Why are Swiss chocolates the best in the world? The answer will surprise you :)

For all of us chocolate lovers, Swiss Chocolates remain the gold standard for the best of the lot. But a question that has always intrigued me is, ‘Why are Swiss chocolates the best in the world?’

I was recently in Switzerland to take part on Swiss Made Grand Tour, and so came the wonderful opportunity to find out the answer personally in the Mecca of Chocolate itself. And what a discovery it was!

Some awesome Swiss Chocolates; Pic credit: Deeba Rajpal

Chocolate with coffee and Croissant. Image source: Unsplash by Padarariu Alexandru

A brief history of Chocolates

However, before we explore this question further, let’s quickly look at the history of Chocolate itself.

The oldest known use of Cacao in the world comes from Mesoamerica in the 1900 BC where it was mainly consumed as a beverage, quite likely an alcoholic one. As the Europeans started colonising that part of the world, especially the Spanish, it wasn’t long before they discovered the deliciousness of cacao. At that point of time, sugar and mile were not as yet a part it and they were added in the 16th Century when it arrived in Europe. It was around this time that the word Chocolate was coined and came from the word chocolātl from Aztec.

Exploring Swiss Chocolates

We were in Vevey, the home of nestle, for a couple of days, but never got an opportunity to visit the their factory. Nestle is a well respected brand which is also credited with making some of the best mass produced Swiss chocolate. We crossed their chocolate factory a couple of times, but couldn't stop. I was disappointed, but what came up next in Lucerne a few days later more than made up for everything!

Now Lucerne is the most populous city of central Switzerland and is also known as a cultural hub of the region. Not only is Lucerne stunningly beautiful, it is also known for making some of the best hand-made connoisseur chocolates. Walking in the old town it’s easy to understand the love affair of Lucerne with chocolates - the romance is seen in the form of multiple Chocolatier spread across the city.

Handmade Swiss chocolates :)

So we decided to check one of these out and we picked Max Chocolatier for this. Located in Schweizerhofquai, the Chocolatier is not an old one (it started in 2009) but has built quite a reputation for itself in the few years of its existence. This is how they describe their philosophy:

‘From a picture-postcard location in Lucerne, neighboured by snow-capped mountains, a lake and an iconic wooden bridge, the Max Chocolatiers use top-quality natural ingredients to create their unique handmade products. Each Max Chocolatier  truffle, chocolate bar, SchoggiPlättli® or Dragées is committed to enabling people to “Experience chocolate for the first time”.  Every bite is a ticket for the taste buds to travel on an unforgettable journey.’

Max Chocolate

Tempting you to check out the chocolates :)

Some unique flavors on display! 

Patisserie on display at Max Chocolate; Pic credit: Deeba Rajpal

Now this is something completely new to me, but in Switzerland one could do chocolate tasting just like you can do wine tasting anywhere else. Cool, right? So that’s exactly what we did! We sampled completely new flavours of chocolates and they were all so delicious, especially the Coconut Mango Gianduja. However, being the conventional chocolate fanatic, what I loved the most was my all time favourite Dark chocolate, which also happens to be their biggest seller.

So what makes the Swiss Chocolate so iconic? 

While we tasted chocolates, one of the question discussed in detail was, ‘Why are Swiss chocolates the best in the world?’

Our hostess for Chocolate Tasting, Tiffany, helped us with many answers and gave us a great overview about Swiss chocolates. But, I found the answers to be too technical like the use of the best cocoa in the world, the swiss precision to making things, perfection of proportions of ingredients and so on. World over, chocolatiers have now started using about 5% vegetable oil in place of Cocoa butter but Switzerland has been extremely resistant to that change.

All of these answers made sense, but I somehow knew that this jigsaw puzzle would complete only after talking to the one who makes these chocolates. The chef had already left for the day, so we left without any conversations with him.

Our hostess for the day - Tiffany; Pic credit: Deeba Rajpal

Another shot with Tiffany

Yum chocolates on display!

Chocolate tasting - representative image, source: Pixabay

Packaged chocolate, ready to go! Pic credit: Deeba Rajpal

So the next morning when everyone was asleep, I sneaked out of my hotel room at  am to find the answer myself by directly interacting with the chef, Matthias Fresz. I had fixed up an appointment the previous evening with the help of Tiffany, though when it was time to get up in the morning and step out of bed when everyone else was sleeping was extremely difficult. In fact, I almost didn't go because I was so sleepy.

But I am so glad I got over the initial hesitation because the one hour we spent chatting up and tasting the chocolate ingredients were very special, and also a great learning experience for me.

Lucerne early in the morning!

Matthias also told me in detail about the ‘Cocoa Mafia’, which was a completely new concept. It was in jest of humour, but it seems the serious chocolate makers take Cocoa very seriously and go to any lengths to get the best in the world. Unfortunately, only about 3% of the cocoa is the best and the most desirable kind and so the top chocolate markers all fight to get their share from it, and that keeps the prices exorbitantly high for this.

Matthias busy working alone at an ungodly hour :)

Matthias is also married to a chocolatier and has been in the profession for years now. Having also worked with a chocolate factory in Switzerland, he knows chocolates inside out.

So when I asked him the question, ‘Why are Swiss chocolates the best in the world?’, his answer came immediately and with complete conviction.

"EMOTIONS"

Whoa! I moment I heard him say the word, I knew that I had the answer which completed the jigsaw puzzle beautifully. We discussed about this for a while more and I could see that each word he said came from his heart.

If you are also in Lucerne and want to discover the story of chocolate, I recommend eating a lot of it and visiting at least one Chocolatier and learn more about the art. I came back from Switzerland with loads of chocolates, and I knew I was coming back with bundles of joy :)

How to reach Max Chocolatier?

Address:

Max Chocolatier

Schweizerhofquai 2

CH-6004 Lucerne

Switzerland

Timings:

Opening hours Lucerne boutique:

Mondays – 1 pm to 6.30 pm

Tuesdays to Fridays – 10 am to 6.30 pm

Saturdays – 10 am to 5 pm

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Note: I was in Switzerland on invitation of Switzerland Tourism and NDTV Good Times to explore the 'Swiss Made Grand Tour'. The story shared here is based on personal experiences and all the views shared are completely my own.

Picture credits: All the pictures credited to Deeeba Rajpal have generously been given by her for use in the story. Check out more of her fantastic work at 'Passionalte about baking'.