There are many different ways that chocolate is distributed throughout the world and people often neglect the history of shaped chocolates for different occasions. Walk around the supermarket and chocolate lovers will see block or bar shaped chocolate of various sizes. The shape of chocolate depends on the time of the year, festivities and national holidays.
Early forms of dark chocolate were in the form of blocks of various sizes and bars that were sold in shops or melted by manufacturers. However, experiments with different sizes and dimensions have happened numerous times throughout history and are often associated with religious traditions and national holidays.
Cadbury created fancy boxes with chocolate in the shape of a heart for Valentine’s Day in 1868. This added to the close association between love and chocolate. Chocolate and more specifically heart-shaped chocolate is now an acceptable gift on Valentine’s day in many countries throughout the world.
There are various opinions about the originality of Easter Eggs but it is believed that the tradition started in the 13th century and has continued ever since. In 1873 J.S. Fry & Sons of England made the first chocolate Easter egg in Britain. Religious significance influenced the shape of modern day chocolate Easter eggs. The former tradition was to colour real eggs before chocolate Easter eggs.
Some companies used different shaped chocolate to promote and give their products a distinguished look. Toblerone made chocolate with joined triangular shaped pieces of chocolate made into a bar. This could be divided easily between individuals. Toblerone was created in 1908 by Theodor Tobler in Bern, Switzerland. He was helped by his cousin Emil Baumann. The chocolate was so distinguishable it became related to Switzerland and its mountains.
The popularity of this distinguishable shaped chocolate was changed slightly by the company in 2016. They decided to add a larger gap between each section of the triangularly shaped chocolates. The company also decreased the weight of Toblerone bars. They also received criticism from longtime lovers of the chocolate. The change even attracted the criticism of politicians and governments. The change attracted attention by the media and was a well publicized change despite the criticism.
Many people never consider the importance of chocolate shapes in their purchases but most people have bought many different shaped chocolates to express their love or to communicate religious significance. Some companies have used shapes to make their mark in the chocolate market. The unique shapes of some well-known brands of chocolate have often prevented many companies from experimenting with radical shapes, They have avoided cliches but the future of chocolate production is uncertain and there will no doubt be new attempts to sell chocolate with different shapes.