Fine Chocolate from Austria

Like its neighbour, Switzerland, Austria is famous for the beautiful Alps. The Austrian Tyrol region is in the western side of the country, and it is here that cattle graze in pure mountain air amidst the flower-filled meadows and snow-dusted peaks.

Little wonder, then, that chocolate made with alpine milch (Alpenmilch) is so heavenly.

If you think of Austrian alpine milk chocolate, you may find yourself thinking of a purple cow.

Milka chocolate, in its distinctive lilac wrapper, has been a popular and delicious leader in Austrian chocolate for many years.

Here in the UK, where are tastes are a little more conservative, we can choose from classic combinations such as Alpine Milk, Hazelnut, Chocolate Cream, and the delightfully named Happy Cows which is a mixture of white and milk chocolate, cleverly combined in cow patches (hence its original name in German of 'Kuhflecken' or cow spots!).

In Austria, it's an entirely different story. The range of flavours is extensive, including varieties such as Strawberry Yoghurt. Just standing before the Milka section in a supermarket is a feast for the eyes. As far as taste goes, Milka is light and creamy, nicely sweet without overdoing it.

If you love the Alps, you'll enjoy this fun Alpine Cow design, officially approved and made by Keds and sold via Zazzle from Mountain Crazy Gifts (U.S.), plus direct from Zazzle international stores in Canada, UK, Germany, Australia, and more! Also available in men's sizes and in a sweet ice cream pink shade. Visit now to view the whole range.

Mozart was born in the beautiful city of Salzburg, and is remembered with pride. This famous composer has been commemorated with Mozartkuglen chocolates since 1890.

These chocolates are still hand-made today. At their centre is a nougat-covered ball of pistachio marzipan, which is coated in dark chocolate.

The wrapper of both the original and the mass-produced chocolates bears the image of Mozart. The hand-made chocolates have a silver and blue foil, the mass-produced chocolates made by a competitor have the gold foil and colourful Mozart portrait and can often be seen in Austrian airports and tourist shops.

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As a thank you gift, a lovely Austrian friend of mine sent me a parcel from her hometown of Graz. Inside were a whole selection of chocolate treats from the wonderful Zotter Chocolate shop in Graz.

Now I may never find the golden ticket for Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, but this has to be the next best thing - a surprise parcel of fine chocolate from Austria!

It also gives me the perfect opportunity to tell you about some of the flavours that Zotter Chocolate offers.

The first chocolate bar I tried was the Marzipan and Pumpkin Seed one, which had a rich green filling. There was some apple brandy in this one, and while pumpkin seeds might sound a little strange in chocolate, it tasted wonderful. (

What happens when you mix chocolate with yoghurt? Mitzi Blue is the name of Zotter's 'fruit yoghurt chocolate'. It comes in a circle about the same size as a CD (packaged in a square orange and white wrapper) and is fruity and refreshing. Even though it's part chocolate, you'll feel quite virtuous eating it!

And if you loved Mitzi Blue, you'll also enjoy the delicious apricot-flavored Balleros. This fruity treat is made from apricot kernels rolled in apricot chocolate and dusted with apricot powder. They taste rather like sugared almonds, but without breaking your teeth, and as a natural product them come in all shapes and sizes. Very light and naturally sweet.

Zotter Kokos is a bar of coconut chocolate. It looks like white chocolate once you open the luxurious gold wrapper, but is very coconutty - you'll be transported to a perfect desert island as you enjoy this exotic taste.

Zotter Poppy Seeds and Cinnamon is an unusual taste... The rich cinnamon is quite festive. It's a dark chocolate bar with a caramel coloured filling.

Marc de Champagne is every bit as rich and luxurious as you would imagine. You can really taste the champagne beneath that dark chocolate exterior. Don't eat the whole bar at once!

The Raspberry bar is a wonderful deep red flavor with a delicious fruity taste. This might just be my favorite!

For when Winter really sets in, Zotter also have a selection of drinking chocolate bars (Cashew Caramel, Pumpkin Nougat, Honey Cinnamon, India Masala, and Rum Coconut) to melt in a mug of hot milk. Bliss.

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So there you have it, your short and sweet guide to some of the best Austrian chocolate, as taste-tested by me (it's a tough life)! I hope you'll agree that, while Belgium and Switzerland are famous for their chocolate, Austria has a lot to offer too.