chocolate bar

Terminology

In many varieties of English, chocolate bar refers to any confectionery bar that contains chocolate. In some dialects of American English, only bars of solid chocolate are described as chocolate bars, with the phrase candy bar used as a broader term encompassing bars of solid chocolate, bars combining chocolate with other ingredients, and bars containing no chocolate at all. In Canada, while the term chocolate bar is commonly used for bars combining chocolate with other ingredients, only bars of solid chocolate can be labelled as a chocolate bar.

The term bar may refer to a large variety of shapes, including not oblong ones, such as squares. Small (bite-sized) chocolate pieces are however usually referred to as chocolates, regardless of shape. These include neapolitans, bonbons, pralines and truffles.

Cake chocolate is an old commercial designation for solid chocolate.

History

Early history

Solid chocolate was probably already consumed in pre-Columbian America, in particular by the Aztecs, despite the beverage being the traditional form of consumption of cocoa in Mesoamerica. In fact, any finely ground cocoa that is not immediately used to make a drink turns into solid chocolate. The grinding of the cocoa beans was done with a stone metate. Dominican friar Diego Durán mentions in his writings that Aztec soldiers carried small balls of ground cocoa among other military rations. Cocoa was introduced into Europe in the early 16th century, possibly already under its processed (solid) form.

Until the 18th century, chocolate was essentially consumed as a drink. Transport of cocoa beans was slow and difficult, therefore making the product very expensive in Europe. Chocolate was usually sold as a solidified ground but still grainy cocoa paste (in the form of blocks, sticks or balls) to be dissolved in water or milk, either plain or already sweetened and flavoured. It is unclear when bars or tablets of chocolate (meant to be eaten straight as a candy rather than grated into a drink) were made for the first time. It is known, however, that the consumption of solid chocolate by the wealthy increased by the end of the 18th century, notably in the form of pastilles ("drops"). Sweetened preparations more likely to be consumed on their own or used in confectionery included French chocolate, flavored with vanilla, and Spanish chocolate, flavored with cinnamon. Cane sugar, another colonial commodity, was widely used in Europe by the 18th century.

The production of chocolate specifically meant to be eaten in bars may predate the French Revolution. The Marquis de Sade wrote to his wife in a letter dated May 16, 1779, complaining about the quality of a care package he had received while in prison. Among the requests that he made for future deliveries were for cookies that "must smell of chocolate, as if one were biting into a chocolate bar." This phrasing is highly suggestive of chocolate bars being eaten by themselves and not just grated into chocolate-based drinks. Another illustration is given by a contemporary encyclopedia, which mentions "bonbons", "diablotins", "chocolate-covered pistachios" and "white chocolate". However, at the time, chocolate was still ground by hand and produced in small quantities.

Up to and including the 19th century, confectionery of all sorts was typically sold in small pieces to be bagged and bought by weight. The introduction of chocolate as something that could be eaten as is, rather than used to make beverages or desserts, resulted in the earliest bar forms, or tablets. At some point, chocolates came to mean any chocolate-covered sweets, whether nuts, creams (fondant), caramel candies, or others. The chocolate bar evolved from all of these in the late-19th century as a way of packaging and selling candy more conveniently for both buyer and seller; however, the buyer had to pay for the packaging. It was considerably cheaper to buy candy loose, or in bulk.

Industrialisation

The late 18th century saw the beginning of the mechanization of chocolate manufacturing. Water and wind power was used first, steam-powered machines followed. This not only enabled chocolate to be produced on a larger scale but also improved its quality. Among the pioneers were Joseph Storrs Fry, who patented a method of grinding cocoa beans using a Watt steam engine in 1795, and Poincelet, who invented the melanger in 1811, soon adopted by most chocolate manufacturers. Roller mills, initially consisting of two cylindrical rolls and later incorporating three or more, also began to be used around this time. The combined use of melangers and roller mills enabled the production of sweet chocolate with a more homogeneous texture.

