Interesting facts about candy bars

candy bars

A candy bar is a type of sugar confectionery that is in the shape of a bar.

The most common kind of candy bar is made with chocolate, but there may be other kinds as well, like a granola bar.

The word “candy comes from ancient Indian Sanskrit – khanda means “a piece of sugar.” Years later, the Arabic version moved one step closer with qandi. The Middle English word “candy” began to be used in the late 13th century.

candies

The Chocolate Cream bar created by Joseph Fry in 1866 is the oldest candy bar in the world. Although Fry was the first to start pressing chocolate into bar molds in 1847, the Chocolate Cream was the first mass-produced and widely available candy bar. The bar features a flavored fondant center enrobed in plain chocolate.

In 1912, the Goo Goo Cluster was the first mass-produced combination bar – it included marshmallow, nougat, caramel, and roasted peanuts.

Between World War I and the middle of the 20th century, approximately 40,000 brands of candy bars were introduced.

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Snickers holds the top spot for the bestselling chocolate bar in the world. Made by Mars, Incorporated, Snickers has annual global sales of $3.5 billion. The bar consists of nougat topped with caramel and peanuts covered in milk chocolate. It was named after the Mars family’s favorite horse when it was introduced in 1930.

snickers

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the No. 1 selling candy brand in the United States, consisting of white fudge, milk, or dark chocolate cups filled with peanut butter. They were invented by H.B. Reese after he founded the H.B. Reese Candy Company in 1923. Initially working from the basement of his Hershey, PA home, Reese’s success eventually allowed him to build 2 modern factories.

reese's peanut butter cups

The Hershey’s Bar dubbed as “The Great American Bar” was first sold in 1900. It became the first mass-produced chocolate in the United States. The bar is made using chocolate from local farmers in Pennsylvania, where The Hershey Company is headquartered. Due to the unique process used to make the Hershey’s Bar, its taste is what Americans associate with chocolate. While the bar is popular in the United States, it is not widely recognized internationally.

hershey's

Toblerone is a popular chocolate bar known for its triangular prism shape. It was created by Emil Baumann & Theodor Tobler (1876–1941) in Bern, Switzerland, in 1908. Emil Baumann, the cousin of Theodor Tobler, created the unique recipe consisting of milk chocolate including nougat, almonds and honey and Theodor Tobler came up with the distinctive triangular shape and packaging.

toblerone

Kit Kat was launched in 1935 by Rowntree Limited of York and was originally called Chocolate Crisp. It was later renamed Kit Kat, allegedly after the Kit Kat club, an eighteenth-century Whig literacy club in England. Nestlé acquired Rowntree in 1988 and now produces Kit Kat for over 70 countries. In the United States, however, you’ll see a different name on the label. Hershey has been the licensed U.S. manufacturer of the chocolate bar since 1969.

kit kat

Milky Way candy bars are not named after the galaxy. The name came from the malted milkshakes whose flavor they originally intended to mimic.

milky way

Known as “The World’s Most Expensive Chocolate Bar,” the Wispa Gold Wrapped Bar is offered by Cadbury. It was designed as a marketing campaign to relaunch their brand of caramel chocolate bars, Wispa Gold. This expensive version is actually wrapped in an edible gold leaf. It cost $1,600 per bar.

The largest chocolate bar weighed 5,792.50 kg (12,770 lb 4.48 oz) and was created by Thorntons plc (UK) in Alfreton, Derbyshire, UK on 7 October 2011. The chocolate bar measured 4 m (13 ft 1.48 in) by 4 m (13 ft 1.48 in) by 0.35 m (1 ft 1.78 in).

The largest chocolate nut bar is 2,695 kg (5,943 lb), and was achieved by REESE’S Take 5 (USA) in Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA, on 31 Jan 2020. The bar was created to promote Reese’s first Super Bowl ad. The bar includes chocolate, nuts, pretzels, peanut butter and caramel.