Belgian chocolate reveals China's sweet tooth

Country's tastes spice up traditional recipes

Put a slice of Chinese ginger in a chocolate shell and, just like that, you have a new addition to Belgium's rich chocolate culture, combining spice from China and sweetness from Belgium, and demonstrating cultural fusion at its simple best.

This mix-and-match praline was created by Laurent Gerbaud, a Belgian chocolatier who lived in Shanghai from 1998 to 2000. For Chinese consumers, traditional Belgian chocolate was too sweet, and their preference for a low-sugar taste left an impact on the chocolate maker.

After he returned to Brussels, Gerbaud set up his own handmade chocolate shop, experimenting to adjust the level of sweetness and adopting exotic ingredients such as nuts, spices and berries.

"For traditional Belgian chocolate, ingredients like Chinese ginger and kumquat are not common. The funny thing is that the ginger chocolate is one of the best sellers,"he said.

"It's very creative to bring together flavors that you don't think would fit, but they go together very well,"said Nica Brooke, one of his frequent customers.

With a history of chocolate production going back nearly 400 years, Belgium can boast more than 500 brands and 3,000 flavors. As for its role in the wider Belgian food industry, according to the Royal Belgian Association of the Chocolate, Pralines, Biscuit and Confectionery, the sector represents 13.4 percent of its global turnover, 13.5 percent of its employment and 16.7 percent of its exports.