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i'li i'tt'* Sv'u'iiueil*nri. f il,lr-r-,1;*lir. i?':llii:ft1{k; frlivJI e xr:r*ir"ts.
'ftt8qhink Switzerland and your shortlist may include
ii il il
cuckoo clocks, expensive watches, secretive banks,
the soaring Matterhorn crowning the
Alps, fine Swiss cheeses and inesistible chocolates.
Callier chocolate factory in Broc, but the entire 9am
product is on display and there for the sampling. I told
to 5pm journey is more a definitive dairy product
you to resist those meringues earlier!
lf the Broc experience sounds a little too "arm's
gastronom ic extravaganza. As
the modern electric locomotive works its magic
length" an experience for the chocoholic inside you,
Wrap all these in silver paper and putthem in a fancy
smoothly up front, the journey is deceptively silent
the compact and intimate Alprose Chocolate
box and you have the Montreux-Bernese Oberland
exceDt for the muffled rush of metal-on-metal as the
in Lugano-Caslano might be more in your line.
picture postcard Swiss scenery rolls past.
you can watch the catwalk activity across the factory
Railway
-
and an adventure on a privately-owned,
Factory Here
The train makes its first stop at the village of
floor as diligent chocolatiers produce the famous
Gruydres, where the gallivanting gastronomes pile
blocks right before your eyes. Complete with tummy-
waiting. Expectant chocophiles are milling about,
off for a demonstration of chic classic cheesemaking at the Maison du Gruydres dairy. Even
transformed into creamy packaged delights which
chatting excitedly in anticipation ofthis classic Swiss
though this is a tourist factory, the master cheese-
you can later intercept in the factory store.
Big Day Out. Built around 1915, the original narrow-
makers
gauge rail carriages have undergone an extensive
cheeses every day. 0h, and try to resist filling up on
beautifully restored Pullman Express.
It's a crisp, clear summer morning at Montreux
station and the three "Belle Epoque" carriages
and exoensive restoration
to
are
return them to
still produce 48 round 355kg -
Gruydres
rumbling aromas, you can observe the raw ingredients
And if your bank balance won't take you as far as Switzerland this year? Fear not, my fellow
you'll need room for
chocolate-loving Australians. Because closer to
"We had a lot of trouble getting the right wood,
Speaking of which, the pirice de rdsistance is the
home, in Melbourne no less, local gourmet tour guide Suzie Wharton is now conducting two-
windows and fitting, because some of the original
factory at Broc. Part of the Nestl6 empire, it's still
hour chocoholic voyages of discovery through
ones were broken," says tour guide Niklaus with
a great treat, albeit a highly commercialised one.
obvious pride. His blue tunic and classic cap are
The factory's new exhibition opened in May 2006 and
the mysterious narrow lanes and bacl( alleys of that fabled city. Anyway, the walk will do
minor
and designer Jean Nouvel. lt culminates, predicably
you good as you explore the creamy underbelly of the metropolis' secret chocolate society.
terminates at the famous
enough, in a chocolate lovers' nirvana, where every
Ta<tino< inrlrrdadl
is the result of collaboration
perfectly tailored.
The term Chocolate Train is misnomer. Certainly,
the double cream meringues the chocolate!
Dristine condition.
it
in fact a
with
French architect
The word chocolate is probably derived from the
ancient Mayan word "xocoloil,which describes
a
potent brcw the natjves nrade from bcans wlrrch were thert roastcd, ground ancl mixed with water and spiccs t0 form a foamy liquid. Thc Aztecs, Incas and Toltcr s also dJbbled with cocoa recipes which,
with tlreir goIl ancl other r0sources, src.ttly intefested tlle invd{lirt1l Sl),lti.h conquistaciors. alDlrg
5h
i
pped back acr o3s tlr,t Ai
Inr tt ir
,
thn new chocolate
dnnk soon became a htt illrouljl)r)il1 lhp royal rourts of Europc. But it wasn't unttl tho {tillV lgth tentury that the French began marketing tlr,: rolirj product the tamiliar block form w0 se0 tocl.ly.
