Milo (drink)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Milo is an Australian-made milk beverage with chocolate and malt, produced by Nestlé. Milo is also manufactured in other countries, including Singapore, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Jamaica, Japan, Chile, Thailand, Malaysia, Kenya, Syria and Ghana.
The name derives from the famous Greek athlete Milo of Croton, after his legendary strength.[1]
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[edit] Use
Milo is added to hot or cold milk to give it a malted chocolate flavour and extra texture. When combined with cold milk, it retains the gritty texture of its raw state. When combined with hot milk, it creates a layer of congealed milo and milk floating on top of the cup which some drinkers enjoy more.
Another popular use is to sprinkle it on ice cream, especially vanilla ice cream.
Also very popular is the "Magic Milo" which involves adding Milo to a small amount of milk with sugar and whipping it to increase the amount of air in the milk there by doubling it in size. Then one adds small amounts of hot water and milk in layers stirring each new layer vigorously to maintain it's lightness. A final layer of whipped cream topped with extra Milo or chocolate sprinkles. This is more of a 'warm' beverage rather than a 'hot' one and is a more popular version of hot Milo for children.
Milo manufactured outside Australia is customised for local methods of preparation. In Ghana, it is mixed with hot or cold water instead of milk, with the instructions "Add milk and sugar if desired."
Milo is very popular in Malaysia, where the brand name is synonymous with chocolate flavoured drinks. Milo manufactured in Malaysia is made to dissolve well in hot water to produce a smooth hot chocolate drink, or with ice added for a cold drink. Milo in Malaysia is served in kopitiams and mamak stalls offering versions such as "Milo Dinosaur" (a cup of milo with an extra spoonful of powdered undissolved Milo added to it), "Milo Godzilla" (a cup of Milo with ice cream and/or whipped cream on top of it) and "Neslo" (combined with Nescafe powdered coffee). It gained popularity in Singapore soon after.
One can order Milo in Singapore or Malaysia's Kopi tiams by placing an order for "Kick Ball" using the Hokkien language, referring to the fact that the company has been sponsoring soccer events in the region, especially in Singapore, and has been using pictures showing soccer players. Alternatively, Milo with ice added is known as "Milo Peng", "peng" meaning ice in Cantonese and Hokkien. In Japan, Milo is marketed as a canned energy drink, available in vending machines.
Milo is also a famous beverage in Indian Muslim stalls, or fondly known as Mamak stalls in Malaysia. It is also sometimes used as an alternative to jam and put in bread or also as an ingredient in Roti Canai.
In Trinidad & Tobago and some other Caribbean territories, Milo is synonymous to any hot tea other than coffee. Tea is however a reference to 'hot chocolate'.
[edit] Nutritional information
Milo is high in energy, with 1,760 kJ per 100 g. It is therefore marketed as the "Energy Food Drink". It also has a low Glycemic Index (GI): "33 made with whole milk, 36 made with reduced fat milk". This lets the energy Milo provides be released slowly throughout the day.
The Milo website states that "It is high in calcium, iron and vitamin B1, 2, 6, 12."
[edit] History
Milo has been produced at the plant located in Smithtown, near Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia since its original conception in 1934. It was created that year, after heavy research led by Thomas Mayne.
In 2004, Nestlé celebrated 70 years of making Milo.
[edit] Availability in other markets
Availability of Milo in North America is limited and as an imported product only. It can be found in Asian markets with a large East Asian American population such as New York City and certain towns in New Jersey. It can also be found in areas with a notible West Indian (and especially Jamaican) population such as South Florida. Recently, it has also been available in larger Wal-Marts in the Hispanic foods aisle. In Canada, cans of Milo have been spotted at certain Food Basics and Price Chopper grocery stores. The Milo that is imported by these stores will either be the Malaysian or the Chinese marketed version. These two versions differ from each other in taste and texture. Caribbean and Asian grocery stores in the province of Quebec also import Milo from China, Sri Lanka, and Colombia, South America.
In the 1980s this brand was sold in Mexico and distributed by Nestle. It was a very successful product but it disappeared after Nestle introduced the Quik brand there.
It can also be found in the UK in Sainsbury's supermarkets as an imported product.
Malaysia consumes 90% of worldwide consumption of Milo.
[edit] Other Milo products
Products based on Milo are available, such as Milo cereal and Milo chocolate bars.
