It was in Brussels in 1912 where the first chocolate praline was made by filling an empty chocolate shell with a rich, intense centre. This technique was copied all over Europe because up until then the centre of a chocolate was limited to recipes which were firm enough to hand dip. 

The finest chocolate confectionery, containing pure chocolate liquor, with its remarkable nutritional constituents, is also the most nourishing. In the South African War and World Wars I and II, solid chocolate was issued as standard rations for the troops and given by Queen Victoria as a Christmas gift to all her fighting men. Current US Army Field Ration 'D' is a 4-ounce (125g) bar of chocolate containing vitamin B1 and 600 calories. 

Today, Belgium is thought to produce the finest chocolate in the world. This tiny country has more than 2,000 chocolate shops with the average Belgian consuming 23-24 pounds of chocolate per year. This consuming passion for chocolate has created over 400 different types of pralines. Nowhere else in the world today can chocolate lovers find more exquisite or varied chocolates.