ir.t
Not to bc oLrtdone by thoir Gallrt nciqlrbours, the Swiss krrew they could improve rrn
lll(, rouglt rnass_ produced stuff from thc Wcs1. Narrtos like Rudolph Lrndt, Frdnqors-t.ouis {_arllcr RLldolf Sprilnsli and Daniel
Peter .rll dcvcloped .;grr:rral proccs;cr
that
fefinecl
arrri dr:ltneii lhe Swr,:; ltrorlrrrt llrrouqhout the lgth IentUiy Uttltl tt b,]L,ttnp titL. r",vrrrlri r,'rr0r,vilorJ rlelicacv rt rs todaV. !lllk chorolntt, ,ilt(l illcltllS rltrrcol.tlrr l)oIh irtvcrttcd by tl]c \wI,s
tryr:rt
At ihe b'tginniilg ol iltr ,li)th (cntIrV !ll( lt w,l5 the p0l)ulanty of 5r,ryiss ,:horol,rtrt tfral i111. |l11i1r11 1;i Swiss Ihocoldtc M,]nUfact!r,^fs (now ( ll(rL(rsUt5sc) was fornted to tellre50tt,lIii pr(r[cLt tllr] \!./t5s prodr.tct frotr cn{ rocti nnterl ltorln(i tIr, \volJ(i
lialf of
Niq[,i
thL: 1q{J,t)tJ0 tr)rtrtr. , rtr r it, rr0latc
tD swtlzcrlanrl cvrllv v0,tr
borrler, ltec;rts,: lllrt Swts5
1tr
rttlLrcccl
Irtv.l tildt\ri\ [ (t(lL)r.] tit0 sf tilt0rr;rrrn,t 1)pq r_1lt[ 0l
thcir
rtvrin ;trorlui tton i\Ltsl rnitn rakes rtrtat lv hvrt ltcr Lent of the 'txl)rlltrt(J lt.rlt. Most goes to thc Ie.ltlly GeilIdns (2r) prlr { rlnt). The Swiss rhorolatc rndu5try turns over 5i.5 brllion
annually.
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Chocolate fact file To keep the conversation rolling at your next dinner party, here are some
indispensable chocolate facts.
,
There are three distinct tvpes
of
cocoa beans Criollo, Forastero
and Trinitario.
$ \t'
o
Criollo is the purest, most expensive type
of bean native to
Central
America and the northern regions of South America.
D
Forastero is the robust variety most commonly used
in
commerclal
Dlantations. lt lacl(s some of the subtle flavours of the Criollo.
,
Trinitario is a natural hybrid of Criollo and Forastero, originating
in
Trinidad. lt can exhibit a variety offlavours depending on region' hybrid
mix and cultivation methods.
D
Couverture is a special smooth, glossy, easily melted chocolate used by chefs for coating edibles lil<e strawberries. High in cocoa butter'
>
Conching is a finalisation process that determines the smoothness of the product. Metal beads in a "fountain" grind the cocoa and sugar into
tiny, inseparable particles, the longer the better.
,
Tempering is heat manipulation, the very last process
in
chocolate
making which determines the frnal crystal size of the product Properly
tempered chocolate is smooth, firm and glossy and snaps when brol<en' It also stores and travels best.
Cocoa pods are harvested, the beans removed and dried over three days
The beans are roasted and ground. Cocoa butter is separated from the chocolate
mulch (or liquor) either by pressing, or by collecting drips The residue
is
cocoa powoer. The liquor and butter is re-blended with other ingredients like sugar, milk and vanilla to form the different chocolate varieties we see (dark, milk and white).
70g plain chocolate 500m1 milk 2
tbsp of honey
grated zest of
1/2 lemon
1/2 small glass of rum
1/4 small glass of arracl( allspice, ginger
Dissolve the chocolate in the milk over a low heat and leave
to
cool
in the fridge. In a mixer or shal<er, mix the honey, lemon zest, rum, arracl< and U4 tsp each of allspice and ginger into the cold liquid.
Pour into a tall, iced glass and garnish king of the Aztecsl
witrl mint
As exotic as the
fll
4
Can't get to Switzerland? Then try SLrzic WhaIton's Ihocohol c Tours in Me bourrc A 5J0 two-hoLrr wa king loLrr nc rcles
5cc www.chocoholictours.com.au
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