As if nearly 90 chocolate shops in Bruges wasn’t enough….there’s Choco Story which is a CHOCOLATE MUSEUM in Bruges. A museum dedicated to the origin of chocolate around the world and in Belgium. If there was any attraction that had my name written all over it – it was this! As part of my combination ticket with the Friet Museum (the museum of French fries), I was able to indulge in my chocolate addiction without judgement. It didn’t hurt that there are free chocolate discs to eat as much as you want as you tour the exhibits. This is an in depth love of chocolate and its history telling a story throughout the historic building in the center of Bruges.
Location of Choco Story Bruges
If you are coming from the Belfry and market square, the Choco Story, chocolate museum in Bruges, is a short walk away on Wijnzakstraat 2 (Sint-Jansplein). It’s not far from the Friet Musuem – just down a side street and on the corner of a historic brick building, the banner on the side wall is the only indication you’ve found it. Entering the small lobby, I showed my ticket and received an awkward laminated map of the museum. It showed me the path from start to finish (chocolate demonstration and tasting) along with visit information.
Choco Story Begins with the Mayans
The thoughtfully curated chocolate story started with the Mayans on the ground floor. It all starts with the cacao plant. When I visited the Caribbean island of Antigua, our tour stopped at a cacao plant and the guide opened it to show us what would later become cacao beans once they were dried out. From there, chocolate begins its journey. It’s a lot of work and there is talk of a chocolate shortage due to climate change and other environmental issues. For now, we get to enjoy the history of the Mayans.
The story continues up the stairs which themselves are quite the attraction. As you weave around the displays, there are help yourself chocolate stations (where is my Ziploc bag when I need it?) which allow you to eat as much as you want in milk, dark and white chocolate discs. Need I say more?
The Choco Story Bruges Displays
For a bit of fun in the displays there were Lego like toy displays for the kids (and adults) to enjoy as well as cartoon chocolate mascot and of course Smurfs! I now know years later what the smurfs meant when they talked about Sarsaparilla!
As I walked around, I was intrigued by pots to melt the chocolate into drinking chocolate and the china cups created for enjoying the liquid chocolate drinks. The men with mustaches had their own uniquely designed cups. As chocolates were an indulgent treat to share, there were specially crafted chocolate display accessories for the home. The small rooms are curated nicely with a mix of historical items in the display cabinets along with walls adorned by posters and advertising.
Mixed in are the free chocolate stands – with only two types displayed, they tend to be milk & dark chocolate and milk & white chocolate.
The Belgium Royal Family have a tradition of sending chocolates and have commemorative tins each year. A bit of the tin history is on display along with packaging and advertisements over the years.
Making Chocolate – The Supplies
The Belgian molds and shaped were represented in the plastic and iron pans. The various equipment used to make chocolates took up a good deal of space in the exhibit. When you think about chocolate, I doubt you think about the various steps and patience that is required to make your favorite creations.
Just looking at the various equipment used over the years, the myriad of molds and pans and other chocolate making supplies, you can really appreciate the pastry chefs around the world that specialize in chocolate. The molds might have flowers or logos or the name of the chocolate shop. They could be the popular egg shape or whatever you can think of to create a mold for. While it might look a bit easy in the factories churning out favorite chocolate recipes, in Belgium, many shops are still producing pieces by hand – true artisan chocolate.
The Making of Chocolate Film
In the screening room, one of the last stops on the upper floor, a film is playing on a loop. It’s a “behind the scenes” at the Belcolade Belgian chocolate factory, owned by the Choco Story founders. It showcases all of the steps you’ve read about in the Choco Story museum into the factory experience. It starts with the cacao plant and ends with the chocolates produced on the factory line. Seeing how chocolate comes to life gives a new appreciation to the process in my opinion. Once you are finished here, since there are seats, many folks stay through another showing, you can proceed to the ground floor to watch the chocolate demonstration.
The Chocolate Art Sculptures
On the way to the chocolate demonstration and tasting which is held twice an hour, I played a game on the wall to see which country of origin best matched my chocolate tastes. The result was Costa Rica, a destination I’ve not yet visited but now have a good reason to. I then passed by the room of Chocolate art, well actually I the aroma of chocolate greeted me a few steps before I entered the room. All of the sculptures are made with chocolate. Can you tell? If you thought the chocolate Easter bunny you consume each year was the ultimate chocolate experience, well take a look at these works of art. Sure they look too good to eat….but really? It’s chocolate! Which would you pick to indulge in?
Chocolate Demonstration & Tasting
The pastry chef starts a chocolate demonstration which lasts about 15 minutes which is easy to watch live or via the television monitor above and includes tastings. The chef explained in English how they make chocolate before filling the molds, tempering it and cooling the molds before expelling the chocolates to the serving tray for attendees to sample. The praline filled chocolates were rich in texture with a smooth after taste that lingered on your tongue. After the demonstration was over, the chef escorted the group out of the demonstration room and allowed us more chocolate to enjoy (I may have taken two pieces).
Exit through the Choco Story Gift Shop
Surprisingly, the gift shop had a limited selection of chocolates available for purchase. The praline crème filled chocolates that we tasted in the demonstration room were available in a small box (of course, I bought a box) along with smaller chocolate gifts. There were also books, t-shirts and other chocolate related souvenirs.
Sweet Endings – Chocolate Museum in Bruges
Um, Chocolate! How could I not LOVE Choco Story Bruges? Its simple setup over multiple floors in small rooms lends itself to an intimate visit and luck for me it was a quiet Wednesday at the end of May before the summer crowds. The Choco Story Bruges is a wonderful way to learn more about chocolate from bean to bar and beyond. My inner chocoholic was happy to learn more about her favorite indulgence at the chocolate museum in Bruges. Choco Story is open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and I would allocate two hours to explore if you are keen to read the displays.
