Chocolate Bar World Wide Challenge

So, if you have been reading my blog so far, you can see my tastes tend to be somewhat narrow. They are based on the chocolate I have been exposed to.  I would like to be exposed to more chocolate bars of the world so I found this chocolate bar list on statemaster.com.  I used it to compile a list of chocolate bars I haven't tried ever.  So if you see a chocolate bar that is available where you are, please send me one of the bars. You can contact me by email and I will give you the address to send it to.  Here is the list:

1. 5^th Avenue        US
2. 100 Grand Bar  US
3. Almond joy    US
4. Apollo Chocolate Cranberry Japan
5. Baby Ruth  US
6. Balisto  Belgium
7. Black Chocolate Japan
8. Boost Australia
9. Bournville  USA
10. Break Australia
11. Breakaway australia
12. Birdge Mixture Canada
13. Buttons UK
14. Cadbury’s Marble Australia
15. Cadbury’s Fudge UK
16. Cajeta Elegancita  usa
17. Caramel Crunch USA
18. Caramel Peanut Bar Germany
19. Caramello Europe
20. Caramello Koala Australia
21. Caravan  Canada
22. Caravelle  us
23. Carlos V  latin America
24. Cherry Blossom Canada
25. Chery Cocktail US
26. Cherry Ripe Australia
27. Chomp Australia
28. Chubby’s Checker Bar uSA
29. Chunky USA
30. Clark Bar USA
31. Cloud Nine Phillipines
32. Club Mint UK
33. Coffee Crisp orange EUR
34. Curly wurly Australia
35. Cuban Lunch Western Canada
36. Daim UK
37. Fast break USA
38. Five star caramel usa
39. Five star fruit and nut usa
40. Five star peanut usa
41. Flake snow Australia
42. Freddo frog Australia
43. Fry’s Turkish delight Australia
44. Galaxy
45. Galaxy caramel
46. Hail USA
47. Happy Hippo UK
48. Haviland THIn Mint usa
49. Haviland wintergreen patty usa
50. Heath bar usa
51. Idaho spud usa
52. Intense orange Switzerland
53. Ivory mountain uk
54. Kit kat chunky white Netherlands
55. Triple chocolate kit kat wordlwide
56. Korkunov chocolate bars  Russia
57. La Fama USA
58. Krembanan  Norway
59. Liaison UK
60. Lion Bar  EUR
61. Macadiamian nut Saudi Arabia
62. Maestro  Saudia Arabia
63. Mallo cup usa
64. Marble Chocolate Japan
65. Mars bar lava Australia
66. M-Azing USA
67. Milka Germany, UK
68. Milo Bar Australia
69. Mountain bar USA
70. Mousse Australia
71. Munchies UK
72. NUtrageous USA
73. Old faithful USA
74. Pal-o-min  Canada
75. Penguin UK
76. Peppermint Crisp Australia
77. Picnic Australia
78. Polly Waffle Australia
79. Powerhouse USA
80. Prince Polo Poland
81. Princessa Poland
82. Reggie Bar usa
83. Relax Syria
84. Revels  UK
85. Roast almond Australia
86. Skybar USA
87. Smoothie USA
88. Spira  UK
89. Star bar UK
90. Take 5 USA
91. Time Out Australia
92. Tin Larin Latin America
93. Toffee Crisp UK
94. Tofi Luk Saudi Arabia
95. Toggi Eur
96. Top Deck Australia
97. Topic Poland, UK
98. Triple Decker Australia
99. Twin Bing USA
100. Twirl Australia
101. U-NO Bar  USA
102. Valomilk USA
103. Violet Crumble Australia
104. Welch’s Fudge USA
105. Whip Australia
106. White Knight Australia
107. Wispa UK
108. Wonka Bar Australia
109. Wonka Mud Sludge Australia
110. Yorkie UK
111. Zero Bar USA

