Today’s episode is a little bit different than our usual line up. That is because we have five different candy bars from different places around the globe. We have Australia, the UK, Poland, and Holland
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Which foreign snacks are we trying today?
Chocolade Reep Puur - Holland
Violet Crumble Dark - Australia
Nestle Yorkie Raisin and Biscuit - UK
Cadbury Curly Wurly - UK
Olsa Prince Polo Classic XXL - Poland
Nestle Orange Smarties Bar - UK
Who is on this adventurous quest?
Kris, a classic man.
Nate, ready to fight.
Matt, the voice of sanity.
Amy, okay….
And of course, our subscribers! Thanks to our small, yet coveted group. We appreciate the support. You too can join us on this food journey. All you need to do is… SUBSCRIBE!
The History of Chocolate
Chocolate is made from the fruit of cacao trees, which are native to Central and South America. The fruits are called pods and each pod contains around 40 cacao beans. The beans are dried and roasted to create cocoa beans.
It is unclear when cacao was discovered. Ancient Olmec pots and vessels from around 1500 B.C. were discovered with traces of theobromine, the stimulant compound in chocolate and tea. But the Mayans are the ones who wrote mentions of chocolate drinks being used in celebrations and ceremonies. Also important in Aztec culture, they believed cacao was given to them by their gods. They used cacao in their drinks, but also used the beans as currency to buy food and other goods. In fact, cacao beans were considered more valuable than gold.
Chocolate first arrived in Europe in 1502, when Christopher Columbus discovered cacao beans intercepting a trade ship, bringing the beans back to Spain. Another story is of Cortes being introduced to chocolate by the Aztecs and bringing the beans to Spain as well. By the late 1500s it was a much-loved indulgence by the Spanish court.
The first American chocolate house opened in Boston in 1682. By 1773, cocoa beans were a major American colony import.
The first chocolate bar was created in 1847 by British chocolatier J.S. Fry and Sons. The bar was molded from paste made of sugar, chocolate liquor, and cocoa butter. Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter is generally credited for adding dried milk powder to chocolate to create milk chocolate in 1876 and eventually worked with his friend Henri Nestle to create the Nestle company which brought milk chocolate to the mass market.
The Results
**SPOILER ALERT!**
Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!
6th Place: Nestle Yorkie Raisin and Biscuit
Amy - 2
Kris - 3
Matt - 4
Nate - 2
5th Place: Violet Crumble Dark
Amy - 4
Kris - 4
Matt - 3
Nate - 4
4th/3rd Place (Tie!): Cadbury Curly Wurly
Amy - 7
Kris - 7
Matt - 5
Nate - 3
4th/3rd Place (Tie!): Nestle Orange Smarties Bar
Amy - 5
Kris - 8
Matt - 5
Nate - 4
2nd Place: Olsa Prince Polo Classic XXL
Amy - 4
Kris - 7
Matt - 4
Nate - 8
1st Place: Chocolade Reep Puur
Amy - 8
Kris - 9
Matt - 8
Nate - 10
There you have it. Chocolade Reep Puur receives the Quest for the Best seal of approval.
Thank you all for joining us on this episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Have you tried any of these? We would love to hear your rating as well.
Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.
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SHOW NOTES:
https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-americas/history-of-chocolate
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-brief-history-of-chocolate-21860917/
Foreign Chocolate Bars