In the early 19th century, several chocolate manufacturers are credited for technical improvements or novelties. François-Louis Cailler, who founded the Cailler factory in 1819 in Switzerland, sold assortments of chocolate tablets. Shortly after, in 1826, another Swiss chocolatier, Philippe Suchard, founded the Suchard factory where he used and developed the melanger. The same year, Pierre Paul Caffarel founded the Caffarel factory in Italy, using a new grinding machine, also allowing him to increase production. During that decade, in England, Fry & Sons introduced chocolate lozenges as a "substitute for food when travelling".

1828 marked a breakthrough for both eating and drinking chocolate: Casparus van Houten patented an effective method for pressing the fat from roasted cocoa beans. The centre of the bean, known as the "nib", contains an average of 54 percent cocoa butter. Van Houten's machine – the hydraulic cocoa press – reduced the cocoa butter content by nearly half. This not only allowed the creation of defatted cocoa powder (to be used for chocolate drinks), but also the creation of pure cocoa butter on a large scale. The additional cocoa butter (mixed with cocoa liquor and sugar) would allow the production of chocolate with a higher fluidity, therefore with a higher moldability into more complex shapes. It is not known when the first chocolate with added cocoa butter was manufactured. However, in 1832, the first workshop for producing chocolate moulds opened in Paris, testifying to the increasing use of chocolate in confectionery, especially in France.

An American magazine reported in 1836 that small, sweetened chocolate bars had become popular in France because of their nutritional value and portability. At the time, chocolate was still typically manufactured without sugar in the United States and Great Britain, while sweetened chocolate had already become established in continental Europe. There, the industry also benefited from the introduction of domestically produced beet sugar, which eventually supplanted cane sugar in European confections.

Modern era

Rodolphe Lindt, a Swiss confectioner, discovered the conching process in 1879. Conching evenly blends cocoa butter with cocoa solids and sugar, therefore making the chocolate perfectly smooth. This chocolate, made with additional cocoa butter and moulded into thin tablets, became known as chocolat fondant ("melting chocolate"). At first a trade secret, it became a standard process in the chocolate industry by the 1920s. The last stage of chocolate manufacturing, tempering, was also developed at around this time. Tempering allows the production of chocolate that is perfectly hard at room temperature and that has an attractive shiny appearance.

A few years earlier, in 1875, milk chocolate makes its appearance. It was developed by another Swiss confectioner, Daniel Peter. He was able to make milk chocolate with the help of his neighbour Henri Nestlé, who was specialized in dehydrated milk products. Daniel Peter launched his successful Gala Peter brand in 1887. Cailler and Suchard (Milka) followed in the late 19th century, while other factories opened during this period also benefiting from the development of conching, notably Frey and Tobler. Confectionery chocolate production increased rapidly, and Swiss chocolate came to dominate the chocolate market.

In 1897, following the lead of Swiss companies, Cadbury introduced its own line of milk chocolate bars in the UK. Cadbury Dairy Milk, first produced in 1905, became the company's best selling bar. In the United States, immigrants who arrived with candy-making skills drove the development of new chocolate bars. Milton S. Hershey, a Pennsylvania caramel maker, saw a German-manufactured chocolate-making machine at the 1893 World's Fair. He immediately ordered one for his Lancaster factory and produced the first American-made milk chocolate bar.

The development of moulded and filled chocolates, as distinct from simply enrobed chocolates, is attributed to Jean Neuhaus (1912) and Jules Séchaud (1913), respectively Belgian and Swiss. Neuhaus is generally regarded as the inventor of the modern praline, while Séchaud is credited with inventing the machinery used to fill chocolates and launching the first filled chocolate bar.

Chocolate bar sales grew rapidly in the early-20th century. During World War I, the U.S. Army commissioned a number of American chocolate makers to produce 40 pound blocks of chocolate. These were shipped to Army quartermaster bases and distributed to the troops stationed throughout Europe. When the soldiers returned home, their demand for chocolate contributed to the increasing popularity of the chocolate bar. Chocolate manufacturing techniques had also spread to Japan by 1918. During the 20th century, many chocolate manufacturers merged into larger corporations and multinational companies. White chocolate was introduced in 1936 by Nestlé, while ruby chocolate was introduced in 2017 by Barry Callebaut.

