By Manjulika Pramod
“Is this your first time in Zurich?” My fellow passenger seemed as excited as me about what she assumed was my maiden Switzerland trip!
I was flying to the land of glacier-carved Alps, world-class cheese and irresistible chocolates after a decade.
“You will make it all fun, going solo,” she beamed.
“Of course,” I smiled, reminiscing about moments from the past.
I had travelled to Switzerland with my spouse. I must admit that DDLJ, the iconic Bollywood movie, inspired that trip. This time, it was more about work. I was going solo, and the plan was to relive old memories and try some new experiences. Last time, I had been whisked away to those postcard Swiss villages and fairytale towns.
I told the friendly lady I couldn’t wait to see the one-of-a-kind Chocolate Competence Centre and the Lindt Home of Chocolate.
“My kids love it. You must sign up for the chocolate-making classes at Chocolateria. Trust me; it is an experience you will cherish forever,” she promised.
Fast-forward to the place, just 20 minutes away from Zurich. I am glad I heeded her suggestion.
It was not something you get to do every day. Imagine: You are inside a chocolate-scented room, creating chocolate from scratch with a master Swiss chocolatier! It was exciting to dress up professionally, wear an apron and learn about the tricks of the trade. At the end of the workshop, I was officially a chocolate maker! The melt-in-your-mouth rum ball chocolates we made were to die for. If you love trying out new and fun workshops during your travels, this one is unmissable.
So, what is so special about Lindt Home of Chocolates? You only find out when you enter the gorgeous façade in white. The multifunctional building awaits you with an interactive museum, a research facility with show productions, a chocolate shop, a Lindt café, and a Chocolateria workshop for chocolate-making courses. The star attraction here is the nine-meter-tall chocolate fountain with real melted chocolate circulating through it. You will also love the tasting area with a variety of delicious Lindor Truffles, where everyone gets a treat at the end of the exhibition.
There’s a special interactive exhibition at the museum, which leaves you stunned with amazing facts on the history of Switzerland’s chocolate pioneers. From Daniel Peter’s version of a milk chocolate to Rodolphe Lindt’s breakthrough discovery of the conching machine, several secret recipes and technologies have turned the chocolate world into its present state. Did you know, for example, that Daniel Peter from Vevey developed the world’s first milk chocolate around 1875? And guess what: Lindt accidentally left the conching machine in his factory running over a weekend, and this is how we got shiny, velvety chocolate!
I am glad I could learn all of this inside that white façade while gorging on some amazing chocolate. And trust me, the chocolate-making class will make more sense if you know the journey of cocoa. This fairyland of chocolates and candies is also a great place to chat with chocolatiers.
You need to pre-book the chocolate-making course; they have limited seats. Special courses pop up during festivals. I had only seven people with me during my class. We belonged to different parts of the world, and everyone was super excited to play with chocolate. The Master Chocolatier helped us throughout. Some of us went for milk ganache, and some chose to work with luxurious dark ganache.
First, he helped us make the balls in a mould until they dried. Then we filled them with our favourites and finally, brushed them with more sugar. The packaging part was all the more interesting because we did it ourselves and brought it back home for our families and friends.
More than half of the world’s cocoa harvest comes from the Ivory Coast and Ghana. My Master Chocolatier mentioned this even before he started our fun session. He added that we must be thankful that we can process it in Switzerland and have it worldwide. He also told us about the truly unusual flavours—lime, sea salt, citrus, coconut, salted caramel, mango and cream, etc., which have taken a lot of research, innovation and creativity. We learned the importance of visual appeal, packaging, freshness and taste.
There are daily courses and seasonal event courses for Christmas, Easter, or Valentine’s Day, throughout the year and every time the learners get to make different shapes and figurines from chocolates.
Lindt Home of Chocolate is more than a museum. It has a highly advanced facility for future chocolate pioneers. The open-view production taking place in the so-called moulding line is impressive. The best part? It educates you on the world’s sweetest indulgence—chocolate!
Manjulika Pramod is a well-known travel blogger and freelance writer.
