Box O Chocolates - Swiss Chocolates

Swiss Chocolates

What do you think of when you think of Swiss chocolates? A creamy, velvety texture? Or just that they're gourmet chocolates that you may or may not know much about, similar to Belgian chocolates and other European chocolates? On this page, you'll learn a little more about Swiss chocolates.

Why Swiss Chocolates Are So Smooth

The reason Swiss chocolates are such a tasty treat is because they're made with milk and cream, and they have a high cocoa butter content. (If you read the other pages of this site, you'll see that's a common theme with many European chocolates.) But the Swiss have actually won awards for their Swiss chocolates, and many consider Swiss chocolates to be the ultimate in European chocolate. In fact, in 1875, the Swiss were the ones who invented milk chocolate. More specifically, it was a man named Daniel Peters who found a way to combine milk with chocolate to come up with this creamy new variety of chocolate.

And speaking of inventions, it was also the Swiss who came up with a process called "conching" which gives Swiss chocolate its smooth texture. (Prior to conching, most chocolate was grainy.) Conching also improves the flavor a bit. Because conching takes a long time and it's expensive, some chocolate makers use soy lecithin to make their chocolate smoother instead of going through the process of conching.

You'll know when you've found quality Swiss chocolates because they aren't grainy, they don't stick to your teeth and tongue, and they don't leave an aftertaste--although, with chocolate this good, why wouldn't you want the flavor to linger on?

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