Bean-to-bar movement

A craft chocolate movement emerged in the 1970s and 1980s but surged significantly in the 2000s and 2010s. Pioneer makers sought to reclaim chocolate as a pure, unprocessed food by returning to traditional manufacturing, often using vintage chocolate making equipment. Craft chocolate makers began focusing on the unique flavor profiles of different cocoa varieties rather than blending them to achieve a consistent flavor. They also established direct-trade relationships to ensure farmers received equitable compensation. By 2010, the term "bean-to-bar" had been widely adopted to distinguish small-batch artisans from mass-market chocolate manufacturers.

Ingredients

A solid chocolate bar is typically made with some or all of the following ingredients: cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, sugar, and milk. The relative presence or absence of these define the subclasses of chocolate bar made of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. In addition to these main ingredients a solid chocolate bar may contain flavorings such as vanilla and emulsifiers such as soy lecithin to alter its consistency. Some chocolate bars contain added milk fat, to make the chocolate softer, since milk fat is a softer fat than cocoa butter. While sugar is commonly used as a sweetener for chocolate bars, some chocolate bars use sugar alcohols, such as maltitol as an alternative.

Compound chocolate, which uses vegetable oils in place of cocoa butter, may be used as a less expensive alternative to true chocolate, though such a product may not be able to be labelled as "chocolate". Combination bars may contain a wide variety of additional ingredients.

Combination bars

Popular ingredients and confections such as nuts, fruit, caramel, whipped nougat, crisped rice, and wafers are commonly combined with chocolate, which may be moulded into bars or used as a coating. Adding other, usually cheaper, ingredients to chocolate bars can help reduce production costs. Additionally, the overwhelming majority of combination bars use milk chocolate, which further decreases the amount of cocoa in the finished product. Conversely, chocolate also helps protect sensitive confections from exposure to the surrounding air. By the 1920s, approximately 30,000 varieties of candy bars already existed in the United States, most of which were produced locally.

Regional favorites and specialties notably include hazelnuts in Europe, creams in Britain, peanuts in North America, and, more recently, pistachios in the Middle East. Nuts may be incorporated either whole or in the form of pastes, such as gianduja, praline, nougat, peanut butter etc. Fillings can be associated with wafers or other biscuits.

Below is a list of pioneering chocolate bar brands in chronological order:

The Fry's Chocolate Cream, produced by J. S. Fry & Sons since 1866, consisted of a plain fondant centre enrobed in plain chocolate. It is one of the first mass-produced chocolate bars and predates the invention of milk chocolate.

The Branche, created by Kohler and produced by Cailler since 1904, is a cylindrical and branch-looking milk chocolate and hazelnut bar with a praline filling, partly made with recycled broken confectionery. As a consequence of its wide success, "branche" has become a generic term (in French) for any stick-like chocolate bar.

The Toblerone, produced by Tobler since 1908, is a combination of milk chocolate and torrone, a white nougat made of honey, almonds and egg whites. Its manufacture and distinctive triangular shape was patented at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.

The Goo Goo Cluster, produced by the Standard Candy Company of Nashville, Tennessee, in 1912, was the first combination bar in the United States. It was made of caramel, marshmallow, and peanuts, covered with milk chocolate.

Health and nutrition

Chocolate bars vary significantly in nutritional content, typically offering between 200–300 calories per 40 g serving, with high amounts of sugar and fat. A standard milk chocolate bar can contain over 20 g of sugar, while dark chocolate bars generally contain less sugar and more cocoa solids. Excessive consumption has been linked to obesity, tooth decay, and related health conditions.

Dark chocolate, in moderation, has been studied for potential benefits due to its flavonoid content, which may support cardiovascular health and provide antioxidant effects. Modern consumer demand has also led to the development of healthier alternatives such as reduced-sugar bars, vegan options, and protein-fortified chocolate bars.

