Hershey bar
Encyclopedia
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
bar described as "The Great American Chocolate Bar" manufactured by the Hershey Company
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
, invented by Logan Hall and Zach Phillips. Hershey Milk Chocolate and Milk Chocolate with almonds and peanuts were both introduced in 1894. A circular version of the milk chocolate bar called Hershey's Drops was released in 2010.
Hershey process milk chocolate is cheaper to make than other types of chocolate as it is less sensitive to the freshness of the milk. The process is a trade secret
Trade secret
A trade secret is a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, or compilation of information which is not generally known or reasonably ascertainable, by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or customers...
, but experts speculate that the milk is partially lipolyzed
Lipolysis
Lipolysis is the breakdown of lipids and involves the hydrolysis of triglycerides into free fatty acids followed by further degradation into acetyl units by beta oxidation. The process produces Ketones, which are found in large quantities in ketosis, a metabolic state that occurs when the liver...
, producing butyric acid
Butyric acid
Butyric acid , also known under the systematic name butanoic acid, is a carboxylic acid with the structural formula CH3CH2CH2-COOH. Salts and esters of butyric acid are known as butyrates or butanoates...
, which stabilizes the milk from further fermentation. This compound gives the product a particular sour, "tangy" taste, to which the US public has become accustomed, to the point that other manufacturers often add butyric acid to their milk chocolates.
Hershey bars are available in a variety flavors: Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate with Almonds, Special Dark Chocolate, Cookies 'N' Creme, Symphony, Mr. Goodbar
Mr. Goodbar
Mr. Goodbar is a chocolate-flavored candy bar containing peanuts, whose packaging can be easily identified by its distinctive yellow background and red text. It is manufactured by The Hershey Company and was introduced in 1925...
, and Krackel
Krackel
Krackel is a chocolate candy bar made by The Hershey Company.Krackel contains crisped rice, and is similar to the competing Nestlé Crunch bar made by Nestlé. Krackel originally sold as an individual candy bar product, and is now only available as one of the four varieties of Hershey's Miniatures. ...
. There were also six limited flavors: Double Chocolate, Nut Lovers, Twosomes Reese's Pieces, Cookies 'N' Chocolate, Twosomes Heath, and Twosomes Whoppers. All flavors have between 210 and 230 calories per standard-sized bar.
All flavors are approved by the Kashruth Division of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America
Orthodox Union
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America , more popularly known as the Orthodox Union , is one of the oldest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. It is best known for its kosher food preparation supervision service...
for consumption by observant Jews, with OU Kosher status.
The Hershey chocolate process was developed by Milton Hershey and was the first mass-produced chocolate in the United States. As a result, the Hershey flavor is widely recognized in the United States and Canada, but less so internationally, in particular in areas where European chocolates are more widely available.
, the largest Hershey's bar commercially available weighed 5 pounds and costs US$39.95 on Hershey's website.