Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats
Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats, also known as chocolate teacakes, are confections consisting of a biscuit base topped with marshmallow-like filling and then coated in a hard shell of chocolate. They were invented in Denmark in the 19th century under the name Flødeboller, and later also produced and distributed by Viau cookie factory in Montreal as early as 1901. Numerous varieties exist, with regional variations in recipes. Some variants of these confections have previously been known in many countries by names comprising equivalents of the English word negro.
National varieties
North America
Canada
Théophile Viau first manufactured these as "Empire" biscuits in Montreal, and introduced them at a hockey game in Westmount in 1901, but in 1927, in order to lower costs, he removed the vanilla and renamed the product "Whippets". Today, Whippets are produced in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, by Dare Foods which bought the Viau bakery. They are currently available with both dark chocolate and milk chocolate coatings, and twelve varieties of flavors."Viva Puffs" are similar to Whippets; they are produced by Dare Foods in two flavours. Viva is a trade name; these confections have been known in Canada for at least 50 years as "chocolate puffs".
The cookies are similar to Mallomars of New York City. They also bear a striking resemblance to Tunnock's Tea Cakes as well as [|krembos]. However, the Tunnock tea cake does not have the same kind of chocolate nor filling.
An episode of the Canadian science program How It's Made showed the production process behind the cookie. However, many aspects of the production process were not revealed. The show's narrator described these aspects as "classified information".
United States
In the United States, Mallomars are produced by Nabisco. A graham cracker circle is overlaid with extruded marshmallow, then coated in a thin shell of dark chocolate. Mallomars were introduced to the public in 1913, the same year as the Moon Pie. The first box of Mallomars was sold in West Hoboken, New Jersey.Mallomars are generally available from early October through to April. They are not distributed during the summer months, supposedly because they melt easily in summer temperatures, though this is as much for marketing reasons as for practical ones. Devoted eaters of the cookie have been known to stock up during winter months and keep them refrigerated over the summer, although Nabisco markets other chocolate-coated cookie brands year-round. Eighty-five percent of all Mallomars are sold in the New York metropolitan area. They are produced entirely within Canada, at a factory in Scarborough, Ontario.
Northern and Western Europe
Austria
The Austrian version of chocolate-coated egg white foam is called. It was created in 1926 by Walter Niemetz who chose the name in honour of a friend of Swedish origin who had a hand in the development. Manufacturing started in 1930. Schwedenbomben were originally only sold at six per pack, but are now also available in packs of twelve and twenty. Regardless of the pack size, half the pieces in a pack are plain and the other half are sprinkled with coconut flakes.Schwedenbomben are immensely popular in Austria. They have a market share of around 80% and a brand recognition of about 94%.
Denmark
In Denmark, the treat was originally made using cream ; however, the filling was later made from egg whites to help industrialize production and improve shelf life. In Denmark, the confection is known as a flødebolle and was in some parts, mostly in the Copenhagen area of Denmark, historically known as a negerbolle or negerkys. In the 1960s through 1980s, the term negro was phased out by all major producers due to its use as a racial slur. Denmark also markets a variation shaped more like a patty, hence the name bøf. Note that the Swedish word negerboll is used for a similar but different confection.Denmark is one of the largest producers of chocolate-coated marshmallow treats, producing approximately 800 million of these every year. The largest Danish producer, Elvirasminde, produces roughly 650 million treats; the company sends 400 million abroad and leaving the remaining 250 million to be eaten by the Danish population, putting the amount of flødeboller eaten at 45 per Dane per year.
In Denmark, chocolate-coated marshmallow treats are traditionally handed out in school by children on their birthday. They are found in any supermarket, and most confectioners will have delicacy versions. It is also a popular addition to ice cream cones, offered at most shops selling ice cream. Usually they are placed on top of the last ball of ice cream with whipped cream and jam. Sometimes they are even found in restaurants. Many baking enthusiasts see them as a challenge, and it was a technical challenge in Den store Bagedyst on Danish TV.
The popularity of the treat is evident from the sheer number of varieties. Variations in coating range from white chocolate over dark chocolate to liquorice coating, with or without sprinkles. The base is often a plain wafer in commercial products, but delicacy and homemade versions often have shortbread, marzipan biscuits or other bases. Flavoured filling is also very common, especially when homemade, but liquorice, marzipan and other flavors are commercially available. Variation in form is also common, often seen in commercial products ranging from wide and flat to tall with sharp edges.
