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A Chocolate Adventure From Bean to BarBy Erika WrightOne of the reasons I love Germany is because I love the chocolate. Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting one of Cologne’s most famous attractions - the Chocolate Museum. Although the museum was founded just 12 years ago, the museum has acquired a celebrity of its own. Every person I asked for directions (and I had to ask a few, although the museum is quite easy to find) whether locals or tourists had no problem telling me exactly where the museum is located and how to get there. In fact locals seemed rather proud of their museum, and I don’t blame them one bit. The decadent smell of chocolate greets you as you walk through the door, and it only gets better from there.
The chocolate museum started as an exhibit meant to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Stollwerk. The exhibit was so successful, that the idea of a full scale museum quickly grew from it and the Chocolate Museum opened its doors on October 31st, 1993. This self financed museum now welcomes more than 5 million visitors a year with an average of 2000 visitors a day. The idea behind the museum is to “speak about the quality of chocolate”. Martin says that he wants people to understand the difference between the more expensive, finely crafted chocolates and the cheaper versions sold in the grocery store so that consumers can make a more informed decision and will know why it is worthwhile to reach for the expensive stuff.
Although the museum does make chocolate, it does so only for demonstration purposes. They only produce 400 kilograms a day. The mission of the museum is to explain the little known facts of how this favorite treat is made and there were some surprises along the way. For example, do you know how those hollow forms are made? You’ll have to visit to find out, but I’ll give you a hint … think centrifugal force. Martin also told me that one should never ever put chocolate in the refrigerator because it kills the natural aromas and degrades the quality of the chocolate.
Essential Information: Admission: Guided tours, parties, conferences, and even a guided walk through the city are available by booking in advance. They also offer 3 hour workshops where visitors can learn to make pralines themselves. Imhoff-Stollwerck-Musuem Or visit them on the web at www.schokoladenmuseum.de (almost entirely in German) |
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The museum
sits on the Rhine in an impressive ship shaped construction of glass and metal.
It is very open and airy and modern inside. I was fortunate enough to receive a
personal tour from Martin van Almsick, Director of Marketing. Martin knows his
museum and he knows chocolate. It was quite evident that he enjoys working in
this magical place where, he is proud to mention, people leave with a smile on
their face. Martin defines chocolate as a “luxurious” drink which leaves one “in
a nice mood,” as opposed to coffee which he describes as a “violent way to begin
the day.”
While
sipping a very tasty cocoa on the terrace overlooking the Rhine, Martin told me
that Cologne “is Germany’s chocolate capital”. The Stollwerck chocolate company
was based in Cologne. It was an enormous company which was, at one time, the
second largest supplier of chocolate in the US. Because it was so large, and
Cologne is actually quite small, most of the people of Cologne know, or are
related to someone who once worked in the chocolate factory. This is part of why
Cologne residents feel connected to chocolate. The other reason? Well, chocolate
just has that something special about it, don’t you think?
The museum was set up to be a very
interactive experience. The layout starts at the beginning with pictures of
cacao plants and takes the visitor through the entire process from bean to bar.
Large color photos are accompanied by explanations (in both German and English)
about cultivation and harvesting, the different kinds of cocoa, and the
fermentation process.
Visitors next walk through a small
greenhouse where they actually feel the tropical conditions and see what the
cocoa plant really looks like. A fellow visitor pointed out that, considering
how much chocolate the average person consumes, it is kind of funny how few
actually know what the plant looks like. There is even a chocolate school which
offers hands on experience with each stage of chocolate production. I was
interested to find out how a raw cocoa bean actually tastes – much like a bitter
chocolate baking bar – but without the silky smoothness.
The museum next takes the visitor through
industrialization and the invention of the machines which allowed chocolate to
become the smooth, silky texture we are accustomed to. Martin says that 140
years ago, chocolate meant drinking chocolate. This is because before the
grinding machines were invented, everything else had a rough and sandy texture.
The machines are each very unique and cannot be easily exchanged. The slightest
change can cause a detectible difference in the finished product.
At the chocolate museum visitors are
invited to look into the machines and see how each process is completed. Perhaps
one of my favorite moments at the museum, was when I was handed a wafer dripping
with hot liquid chocolate from the “chocolate fountain.” Delicious!
On the way
out, don’t forget to visit the shop for postcards, books, truffles and souvenirs
or enjoy a snack (not everything is chocolate – they have salads and sandwiches
too!) in the café.