Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats

Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats
Classic chocolate-covered Schokokuss
Alternative names	Chocolate teacakes
Place of origin	Denmark
Cookbook:Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats  Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats

Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats are produced in different variations around the world, with several countries claiming to have invented it or hailing it as their "national confection". The first chocolate-coated marshmallow treat was created in the early 1800s in Denmark.^[1] Originally the treat was made using cream (hence the Danish name flødeboller (cream buns)), but the filling was later made from egg whites to help industrialize production and improve shelf life.^[2]

National varieties

Chocolate teacake

In the United Kingdom this confection is known as a chocolate teacake,^[3] although a teacake in England is usually a sweet roll with dried fruit which is served toasted and buttered. There are several manufacturers of chocolate teacakes in the UK, though the best known is Tunnock's, a Scottish company founded in 1890.^[4] The Tunnock's teacake is commonly regarded in the same food category as the British biscuit, eaten at break times with a cup of tea as shown in advertising for the product.^[5] The Tunnock's Teacake enjoys iconic status in Scotland,^[6] evoking memories of childhood,^[7] or symbolising "home" for Scots around the world.^[5] The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service gives Tunnock's Teacakes to blood donors in Scotland after giving blood.^[8] There is an online appreciation society for the Tunnock's Teacake^[9] and Dundee University also has an appreciation society for the Tunnocks Teacake.^[4] A giant fully edible replica of a Tunnocks Teacake was made by Michelle Kershaw and Nick Dodds at Pimp That Snack.^[10] The opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow featured giant dancing Tunnocks Teacakes.^[11][12]

The product itself consists of a small round shortbread base covered with a hemisphere of Italian meringue, a whipped egg white concoction similar to marshmallow.^[13] As this soft white fondant is based on egg white rather than gelatine, it is much more delicate than marshmallow.^[14] This is then coated in a thin layer of milk or plain chocolate and, in the case of Tunnock's, wrapped in a distinctive red and silver foil for the more popular milk chocolate variety, and a blue and gold wrapping for the plain chocolate type. Several competing brands to Tunnock's, such as Lees' Foods, also include jam in the centre of the teacake. In 2013 British café chain Costa Coffee introduced the giant marshmallow teacake, which is around 3 times the size of a standard teacake, with a chocolate biscuit base topped with marshmallow and raspberry jam in the centre.

An argument about whether the teacake is a biscuit or a cake led to an action in the European Court of Justice by British company Marks and Spencer. The UK tax authorities had eventually accepted the company's argument that the teacakes were cakes (biscuits are taxed, cakes are not), but refused to repay most of the VAT. The European court ruled that that in principle the tax should be repaid^[15][16] and in a further hearing before the UK Law Lords in 2009, after 13 years of litigation, Marks and Spencer won full repayment of the tax they had paid from 1973 to 1994, amounting to £3.5 million.^[17]

Naming in Turkey

In Turkey, there is no any single term in common use. Literally, it can be called "Konfeksiyon". Sometimes it could be called by related brand names as in "Çokomel" or "Eti Puf"

Flødebolle / Negerbolle / Negerkys

In Denmark the confection is known as a flødebolle (cream bun) and was formerly known as a negerbolle (negro bun) or negerkys (negro kiss). In the 1960s through 1980s the term negro was phased out by all major producers, as it is considered racist. Denmark also markets a variation shaped more like a patty, hence the name bøf (steak).

Denmark is arguably the largest producer of chocolate-coated marshmallow treats, producing approximately 800 million of these every year. The largest producer, Elvirasminde, produces roughly 650 million treats, sending 400 million abroad and leaving the remaining 250 million to be eaten by the Danish population, putting the amount of flødeboller eaten at 45 per Dane per year.^[18]

In Denmark chocolate-coated marshmallow treats are traditionally handed out in school by children on their birthday. They are found in any supermarket, and most confectioners will have delicacy versions. Sometimes they are even found in restaurants. Many baking enthusiast see them as a challenge, and it was a technical challenge in Den store Bagedyst (The Great Bake Off) on Danish TV.^[2]

The popularity of the treat is evident from the sheer number of varieties. Variation in coating ranging from white chocolate over dark chocolate to licorice coating, with or without sprinkles. The base is often a plain cracker in commercial products, but delicacy and homemade versions often have shortbread, marzipan biscuits or other bases. Flavored filling is also very common especially when homemade, but licorice, marzipan and other flavors are commercially available. Variation in form is also common, often this is seen in commercial products ranging from wide and flat (bøf) to tall with sharp edges (Christmas tree).

Krembo

Krembo (Hebrew: קרמבו‎, literally "cream-in-it") is very popular in Israel, especially in the winter as an alternative to ice-cream.^[19] It comes wrapped in colourful aluminium foil, and consists of a round biscuit base on the bottom and whipped egg whites cream from above, coated in a thin layer of chocolate. There are vanilla and mocha flavoured Krembos.

In Hebrew, the word krembo is a combination of krem (cream) and bo (in it).

