switzerland is a beautiful place to eat chocolate day and night and compare handmade and fabric chocolate. If you do not think of price, the handmade sweets are better. The fabric sweets are also tasty, but they are mostly attractive for budget clients. Thus, you can buy the bar of high quality dark chocolate for 125 grams in the supermarket for 1,2-1,5 francs. The bar of high quality milk or white chocolate costs 2 francs. It can happen that you can catch the sale if you are lucky.
The most popular Swiss fabric chocolate is Lindt. You can meet this brand not only in Switzerland but in France and Germany. Of course, Lindt is very popular brand that occupies all dutyfree shops of the world. You can also find Milka and Toblerone. They are also popular for dutyfree shops. The brands belong to the American company Mondelez International. The advertising of Milka speaks about containing of the Alpin milk. It is not true as the chocolate bar of this brand contains only dry milk. This kind of chocolate looks like the sweet plasticine. It is not the high class chocolate.
Locals do not like buying sweets from Milka Tolerone and Lindt. They prefer handmade chocolate brands to fabric products. You can find the list of new brands in the supermarkets. Thus, thy usually trade Lindt under the brand of J.D.Gross. What a surprise! One way or another, these are the high quality goods. You can find the chocolate products from different countries in the Swiss shops, like Ritter Sport (German brand). The price of it is 1,3-1,5francs for 100 grams.
So, what can you say about one or another kind of chocolate from the chocolate bar? As a rule, the first think you are interested in is the country where the cocoa beans were taken from. It is all about fabric and handmade chocolate. Thus, you can try sweets that are made of cocoa taken from Brazil, Ecuador, Madagascar. It is interesting, but there are the most prestigious zones of cocoa beans. They are Arriba and Rio Huimbi. The chocolate goods made of these sorts of cocoa are highly appreciated.
Content and Components
The high class chocolate is made of natural components. Thus, using vanilla natural-identical flavoring is tasteless in Switzerland. All prestigious brands use natural vanilla components. Speaking about the other flavoring materials and colourants, they are prohibited. Chocolate sweets use only natural ingredients, like dried strawberry or oranges, lemons, berries. Lecitin is always used for fabric chocolates, but not for handmade enterprises. Sometimes, it is speaking about the chocolate with fillers; you can find such typical components as pectin and fruit-sugar. Of course, you can meet chocolate with nuts: almond, hazel-nuts.
Swiss Chocolate Places
Chocolate Frey
If you are interested in cuisine secrets of Swiss chocolate, you should visit the center of Chocolate Frey. You can try different kinds of chocolate sweets and learn the process of chocolate making.
Cailler
You are also offered to visit Cailler Chocolate Factory. You can learn the history of chocolate making and development of chocolate industry in Switzerland. There is also a chance to taste the world popular Swiss chocolate in the specialized shop.
Favarger
Favarger Factory is also worth your special attention. This factory produces high quality chocolate for more than 100 years.
Beschle Chocolatier Suisse
The local chocolate factory Beschle Chocolatier Suisse is also popular place for tourists. You are offered not only to taste the real classic Swiss chocolate but make the sweets of your own recipe. It must be very interesting to combine different kinds of ingredients. The chocolatiers with the world popular mane helps you.
It is interesting but the big part of Swiss chocolate is produced from the big chocolate factories. There are also many small cozy cafes that attract with their friendly atmosphere. So, walking down the streets, never forget to visit one of many cafes to drink the cup of hot chocolate.