Caramilk facts for kids
The logo for Australian Caramilk
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| Type | Chocolate bar |
|---|---|
| Created by | Cadbury |
| Invented | 1968 |
| Similar dishes | List of Cadbury products |
Caramilk is the brand name for two very different chocolate bar treats made by Cadbury. Even though they share a name and were both created in 1968, they are not the same. One version is famous in Canada, while the other is popular in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
Contents
The Two Types of Caramilk
The Canadian Caramilk: A Caramel Surprise
The Caramilk bar sold in Canada is a classic milk chocolate bar with a soft, runny caramel filling. It's made at a single Cadbury factory in Toronto.
In Canada, there's a rule that only solid chocolate can be called a "chocolate bar." Because Caramilk has a liquid center, it's officially labeled as "candy," even though it's made with chocolate.
Special Flavors
Over the years, Cadbury has released special limited-edition versions of Caramilk. These have included bars made with dark chocolate, or with maple, chocolate, or cappuccino-flavored caramel. There was also a version called Caramilk Thick with an even bigger chunk of chocolate.
The Famous Caramilk Secret
For many years, the advertising campaign for Caramilk in Canada was all about a big mystery: How do they get the soft caramel inside the chocolate bar? This "Caramilk Secret" became a huge part of Canadian pop culture.
The ad campaign was so popular that it led to over 15 different TV commercials. One funny ad showed two aliens bragging that they knew the secret. Another award-winning commercial featured Leonardo da Vinci getting the idea for the Mona Lisa's smile while she was eating a Caramilk bar.
The Australian Caramilk: A Golden Treat
The Caramilk bar sold in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Ireland is completely different. It's not filled with caramel. Instead, it's a solid bar of caramelized white chocolate. This gives it a unique golden color and a special sweet taste.
This version was first sold in 1968 but was taken off the market in 1994. It became so missed that Cadbury brought it back as a limited edition in New Zealand in 2017 and in Australia in 2018. It was so popular that it is now sold regularly in several countries.
Fun Variations
The success of the Australian Caramilk led to some creative new products.
- Dairy Milk Caramilk Top Deck: A bar with a layer of milk chocolate on the bottom and a layer of Caramilk on top.
- Caramilk Marble: A bar with milk chocolate and Caramilk swirled together, with a hazelnut praline filling.
- Caramilk Hokey Pokey: A special version in New Zealand that has crunchy honeycomb toffee pieces mixed into the Caramilk chocolate.
- It has even been made into a flavor of Philadelphia cream cheese!
Caramilk's Cousins Around the World
The Canadian-style Caramilk, with its caramel filling, has several close relatives sold in other countries under different names.
- United Kingdom & Ireland: In the UK and Ireland, a very similar bar is sold as the Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel.
- Australia & New Zealand: In Australia and New Zealand, it's known as the Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramello.
- United States: In the U.S., it's called Cadbury's Caramello. It has been made by The Hershey Company since 1988.
