Chocolate Tips 

A gourmet chocolate gift for those you care for.

A great gift to give a good friend or sweetheart is a wonderful box of chocolates, however if you really want to impress them (or anyone for that matter), putting together an assortment of chocolates from different countries is a great way to inject some unorthodoxy into what could be the normal and standard Valentine’s Day gift.

Foreign chocolates are simple to buy these days.

Getting chocolates from around the world isn’t as difficult as it seems. Gourmet chocolate stores and even some creditable supermarkets carry a selection from many different countries from around the world. There is a store in Chicago called Treasure Island and this is a great place to look for any  international varieties of chocolates. The store contains sections, separated into ethnic sections, so strolling down the aisles is like taking a journey through a culinary United Nations.

It can be said, the most famous chocolate, other than Hershey’s found in the market, will be Swiss chocolate, in particular Lindt chocolates. Swiss chocolate is so popular and prevalent, not only will it be sold in the supermarkets, but it’ll probably be shelved in the general aisle with all the other chocolates (as opposed to the specialized sections). So  finding gourmet chocolate and  gourmet chocolate products is very simple.

Belgium, French and Polish chocolate  is also relatively  natural to come across when visiting the stores, but a great variety to search for is German chocolate, in particular Kinder chocolate. Fairly more daunting to find (though I’ve found some in local supermarkets), Kinder Chocolate is very good, and the different varieties are particularly interesting most notably the Kinder eggs a hollow chocolate egg (like for Easter), with a small toy inside. The chocolate egg is a cute variation on the usual chocolate egg, and could be a fun gift for adults and children alike.

Also another cool place to look for chocolates from other parts of the world is to go the different areas in your city. Chinatown is an absolute treasure trove of amazing, colorful chocolate, very often wrapped and sold in cool designs  including a adorable line of cookie koala bears filled with gorgeous chocolate. Mexican stores are also a great place to find unusual chocolates that may not be on sale at the local candy store.

The amazing thing about buying chocolates like the kind sold in the  local  run stores is that not only are you getting chocolates from another country (also supporting local businesses too), but the wrapper and packaging of the chocolates have interest words which are written in different languages, and it’s also fun to see how chocolate is marketed in countries from other parts of the world.

Gourmet chocolate candy and much more.

Try to imagine the amazing taste of  gourmet chocolate truffles, butter creams, caramels, pralines and lots lots more. True gourmet chocolate is very often made  by master chocolate makers, however, making chocolates your self can be a fun thing to do. So why not try it?