歐羅巴十二寶之布魯塞爾的巧克力

For the Travel section’s Oct. 19 issue on Europe, writers and editors selected special items to profile from a dozen cities. Below, explore everything from chocolate in Brussels to silk in Florence to design in Copenhagen.

在歐洲版10月19日旅遊板塊，作者與編輯精選了十二個城市的獨特珍寶，下面，我們從布魯塞爾的巧克力、佛羅倫薩的絲綢到哥本哈根的設計，逐一欣賞吧。

Brussels: Chocolate

布魯塞爾的巧克力

Nearly half the chocolate consumed in the world is savored in Europe, and Belgium — with per-capita consumption of 14.99 pounds a year —certainly devours its fair share. While Brussels, the country’s capital, is home to hundreds of chocolatiers, what makes a visit imperative, at least from a chocophile’s perspective, is the rich heritage of artisanal chocolate-makers.

全世界的巧克力消費總量近半在歐洲，而比利時每人每年消費的巧克力達14.99磅，顯然遠超平均水平。在比利時的首都布魯塞爾，有數百家手工巧克力商店傳承着手工巧克力製作的寶貴工藝。這是全世界巧克力愛好者的必遊之地。

And none epitomizes the nation’s devotion to craft and quality more than Mary. Mary Delluc established her business in 1919 on the Rue Royale, the route the king took to the Royal Palace each day. In 1942 she achieved her goal of becoming the chocolate purveyor to the royal family, an honor that was bestowed on the brand three more times, most recently in 2013. While Mary has retained a presence on Rue Royale for 95 years, it has changed address three times, the most recent (Rue Royale 73) undergoing an overhaul in 2010.

說起對比利時巧克力工藝和品質的貢獻，誰也無法超過瑪麗巧克力店。1919年，瑪麗·德魯克(Mary Delluc)創建了自己的公司，店址在皇室大道，那是國王去王宮時每天的必經之路。1942年，她實現了自己的目標，成爲比利時王室的御用巧克力供應商。該品牌享有這一殊榮已有三次，最近的一次是2013年。瑪麗巧克力店已在皇室大道巍然屹立了95年，其間搬了三次家，最近的一次是在2010年，經過全面翻新後，搬到了皇室大道73號。

“We went back to the roots of Mary,” the managing director, Olivier Borgerhoff, said, noting the return to the original white-and-gold color scheme and prominence of the oblong logo. As for the chocolate, it might as well be the 20th century. “We don’t change the types of chocolates often,” Mr. Borgerhoff said. “We try to improve the choices we have.” That means sourcing top-quality ingredients and eschewing preservatives and unnatural additives of the dozens of caramel, marzipan, mousse, ganache and cream-filled bonbons that are stacked in neat rows down a long central counter, along with glass bowls of hand-rolled truffles, flaked with almonds and dusted in powdered sugar. A 250-gram box is 17 euros ($21).

“我們回到了瑪麗的根，”常務董事奧利維爾·伯格霍夫(Olivier Borgerhoff)，他指的是恢復了最初的白色與金色的配色方案及強調橢圓形商標。說起巧克力，或許還是20世紀更好。“我們不會經常改變巧克力的類型。”伯格霍夫先生說。“而是盡力優化已有的選擇。”這意味着要尋找頂級的優質配方，在數十種焦糖、杏仁蛋白軟糖、慕斯、甘那許醬和奶油夾心軟糖中避免使用防腐劑或非天然的添加劑。這些甜點一排排整齊地堆疊在店鋪中央一條長櫃檯上，旁邊的玻璃碗裏盛放着手工製成的松露巧克力，點綴着杏仁，外面撒着糖粉。250克一盒的售價17歐元（約等於21美元）。

Another chocolatier, Debailleul, is decidedly more whimsical. The small chain, established in 1983 by Marc Debailleul, produces bonbons and ballotins, or boxes, that are so refined and beautiful, it’s almost — almost — a shame to indulge. The options are limited: traditional pralines and creamy ganaches, many hand-painted with cupids, the letter “D” or other flourishes, and vanilla, coffee and caramel-flavored truffles. Visit the factory store (Rue de Ganshoren 27-39). It will be as if you’ve discovered secret treasures of the chocolate capital. AMY M. THOMAS

還有一家名叫德百麗(Debailleul)的手工巧克力廠，顯然更加珍奇有趣。這家小型連鎖企業由馬克·德百麗(Marc Debailleul)始建於1983年，出產夾心軟糖、小包裝或者盒裝。它的甜點口感如此精緻美妙，你會覺得肆意大嚼幾乎是一種羞恥。選擇很有限：傳統的胡桃糖和奶油鮮美的甘那許醬，糖果上裝飾着手繪的丘比特、字母D或者其他花紋，還有香草、咖啡和焦糖口味的松露巧克力。建議遊覽工廠店（店址在漢斯霍倫路27-29號），感覺就像在巧克力之都尋找祕藏的珍寶。艾米·托馬斯(AMY M. THOMAS)供稿。