Choco-Story Museum, Bruges, Belgium

Bruges is a beautiful medieval city located close to the North Sea, in Belgium. It is the capital of the Belgian province of West-Flanders and is often referred to as the "Venice of the North". It is perfect for strolling down quaint cobbled streets, taking a boat ride down its canals, and shopping for chocolate. In addition to chocolate shops, there is a lovely museum that any chocolate lover would enjoy- Choco-Story.

 

Ancient Metate 

 
A clay pan for roasting cacao beans

A woman grinding cacao beans on a metate

 
An ancient piggy bank full of cacao bean currency

Ancient statues holding cacao pods

An ancient clay cacao pot. Air blown through the pipe created foam

 

Cacao was made standing up and pouring back and forth
from a height in order to create thick foam

 

The process of making cacao

Jolien, 7 years old, and her brother, Robin, 11, from a small 
Belgium town, are true to their heritage and came to learn
all about chocolate. Here Jolien and Robin are showing
us stages 4 and 5 of the process.

 

The museum is suitable for all ages!

Montezuma, King of the Aztecs

 

Queen Anne of Austria goes to live in France and
brings with her the fashion of chocolate drinking

Chocolate arrives to the rest of Europe

An ancient chocolate melter

An oven used to heat the melters

   A steam kettle used for warming ganache and  other fillings

Dark chocolate consists of  cacao. sugar,
 cacao butter, vanilla and lecithin

Milk chocolate consists of  cacao. sugar,
 cacao butter, milk powder ,vanilla and lecithin

White chocolate consists of  sugar,
 cacao butter, milk powder, vanilla and Lecithin