An ancient 'superfood' sent from heaven
Whether or not you have a sweet tooth, you have probably tried a few candy bars over the years. In fact, some of us can only go without one for so long! Loved all around the world, the chocolate bar, either plain or with a combination of candies, is a sweet staple that's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Which ones are still available today? Click through the following gallery to find out!
In 1932, the Hollywood Candy Company launched the classic caramel stick covered in peanuts. A chocolate-covered version of PayDay can now be found on the shelves, too. The candy bar is now made by The Hershey Company.
Though the name draws inspiration from Alexandre Dumas' novel' 'The Three Musketeers,' it was actually a reference to the three original flavors introduced in 1932: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Other flavors were later introduced.
Probably one of the most popular candy bars in the world, the Mars Bar was introduced in 1932 by Franklin Clarence Mars.
The combination of chocolate, peanuts, caramel, and nougat is what makes Snickers bars so popular. Fun fact: until 1990, Snickers was known as a Marathon bar in the UK and Ireland.
The D. L. Clark Company created this peanut butter and coconut bar in 1930. It's still available today, but it's now made by Hershey.
Not quite a chocolate bar as such, the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup is nonetheless a classic that deserves a spot on this list. The perfect chocolate and peanut butter combo has been around since 1928, and was originally made by the H.B. Reese candy company.
Brothers Bayard and Everett Heath originally marketed this candy bar as Heath English Toffee. It's currently known as the Heath Bar, and is owned by Hershey.
This candy bar was inspired by the Charleston, a 1920s dance named after the city of Charleston, South Carolina.
Hershey launched this bar under the fictitious company name Chocolate Sales Corporation. Apparently, Milton Hershey didn't want to be associated with a candy bar made with peanuts.
Cherry Ripe is Australia's oldest (and favorite) candy bar. It's been around since 1924!
Milky Way is the oldest surviving candy bar from Mars, Inc. It was named after a milkshake, and they went on to produce two flavors: one with vanilla nougat, and one with chocolate nougat.
Interestingly, Milky Way is packaged in two different ways, depending on where you are in the world. You will likely find the one pictured all across the globe, except in the US (pictured in the previous slide). The filling and size are also distinct between the US and international versions.
Bart Simpson made these popular in the 1990s, but Butterfingers have been around since 1923. The Curtiss Candy Company was great at product placement; you can spot the candy bar in the 1934 movie 'Baby, Take a Bow,' starring Shirley Temple.
Love it or hate it, Abba-Zaba has been around for over 100 years, so that says something about its popularity.
Otto Schering, founder of the Curtiss Candy Company, was the man behind the Baby Ruth. It was first marketed as a new version of their Kandy Kake bar, but changed its name in 1921. By the way, it was not named after legendary baseball player Babe Ruth, but rather after Ruth Cleveland, the daughter of President Grover Cleveland, who died at the age of 12.
Despite popular belief, Mounds and Almond Joy were not created at the same time (nor are they the same candy). Mounds were created by Connecticut candyman Vincent Nitido and date back to 1920, whereas the Almond Joy first appeared in 1946.
You can't go wrong with chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, and fudge—and the Williamson Candy Company of Chicago knew that way back in 1920.
Hollywood Brands first started producing this bar in 1920. Zero is now made by Hershey, and you can still eat it!
The Clark Bar was launched in 1917 by the D. L. Clark Company. It originally had a different core, made with caramel.
British confectioner J. S. Fry & Sons were the first to introduce the chocolate-covered, rose-flavored Turkish delight (a sweet gum) candy back in 1914.
Sure, it's not bar-shaped, but the Goo Goo Cluster is actually the oldest combination candy ever produced. Meaning when different types of candy are combined, in this case chocolate, marshmallow nougat, and caramel.
Milton Hershey didn't want his company to be associated with peanuts, but apparently he had no problem with almonds. In 1908, the Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar with Almonds was launched.
The iconic pyramid-shaped chocolate bar filled with nougat, almond, and honey was created in Switzerland in 1908 by Emil Baumann & Theodor Tobler.
Cadbury has been around since 1824. The company first introduced a dark chocolate bar in 1849, and then a milk chocolate bar in 1897. The Dairy bar (which had even more milk) was then launched in 1905. Dairy Milk remains the most popular chocolate bar in the UK.
The Hershey Company first started producing candies and caramels, and then in 1894 moved on to chocolate. In 1900, the first Hershey Bar was born.
Swiss chocolatier Rodolphe Lindt started to produce these in 1879. Today, they come in a variety of flavors, and remain a popular chocolate bar all over the world.
The Swiss multinational food and drink company has been around since 1866. Sadly, the classic Nestlé Milk Chocolate bar was discontinued in 2016, but it certainly deserves a place on this list for its legacy.
J. S. Fry & Sons introduced the Fry's Cream Stick in around 1850. While this one in particular no longer exists, you can still find its 1866 version: Fry’s Chocolate Cream, which is today made by Cadbury.
See also: The sweet history of cupcakes
The world's oldest chocolate bars (still available today)
These were some of the first candy bars produced
FOOD Candy
Whether or not you have a sweet tooth, you have probably tried a few candy bars over the years. In fact, some of us can only go without one for so long! Loved all around the world, the chocolate bar, either plain or with a combination of candies, is a sweet staple that's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Which ones are still available today? Click through the following gallery to find out!