Luxury versions have become more popular, and has also made the image of the flødebolle change from a basic candy or cake to a luxury product suitable as a dessert or present, similar to a box of high-quality chocolates.
Belgium
In Belgium, Milka branded it under the name Melo-Cakes. These popular treats are sold in packages of six to thirty pieces.In Flanders, the confection is known as negerinnentetten. The word can either be translated as "negress's tits" or could originate from the French word for head, tête, as the French word for this confection used to be tête de nègre, which is French for "negro's head". This is also the probable origin of an alternative name negertetten. Nowadays manufacturers market the confection under a different name, as the aforementioned terms are considered to be offensive.
Germany
In Germany, the was first made commercially in 1920, although the first mention of them dates to 1892. Industrial manufacturing started in the 1950s. The sweets are made all year long, with approximately one billion made per year, placing average consumption at about one dozen per person per year. They are available in supermarkets and bakeries, and are traditionally sold at fairs. The interior is always egg white foam, sweetened with sugar, but there are also varieties using sugar substitutes available on the German market.Sometimes they are consumed pressed between two halves of a bun, which is also referred to as a mostly by children.
The original colloquial names were and , but after eventually concluding that these names had racist connotations most companies changed the product-name to , or to brand-specific names like Dickmann's.
Switzerland
In German-speaking Switzerland, they are still sold as. In the French-speaking part of Switzerland, as well as in France, they are known as têtes choco ; they are more commonly referred as in France, which is also a racial slur.Great Britain
These differ from the domed biscuit or wafer based styles and contain a higher proportion of thicker rippled chocolate, topped with a half walnut.Scotland
In Scotland, this confection is known as a chocolate teacake; however, the confection is entirely unlike the usual English teacake, a sweet roll with dried fruit which is served toasted and buttered. Teacakes are generally served in the afternoon alongside a traditional British tea. There are several manufacturers of chocolate teacakes in the UK, though the best known is Tunnock's, a Scottish company founded in 1890. It was invented by Sir Boyd Tunnock in 1956. He developed the idea of using Italian meringue. He made a biscuit base, hand piped the mallow onto the base and covered it in milk chocolate. The Tunnock's teacake is commonly regarded in the same food category as the British biscuit, eaten at break times with a cup of tea as shown in advertising for the product. Popular throughout the UK, the Tunnock's Teacake enjoys iconic status in Scotland, evoking memories of childhood, or symbolising "home" for Scots around the world.The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service gives Tunnock's teacakes to blood donors in Scotland after giving blood. There is an online appreciation society for the Tunnock's teacake and Dundee University also has an appreciation society for the Tunnock's teacake. A giant fully edible replica of a Tunnock's teacake was made by Michelle Kershaw and Nick Dodds at Pimp That Snack. The opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow featured giant dancing Tunnock's teacakes.
The product itself consists of a small round shortbread base covered with a hemisphere of Italian meringue, a whipped egg white concoction similar to marshmallow. As this soft white fondant is based on egg white rather than gelatine, it is much more delicate than marshmallow. This also means that a Tunnock's teacake is suitable for vegetarians, unlike any marshmallow-based alternatives. The Italian meringue is then coated in a thin layer of milk or plain chocolate and, in the case of Tunnock's, wrapped in a distinctive red and silver foil for the more popular milk chocolate variety, and a blue and gold wrapping for the plain chocolate type. Several competing brands to Tunnock's, such as Lees' Foods, also include jam in the centre of the teacake. In 2013, British café chain Costa Coffee introduced the giant marshmallow teacake, which is around three times the size of a standard teacake, with a chocolate biscuit base topped with marshmallow and raspberry jam in the centre.
An argument about whether the teacake is a biscuit or a cake led to an action in the European Court of Justice by British company Marks and Spencer. The UK tax authorities eventually accepted the company's argument that the teacakes were cakes but refused to repay most of the VAT. The European court ruled that in principle the tax should be repaid and in a further hearing before the UK Law Lords in 2009, after 13 years of litigation, Marks and Spencer won full repayment of the tax they had paid from 1973 to 1994, amounting to £3.5 million. This case was fought with Jaffa cakes.