The average krembo weighs 25 grams (0.882 ounces) and has 115 calories.^[20] According to the fine print on packing foil, per 100 gr of krembo there are 419 calories, 3.2 gr protein, 64 gr carbohydrates (of which 54 gr are sugars); 16.7% Fats (of which 13.9% are poly-saturated fatty acids, less than 0.5% are trans fatty acids) and 67 mg Sodium.^[21]

In Israel, the "krembo season" is from October to February. 50 million krembos are sold each year—an average of 9 per person in Israel.^[20]

According to a study funded by Strauss, Israel's leading krembo producer, 69% of Israelis prefer to eat krembos from the top down (starting with the cream), and only 10% start with the biscuit at the bottom; the rest had no preference.^[20]

Krembos are exported to the United States and Canada, and sold mostly in kosher shops and import stores.^[22]

The concoction was popular as a homemade sweet in Mandate Palestine in the 1940s, when it was known as Cushi (Hebrew: כושי, "negro"). It entered mass production in 1966. The first manufacturer, the Whitman Company, coined the name Krembo. A mocha flavour was introduced in 1967. In 1979 Whitman was acquired by Strauss-Elite. Today Strauss controls 54% of the krembo market in Israel.^[20] In 2007, Nestlé introduced an ice cream variation of krembo called Lekbo (Hebrew: לקבו, "lick inside").

In the Hebrew version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Dumbledore's favourite sweet is a Krembo, rather than a sherbet lemon. The Krembo has become a pop-cultural/national icon. While considered a children's favourite, sociologists have found that it is consumed as a comfort food by Israeli expatriates in the United States.^[23]

Mallomars

In the United States, Mallomars are produced by Nabisco.^[24] A graham cracker circle is covered with a puff of extruded marshmallow, then enrobed in a thin shell of dark chocolate. Mallomars were introduced to the public in 1913, the same year as the Moon Pie (a confection which has similar ingredients). The first box of Mallomars was sold in West Hoboken, New Jersey (now Union City, New Jersey).^[25]

Mallomars are generally available from early October through to April. They are not distributed during the summer months, supposedly because they melt easily in summer temperatures, though this is as much for marketing reasons as for practical ones.^[26] Devoted eaters of the cookie have been known to stock up during winter months and keep them refrigerated over the summer, although Nabisco markets other fudge-coated cookie brands year-round. Eighty-five percent of all Mallomars are sold in the New York metropolitan area.^[27] They are produced entirely within Canada, at a factory in Scarborough, Ontario.^[27] The issue of Nabisco's choice to release Mallomars seasonally became a parodied topic on a sketch delivered by graphic artist Pierre Bernard on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.^[28]

Mohrenkopf / Negerkuss / Schokokuss

Schokoküsse were first introduced in industrial numbers in 1920, although the first mention of them in Germany dates back to 1829. The sweets are sold all year long. Every year approximately 1 billion are sold. This makes an average of about one dozen per person per year. They are available in supermarkets, many bakeries and some schools. Sometimes they are consumed pressed between two halves of a bun, which is also referred to as a Matschbrötchen ("Mud Roll", "Squished Bread Roll")—mostly by children.^[29]

These sweets are made of sweetened egg white foam and not marshmallows. In most cases the used sweetener is sugar, but there are also sugar-free products with sugar substitutes on the German market. The consistency is quite fluffy and not sticky or gooey.

They were first only known under the names Mohrenkopf ("Moor's Head") or Negerkuss ("Negro's Kiss"), but most companies changed the official product-name in the 1980s to the more neutral Schokoküsse^[30] or Schokokuss ("Chocolate Kiss"), Schaumküsse or Schaumkuss ("Foam Kiss") or to brand-specific names, the most famous brand being Dickmann's. In Austria the most famous brand is Schwedenbombe ("Swedish bomb").

In German-speaking Switzerland they are still sold as Mohrenkopf.^[31][32] In the French-speaking part of Switzerland as well as France they are known as Têtes Choco ("chocolate heads").^[33]

Neekerinsuukot

In Finland, the name originated from Germany, and they were named "Negro Kisses" in 1951. In 2001 the name was changed to "Brunberg's Kisses", after the manufacturer, for largely the same reasons as in Denmark, Germany, and elsewhere.^[34]

Negerinnetetten

In Flanders, the confection is known as Negerinnetetten. The word can either be translated as "negress's tits" ^[35] or could originate from the French word for face: "tête", as the French word for this confection used to be tête de nègre, which is French for "negro's head". This is also the probable origin of an alternative name Negertetten. Nowadays manufacturers market the confection under a different name, as the aforementioned terms are considered to be offensive.