Chocolate from around the world – Experience Belgium

When I was 16, I was invited on a missionary trip to Belgium.  I will be the first to admit the only thing I knew about Belgium was its chocolate.  However, I had never ever tasted it.  Wouldn’t you know it; the trip took place over Easter.  So not only was I traveling to a place famous for its chocolate, but I was traveling on a holiday famous for giving and receiving chocolate. It was a double bonus in my mind.  The trip was amazing.  I discovered that Europeans think differently than North Americans do. I discovered many kind people that could speak Flemish, English or French (my French classes paid off in Brussels).  But the most impacting event there was the chocolatiers.  Now to explain this correctly I am going to give you a visual.  The number of chocolate shops in Belgium can be equated to the number of Tim Horton’s (in Canada) or Starbucks you see.  There was one on every corner in Brussels.  Traveling early in the morning you would be bombarded with the smell of fresh chocolate.  I can tell you that smell is the most fragrant and amazing smell in the world.  It provides an instant craving that needs to be filled.  The chocolate makers here are smart.  That smell sells itself.  I long to go back for another visit. My waistline forbids me from doing it.  If you want to know why Belgian chocolate is so special and has such an effect on everyone it comes in contact with, click here. Finally every year Belgium has a chocolate festival. Here is a little video for you to enjoy and be envious of. I know i am. 

Chocolate Trends and Cravings

Being an avid chocolate lover, I am very sensitive to my cravings.   For the last ten years my cravings have been for Reese’s peanut butter cups.  There is just something about chocolate and peanut butter together that just reaches out to me on some weird level.  Sometimes I won’t be happy until I get that craving satisfied.   Before that, I had a craving for white chocolate with chocolate cookie pieces.  But my all time favorite go to chocolate is Hershey’s milk chocolate chips made in Canada. 

Now you may be wondering why my taste is so specific.  Well, the milk chocolate chipits that Hershey makes in Canada is so rich, creamy and sweet that I have never found anything like it.  I will confess I could sit and eat a whole bag at one time.  Hershey’s Canada has put their milk chocolate into bars but I find the bars too small for my cravings.  Yes, I have it real bad.  What I have never understood about Hershey’s though is this why are the Hershey’s kisses considered milk chocolate when then taste is far from the amazingness of the Hershey’s Canada milk chocolate chipits.  I really don’t like the standard Hershey’s bar. It’s far too bland for me.  The second thing I can’t understand is how the chocolate in Canada could be so much more different than in the US, with the same Hershey's name.  There are other instances of this that I have noticed and will report on them in the future.

Getting back to chocolate trends and cravings, I do have go to chocolate bars in case I am in a place that doesn’t have Reese’s peanut butter cups.  For the last 3 years, I have been living in such a place.  Can you imagine?   South Koreans have not discovered the magic of chocolate and peanut butter together.  They haven’t really appreciated the test of peanut butter either but that is about to change.  I just exposed 10 of the children I teach to peanut butter so maybe I have started a movement.

Here is a list of chocolate bars that I recommend.  Included in this list are chocolate bars from Korea and I will try to include pictures.

1. Hershey’s reeses peanut butter cups
2. Lindor peanut butter balls
3. Cadbury Dream
4. Cadbury Dairy Milk
5. Cadbury Hazelnut
6. Tim Tams (more of an Australian cookie but so full of chocolate it feels like a bar, consider it an Australian Twix bar with more chocolate and less caramel, unless you get the caramel ones.  Those, by the way, are to die for)
7. Lotte Ghana Mild Cacao
8. Nestle Coffee Crisp
9. Canadian Kit Kat
10.  Snickers
11. Malted Milk
12. Hershey’s kisses (in all flavors, especially the cherry cordial, the hugs, and the after eight ones)
13. Nestle Aero (in mint and milk chocolate flavors, not a big fan of dark chocolate)
14. Nestle Crunch
15. Oh Henry!
16. Sweet Marie
17. Dove Chocolate (milk, dark, hazelnut, all shapes)
18. Mirage
19. Flake
20. Glossette Pieces (I prefer the peanuts)
21. Crispy Crunch

This list will be added to it as I remember or am reminded of other chocolates that I like.  Please comment and let me know what your favorite bars are.

Chocolate Holidays - Easter

So let’s examine the Chocolate Easter Egg.  How did that come about?  Well, according to http://www.hotelchocolat.com/chocolate-easter-gifts-AEasterEggHistory/, it can be traced back to Europe in the 19^th century.  Back then, the Easter eggs were a lot different then they are today.  Small and bitter then, today you can find them in milk and white chocolate as well in various sizes and flavors.  Let’s look at some of the chocolate Easter eggs of the world that I have found.  Warning:  this could make you envious and/or suffer from an enormous chocolate craving.

