The Grand'place and town hall at Antwerp
You can’t go far in the Belgian city of Antwerp without being reminded that the city’s diamond district deals with almost 60% of the world’s diamond trade. For visitors there’s a diamond museum and a diamond showroom.
You can take diamonds home as gifts without breaking the bank. In recognition of the city’s place
Chocolate Diamonds
in the world of diamonds, chocolate diamonds are a favourite local speciality. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate diamonds are all available. So is a combination of any two or all three, swirled together to give a sort of marbled effect.
Another sweet Antwerp tradition is Handjes, or ‘little hands’. These are sometimes little hand-shaped sweet biscuits, often served with coffee after a meal, but, most usually, they’re hand-shaped chocolates.
In ancient times, they say, a giant called Antigoön lived on this bend in the River Scheldt, and demanded an extortionate toll from each passing ship. Those skippers unwise enough to refuse to pay had a hand chopped off. Until, one day, along came Roman hero Silvius Brabo.
‘I say, Giant!’ he said ‘This is hardly acceptable behaviour, y’know!’
‘Take a hike, Sylvia!’!’ said the giant.
The statue of Silvius Brabo, on a fountain outside the Town Hall.
Then, Brabo killed Antigoön, and chopped his hand off, and threw it into the river, an act commemorated in a statue outside the Town Hall. This, says the legend, is how Antwerp got its name; originally it was ‘Hand-werpen’ or ‘hand-throwing’.
There are, unfortunately, people who like spoiling good stories with facts. It’s nothing to do with hands, they say … the name comes from ‘aanwerp’ which simply means ‘a mound’.
But, even if the legend is untrue, say the bakers and chocolatiers, their handjes can also symbolise the hand of friendship which Antwerp extends to its visitors.
Handjes