Recent reviews and trials show that cocoa (especially high-flavonoid, dark‐chocolate formulations) may benefit cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure, improving insulin sensitivity, enhancing endothelial function, and reducing LDL oxidation and inflammation.

Additionally, a wide selection of chocolate snacks or nutritional supplements are produced with added sources of protein and vitamins, including energy bars, protein bars and granola bars.

Production

Moulding and enrobing

Moulding involves depositing tempered liquid chocolate into rigid moulds of a predetermined shape and allowing it to solidify and crystallise properly. This process can be used to produce solid chocolate bars, hollow shells, and confectionery products with complex or three-dimensional forms. Hollow moulded shells can subsequently be filled with soft or liquid fillings. Because the chocolate conforms to the internal surface of the mould, moulding produces chocolate bars with a well defined geometry and a smooth, glossy surface. Therefore, the appearance of the finished product is largely determined by the design and surface finish of the mould.

Enrobing, by contrast, is a coating process in which a pre-formed centre is covered with a layer of chocolate. Centres may include biscuits or firm pastes that have been previously cut or extruded. In an industrial enrobing line, the centres are conveyed on a mesh belt through a curtain of tempered chocolate, which covers their upper and lateral surfaces. A bottoming section applies chocolate to the underside, while air blowers remove excess chocolate and regulate the coating thickness. The coated products then pass through a cooling section, where the chocolate solidifies to form the finished shell. Unlike moulded products, enrobed products generally retain the shape of their centres and exhibit a more rustic surface, with characteristic ripples, waves, or other marks produced during the coating process.

Packaging

Chocolate packaging requires an effective barrier against light, oxygen, moisture, and external odors to prevent storage-related defects. Most chocolate makers use aluminum foil (which replaced earlier tin foil) supplemented by an additional paper or paperboard outer wrapping that also serves as a printing substrate. Historically, chocolate bars were wrapped in unsealed foil, using its "dead-fold" properties to conform closely to the shape of the product. Modern packaging has evolved toward advanced laminates and synthetic materials that provide enhanced protection and improved sealing performance. Today, aluminum foil and LDPE laminates are commonly used in chocolate packaging, combining aluminum's barrier properties with the heat-sealability of LDPE. Increasingly, aluminum foil is also being replaced by high-barrier plastic-based films that combine product protection with a printable surface.

Popular culture

Literature and film

The Wonka Bar was introduced as a fictional chocolate bar that served as a key story point in the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Wonka Bars appear in both film adaptations of the novel, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Wonka Bars were subsequently manufactured and sold in the real world, formerly by the Willy Wonka Candy Company, a division of Nestlé.

Records

Oldest extant

Some of the oldest preserved chocolate bars are two pieces of white and dark chocolate made between 1764 and 1795 for the king of Poland, Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski, as a gift for his courtiers. Each bar, possibly made by the royal confectioner in Warsaw, bears the King's monogram, SAR, and is on display in his summer residence, Palace on the Water, in Warsaw.

World's largest

The world's largest chocolate bar was produced as a stunt by Thorntons plc (UK) on 7 October 2011. It weighed 5,792.50 kg (12,770.3 lb) and measured 4m by 4m by 0.35m.

On January 16, 2020, Mars Inc. received the Guinness World Record for largest chocolate nut bar. They produced a 12-foot by 27.5-inch by 27.5-inch Snickers that weighed 4,728 lbs which is the equivalent of 41,000 single-size Snickers.

On January 31, 2020, the Hershey Company beat the Guinness World Record for largest chocolate nut bar surpassing Mars Inc.'s Gigantic Snickers bar with a gigantic Reese's Take 5 Bar measuring 9 by 5.5 by 2 feet and weighing 5,943 lbs. The Take 5 chocolate bar gets its name from the 5 ingredients it contains: Reese's peanut butter, peanuts, pretzels, caramel and chocolate.