Negerzoenen

In the Netherlands the name is Negerzoenen ("Negro kisses") though some companies have changed the name to Zoenen ("Kisses"). This led to some controversy, since the Dutch word neger is generally perceived as more neutral compared to the English equivalent negro, which is sometimes considered pejorative and racist.^[36] Those often package nine per box to create the pun Negen Zoenen ("Nine Kisses"). One such company, Buys, has said that the name change was made for marketing reasons.^[37]

Whippets

Whippet cookies are produced in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They consist of a biscuit base topped with marshmallow-like filling and then coated in a hard shell of pure chocolate. Whippet cookies first came to the market in 1927, although they had been produced and distributed by Viau under the name "Empire" as early as 1901. Today, the cookies are still produced in Montreal at the east end of the Viau factory, which is now owned by Dare Foods. They are currently available with both dark chocolate and milk chocolate coatings, and with several flavors of artificial fruit jam filling inside the marshmallow-like filling.

The cookies are similar to Mallomars of New York City. They also bear a striking resemblance to Tunnock's Tea Cakes as well as Krembos. However, the Tunnock tea cake does not have the same kind of chocolate and a different type of filling.

The Whippet cookie is a distinct part of Quebec culture because it does not travel well outside its area of production. This is partly because the pure chocolate melts very easily (compared with a chocolate mixture) and therefore they require refrigerated transport in summer. Furthermore, the combination of the hard chocolate shell and the air-filled inner marshmallow make them self-destruct when placed in the unpressurised or semi-pressurised cargo section of an airplane. However, they are currently available at various grocery locations throughout Canada and the US.

An episode of the Canadian science program How It's Made showed the production process behind the cookie. However, many aspects of the production process (the amount of marshmallow filling, the ingredients, etc.) were not revealed. The show's narrator described these aspects as "classified information." As Canadian law requires an ingredient list on each package, the amount of confidential information involved is limited.

Another Canadian cookie, "Viva Puffs", is produced by Dare Foods in five flavours. Viva is a trade name; these confections have been known in (English) Canada for at least 50 years as "chocolate puffs".

Choco Mallows

In the Philippines, Fibisco makes a product similar to Mallomars called Choco Mallows that, unlike Mallomars, is available year-round. Likely due to the tropical climate, the "hard chocolate shell" of a Choco Mallow is usually just a soft chocolate covering that does not completely harden even after being refrigerated. Choco Mallows are usually covered in foil and sold in boxes of six, although street vendors and small corner stores may also sell them by piece.

Beso de Moza

In Peru, the confections are known as "Beso de Moza" (Girl's Kiss)(link). Sold by Nestle. Currently there is a contest between strawberry and lucuma flavor becoming a permanent flavor. Also exists in Ecuador.

In Colombia, it's called Beso De Negra (Black Woman's Kiss) or "Chocmelo", a portmanteau of chocolate and masmelo (marshmallow). However, these last ones don't always have a cookie as its base.

Bombocas

In Portugal, these confections are known as "Bombocas". Sold by different brands, usually the supermarket ones. They are sold in 3 main flavors: meringue (white interior), strawberry (pink) and vanilla (yellow). They are being called "Beijinhos" in the last few years.

MallowPuffs

In New Zealand biscuit manufacturers Griffin's make MallowPuffs, a chocolate biscuit that is described as a "light fluffy marshmallow sitting on top of a shortcake biscuit, covered in luxurious milk chocolate".^[38] The marshmallow in MallowPuffs tends to be more dense and rubbery than in some similar products (such as Tunnock's chocolate teacakes). They come in a variety of flavours, including Cookies and Cream, Hokey Pokey, Toffee, Rocky Road, Double Chocolate and original chocolate. The slogan from a national advertising campaign for MallowPuffs, "Have you done enough for a MallowPuff", has entered into the New Zealand cultural lexicon.

MunchMallow

Produced in Serbia by Jaffa.^[39] Has a cookie base, soft sponge filling covered by a cocoa mix.

Zefir

Zefir (Russian: Зефи́р, may also be spelled zephyr or zephir) is made from fruit and berry purée with added sugar and whipped egg whites. It is commonly produced and sold in the countries of the former Soviet Union.^[40] The recipe is a merger of the traditional Russian pastila with French meringue. The name given after the Greek god of the light west wind Zephyr symbolizes its delicate airy consistency.

The consistency is similar to that of marshmallows, Schokokuss or krembo. The form typically resembles traditional meringue. However in contrast to commercial meringue, it is never crisp. Both pure and chocolate-coated versions are widespread. In contrast to the other confectioneries of this type, it has no biscuit base.

Other varieties

In Lebanon, a local variation went on sale in the 1950s under the name ras el abd (slave's head) by Gandour;^[41] however, it has since been changed to Tarboush (Fez) but continues to be referred to by the latter name in public.^[42] A similar product in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia is Wagon Wheels. In Australia the closest product is Arnott's Chocolate Royals, which are available in milk and dark chocolate varieties, and are similar in appearance to a Tunnock's teacake. Choco Pie, produced by Orion Confectionery in Korea, are similar to the North American MoonPie and Scooter Pie. In South Africa, they are known as Sweetie Pies.

See also

• List of chocolate-covered foods
• Food portal

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats.

• Food Timeline: History notes
• Salon.com: a brief reminiscence of Mallomars
• Video of marshmallow cookie factory

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