It’s Easter time.

It’s always been a favorite time of mine. Growing up it meant LOTS of chocolate.  And there isn’t a lack of it around.  If you are thinking of Easter eggs, there are many decisions to make:  solid or hollow, milk, dark or white, big or small.   And if that weren’t enough, you can also choose fillings.   Upon learning about the history of the chocolate Easter egg, I came across http://www.hotelchocolate.com/ .  If you want to see variety in chocolate Easter eggs, look upon this webpage.  Thank goodness it’s too expensive to ship to South Korea or I would be broke.  I haven’t seen such exquisite Chocolate Easter eggs or such variety. One of the famous filled eggs of course is the Cadbury crème eggs.  But now in Canada and many places around the world, you can have them filled with caramel or peanut butter or sometimes even cherry filling.  Are you hungry yet?  I haven’t even begun to talk about the variety of chocolate Easter bunnies that are around.

 

Which came first: the Rabbit or the Egg?

There is little evidence to support my opinion as most research I have found focuses on the egg.  But I feel that the chocolate rabbit emerged at the same time if not a little later than the chocolate egg.  But it too has come a long way from where it came.  You can find the rabbits hollow, solid, dark, white, with sugar accessories, small, big, filled.

The variety makes Easter a remarkable visual holiday in the stores that seduces you into purchases you and your body may not need.  But I have always said death by chocolate is a good way to die.  Here are examples of the variety of chocolate bunnies out there.

What is your favorite Easter chocolate indulgence?

Chocolate gone but not forgotten - Maple Buds

So in doing my research trying to find out how sizes of chocolate bars have changed over the years, I came across this gem. Maple Buds were the best chocolates ever and very Canadian!  They had an unique maple flavor.  Unlike normal rosettes, these chocolate goodies were soft and the taste was heavenly.  I do remember they were hard to find.  But every time I saw them I bought them.  I am not the only one who misses these gems.  There is a Facebook page praising the taste and lamenting the loss of this unique chocolate item.  To all chocolatiers, you have a market you have not conquered yet or explored.  Maple chocolate is to die for and maple buds could be best sellers.  I am confident of this.  Note the size of the content: 37 gm.  The bag was very small for someone who could not get enough of them.  If they can relaunch Mars in the U.S., then surely we can relaunch Maple Buds first in Canada and then the world!!!!!  Thanks to inthe80s.com for their post on these delicious treats.

Chocolate laced with memories

So this is my first blog of many.  I don't know why I didn't do this a lot sooner.  I am not a maker nor seller of chocolate, though I do make the best chocolate peanut butter balls in the world.  Those these Lindt Lindor Truffles Peanut Butter Chocolate, 60-Count Box are to die for.  I discovered them on my last trip home to Canada.  I should have bought more but I digress.

So I was pondering over chocolate and the power it has over my life.  I started to think of many memories that the thought of chocolate brings up.  I would like to share a few of those with you. I will go into more detail when my first podcast gets posted.  For now  here are a few tidbits.

I remember how when I was five I started sneaking chocolate when my parents would fall asleep.

I think back to the times when my mom would take us to the store after swimming class to get a Snickers bar. That taste was so satisfying. It was so full of chocolate and caramel and nuts.  And the slogan was snickers really satisfies.  I can testify that rang true with me.  

I have memories of the first trip that I can remember to the U.S. with my family.  I was in awe of the variety of chocolate and chocolate bars available in the U.S..  I felt so envious of the people that got to be a part of that every day.  While I am still envious of the chocolate in the U.S., there are some chocolate bars that even Americans don't get.  And in another blog I will dispute that the Canadian KitKat is far better than the worldwide and U.S. kitkats..

One blog I am looking forward to posting discusses how chocolate bars have changed in size and price over the years.

Tune in.

***** after posting this Dove Chocolate informed me they have new Dove Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter. My mouth is salivating already. IF any of you feel generous enough to send me some, I'd love you forever.