Hashachar Haole Chocolate Spread
For generations, Israeli children have been split on the issue of the perfect chocolate spread. One of the main contenders has always been Hashachar Haole’s offering. Back when I was a child, no packed lunch was complete without a sandwich spread with the above. As teenagers, we took it along on our school trips and started each day with some coffee and a sandwich made out of digestive biscuits and a generous helping of this spread.
Even today, when the market is full of posher alternatives, Hashachar Haole is still the spread of choice for nostalgic Israeli parents who pass on the love to their children. It is, you can say, an institution.
But what does it taste like and how does it compare to other spreads on the market? I figured it’s time to revisit my childhood obsession and find out.
Sadly, having tried it, I must say that Hashachar Haole is rather disappointing in today’s standards. It’s neither refined nor indulgent in flavour but just very very sweet: I’d say 70% pure sweetness and 30% chocolate flavour. This is not surprising considering the fact that sugar seems to be the main ingredient in this spread.
Unfortunately, there is also a strange aftertaste involved that is rather sickly, so I found I couldn’t eat more than a tiny amount unless I spread a it quite thinly on something large enough to mitigate the effect.
Luckily, in spite of its thick consistency, Hashachar Haole spreads easily and effectively on sandwiches of both the bread and biscuit variety.
The Verdict
If you’re used to more upmarket spreads, you probably won’t like this one very much. It’s a basic product designed to satisfy children’s sweet tooth in the simplest and quickest way possible. It’s a relic from simpler times when all that was required from a chocolate spread was to be brown and sweet. As such, it does work to this day: my 10 year old brother would happily demolish a jar of the stuff as a snack if he were allowed to do so. Being kosher parev (or parve) Hashachar Haole is also suitable for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant, as it contains no dairy ingredients. That’s about as far as it goes, though. The rest is pure nostalgia.
Information
- Filed under hashachar haole, israel, kosher, spread.
Shimrit I don’t doubt for a second that the spread is too sugary and sickly for an adult palate, but you guys ate this in your school lunchtime sandwiches? Whoah…. that sure beats my Vegemite and cheese!
I grew up on this and my mom still finds it in NY and sends me on request to TX. I looked at the photo and noticed why the taste was off. When I grew up in Israel way back when, there was only ONE kind of spread, now the brand has 2. The yellow top one you reviewed is PARVE, meaning no milk products in it, therefore, it not even real chocolate. If you want to sample the one that is famous and most popular then find the white/clear top one and review that. THAT ONE IS THE ORIGINAL, and still taste the same as when I was a boy.
Not the parve!!!
The “real” stuff is great.
Available in my local Shaw’s Supermarket.
I like it very much but the problem is how to access it in my country because its not even easy to get in the market, infact the product is amazing!
Let me also recommend their kosher-for-pesach baker’s chocolate. Look for it this time of year and stock up.
Who the hell are you, Shimrit? Are you kiddin me??? This is the best chocolate in the whole world! It is an awesome chocolate, what are you talking about?! I gave it to friends and roommates here in NY, one was a French guy, they were literally mesmerized! They did not believe it. They were overcome by taste and flavor of this amazing chocolate. I don’t know what you’re talking about. You ate the Parve one which is really, nothing to rave about. But try the regular, the milky one. Then you’ll see what it means. Heck. I grew up on this chocolate spread, I got used to its taste, but not having tasted it for a while then eating it again – it was a heavenly experience, I tell ya. But you really gotta have the milky the dairy one not the parve. The parve is no good, I agree. But the milky one, with its vanilla smell and all the aroma that it reeks – it’s something to really rave about. Don’t confuse anybody here. Trust me, that chocolate spread is like something – if you haven’t eaten from it yet – is something like you’ve never had in your life, trust me! 70% pure sweetness and 30% cocoa. What else do you want with it? That’s exactly what chocolate is: sugar and cocoa. There’s nothing healthy about it. But it’s a desert, it’s a delicacy, if you will. What else do you want it to have? It’s sugar, cocoa and flavors. That’s all. I don’t understand…