Choco-Story Brussels, Chocolate museum near Grand Place, Belgium
Choco-Story Brussels occupies a building at 41, rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat, near Manneken Pis, with 1,800 m2 of exhibition space. Its pale stone facade has a recessed arched doorway marked with the number 9, a red-and-green striped awning lettered "MUSEE DU CACAO ET DU CHOCOLAT", and two large grilled windows, one holding a "MUSEUM" sign.
The museum traces how cocoa was used by the Mayas and Aztecs for thousands of years before arriving in Europe. The exhibition follows how chocolate making developed and took root across European nations.
The praline, central to Belgian chocolate culture, was invented by chocolatier Jean Neuhaus. A master chocolatier makes pralines by hand each day the museum is open, in front of visitors. The museum was founded on the initiative of Gabrielle Draps, of the third generation of chocolate artisans and wife of Godiva founder Joseph "Jo" Draps.
The museum is open daily and provides audio guides in several languages to help you understand the exhibits. Tastings are included in the entrance fee, allowing visitors to sample different varieties.
During demonstrations, visitors can watch about forty cocoa beans extracted from individual pods being processed into chocolate. This detail reveals how labor-intensive and precise the craft is and how many beans go into a small amount of chocolate.
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