Chocolate bar facts for kids
A chocolate bar is a yummy treat made mostly from chocolate. It's usually shaped like a rectangle or an oblong. This shape helps us tell it apart from big blocks of chocolate used in factories or small, single chocolates like pastilles or chocolate truffles.
When most people say "chocolate bar," they mean a snack-sized bar. It's either covered in chocolate or has a lot of chocolate mixed with other tasty things inside.
A chocolate bar made only from chocolate has a few main parts. These include cocoa solids (the chocolatey part), cocoa butter (the fatty part that makes it smooth), sugar, and often milk. Depending on how much of each is used, you get different kinds of chocolate bars. These are dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate.
Sometimes, other things are added to these main ingredients. For example, vanilla is a common flavor. Soy lecithin is an emulsifier that helps keep the chocolate smooth. Besides vanilla, you can find chocolate bars with flavors like mint, orange, or coffee.
Many chocolate bars have extra ingredients mixed in or layered inside. These can be nuts, fruit, caramel, nougat (a chewy candy), or fondant (a soft, creamy filling). A good example is a Snickers bar, which has nougat, caramel, and peanuts all covered in chocolate. In America, chocolate bars are often called "candy bars." This term can also include similar treats that don't have chocolate, like the Zagnut bar. You can also find chocolate bars with added protein and vitamins, like energy bars or granola bars. These are sold as snacks or to help with nutrition.
How Chocolate Bars Started
For a long time, up until the 1800s, sweet treats were usually sold in small pieces. People would buy them by weight in a bag. But then, chocolate started to be eaten on its own, not just used for drinks or desserts. This led to the first chocolate bars, which were like solid blocks or tablets.
Later, the word "chocolates" came to mean any sweet covered in chocolate. This included nuts, creamy fillings, or caramel candies. The chocolate bar we know today became popular in the late 1800s. It was a handy way to package and sell candy for both buyers and sellers. However, buying candy in a bar meant you had to pay for the wrapping. It was cheaper to buy candy loose, without packaging.
The biggest "chocolate bar" ever made was a fun project by a company called Thorntons plc in the UK. It was made on October 7, 2011. This giant bar weighed about 5,792.5 kilograms (that's over 12,700 pounds!). It was also huge, measuring 4 meters by 4 meters by 0.35 meters.
Chocolate has a lot of calories, which means it can give you a quick burst of energy. However, most chocolate also contains a good amount of fat.
Chocolate comes from the cacao tree. On these trees, you'll find cocoa pods. These pods can grow to be as big as a melon. When they are ripe, they change color from green to orange. Then, workers can open them up and take out the cocoa beans. In factories, special machines break down these cocoa beans. This process creates cocoa butter and chocolate liquor. After that, sugar and milk are often added to make the chocolate taste even better.
Images for kids
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A Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel bar in its foil wrapper
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A traditional Modica Chocolate bar, similar to early solid chocolate
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Fry and Sons Manufactory in Bristol in the 19th century
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Ad for Gala Peter
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A Mars bar
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A ruby chocolate bar containing caramelised almonds and pistachios
See also
In Spanish: Barrita de chocolate para niños
