Being Switzerland a small alpine country with a temperate climate, without a tropical climate or colonial tradition ... Why is Swiss chocolate so famous and valued? In this post we are going to explain its history and how this product has become one of the great gastronomic specialties of the country.
At present, in Switzerland there are 18 companies dedicated to the chocolate business. These corporations employ about 4.400 employees and invoice more than 1.600 million Swiss francs a year (about 1.500 million euros).
Swiss chocolate is widely recognized for its quality all over the world, but within its own borders. The Swiss consume more than half of the chocolate produced in their country: 11,9 kilograms per capita on average according to the latest studies, a figure that places them ahead of other chocolate-loving countries such as Germany or the United Kingdom.
But chocolate is also an icon of Swiss identity, almost on the same level as cuckoo clocks, Swiss army knives or bank secrecy.
The arrival of chocolate to Swiss lands
El cocoa (chocolate in the Nahuatl language) came to Europe from the hand of the Spanish in the XNUMXth century. This delicious product quickly became popular throughout the old continent and ended up conquering the palates of the lucky ones who could afford it. Not for nothing was it originally a luxury product available only to aristocrats and wealthy families.
Zürich, the first city in Switzerland to taste chocolate
Curiously, the arrival of chocolate in Switzerland was relatively late. It was in 1679 when the mayor of Zürich, Henri Escher, tasted his first cup of hot chocolate with delight in Brussels and decided to export the recipe to Switzerland.
Half a century later, the Protestant religious authorities of Zürich decreed its ban, considering chocolate an aphrodisiac and sinful product. Other Swiss cities followed suit, but it was too late. People knew and adored chocolate, which entered cities illegally and was consumed clandestinely.
Finally, common sense prevailed and the cities of the Helvetic Confederation again allowed the trade and consumption of cocoa throughout the XNUMXth century. It was the Italian merchants who led the introduction of chocolate in the country, not without having to face certain difficulties.
The first shop dedicated to the sale of Swiss chocolate Opened its doors in Bern 1792 the year.
The Swiss chocolate tradition
In the XNUMXth century, Swiss pastry chefs had already learned all the secrets of the chocolatiers Italians and began to dare to make their own creations.
The great masters
For example, in the year 1826 Philippe Suchard created the roller mill in his bakery in Neuchâtel, around the same time that Charles-Amedee Kohler invented hazelnut chocolate. In 1875 Henri Nestlé y Daniel peter developed in the city of Vevey the recipe for milk chocolate. A few years later, Rodolphe Lindt invented a special kneader to obtain fine chocolate melting called superfine. The Swiss chocolate tradition was born.
Switzerland is the world's leading producer of chocolate
At the beginning of the XNUMXth century, in the canton of Graubünden, the josty brothers They ran a famous pastry shop that became a meeting place for intellectuals, politicians, artists and writers.
A few decades earlier, another sibling couple originally from Graubünden, the coletta brothers, they undertook the entrepreneurial adventure of opening a chocolate factory in Copenhagen. The success of that idea was absolute and very soon his business expanded to Sweden and Norway.
The "Scandinavian conquest" of Swiss chocolate has another prominent name: Karl Fazer, a pastry chef who at the end of the XNUMXth century became one of the largest producers of chocolate items in Finland. At present, the famous brand Coletta Fazer dominates the Scandinavian market and is also well known in Russia, Poland and the Baltic countries.
Rodolphe Lindt perfected the technique of melting.
The Swiss chocolate industry
In 1901, Swiss chocolate producers came together to form the Free Union of Swiss Chocolate Manufacturers. In 1916 another important association was born: the Chamber Syndicale of Swiss chocolate manufacturerst, that more years later his name by that of Chocosuisse. Its functions include guaranteeing the quality of Swiss chocolate and ensuring a uniform pricing policy.
Until the First World War, the Swiss chocolate industry was mainly export-oriented. In 1918, half of the world's chocolate was produced in Switzerland. Later on, the demand for the product grew dramatically within the country itself (we have already mentioned that the Swiss have a sweet tooth).
So the Swiss chocolate masters, which have historically stood out for their innovations and adaptability, diversified their offerings and today manufacture a wide variety of types of chocolate to satisfy consumers around the world.
Today the swiss chocolate brands they dominate the world market, filling our lives with joy and sweetness.