Toblerone

I’m going to start today with a history lesson…

..wait! Don’t run away! This is a chocolate history lesson!

Toblerone was created in 1908 by Theodore Tobler and Emil Baumann. The name comes from ‘Tobler’ and ‘Torrone’, the Italian word for the almond honey nougat in the chocolate. And presumably ‘Baumannone’ didn’t have quite the same ring to it.

A year later, the Toblerone became the first chocolate product ever to be patented.

The distinctive shape of Toblerone represents the shape of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps, which also forms the logo on the packaging.

OK. Enough history.

Toblerone was one of those chocolates that was always around at Christmas when I was a kid, but I never really bought it myself. I think this was primarily because it’s quite expensive, but also because it was regarded as just a little bit naff – a bit like Ferrero Rocher.

This was the first bar I’d had since those days, and it was simply delicious. The chocoate is smooth and tasty and the flecks of nougat are chewy and add texture. You don’t really taste the honey or almonds, but the overall effect is distinctively Toblerone.

I do have one gripe though. The shape. Yes, I’m a philistine – but it’s just such a waste, particularly in the small bar pictured here.

Nearly half the packaging is taken up by air, and I don’t like paying for air. The makers (Kraft) do now make a range of chocolate, but they’re all still that triangular shape. If it was available in a standard bar, I’d probably buy it regularly, but for now I suspect this will remain primarily a Christmas treat (when I steal it from friends and family).

Posted by Dom on 17 Jul 2006 at 08:07 PM | 5 Comments
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