What The Shape Of Your Assorted Box Of Chocolate Is Trying To Tell You

Forrest Gump may never be able to tell what's in a box of chocolates (he should at least know there are chocolates in there, right?), but you may be able to at least glean a couple of insights from just looking at the package. Even before just reading the back of the box or that fun information sheet with pictures and names of all the different kinds of chocolate, you should know that chocolatiers are very deliberate in their designs, per Real Simple.

Thierry Murt, the Executive Chef Chocolatier for Godiva Chocolates, told Epicurious that confectioners are looking to convey the whole body of flavors and textures through the shapes that they create. So, through a deliciously sweet combination of stylistic choices and practical necessity, they design certain kinds of shapes, colors, textures, and materials for specific kinds of chocolates. Thankfully for you, American boxes of chocolates tend to follow certain general rules of design.

According to Epicurious, softer angles indicate softer centers and harder lines in the shapes indicate more robust fillings. This means that reaching for an oval shape, a circular piece, or even just any form with more rounded edges will usually mean a nice smooth, carefree taste of buttercream or some kind of cordial, per Real Simple. Rectangular or square shapes with a bit more structuring will typically mean the centers that are a bit more robust. Caramels with varying degrees of softness and fudges are usually rectangular or have sharper edges.

As a rule, chocolates with bumpier textures are a safe bet for nuts (usually, you can actually even see the outline of the nut in the piece of chocolate) and are typically packaged with a bit of paper like peanut butter cups. Foil packaging is usually a good indicator of chocolate with a very gooey center, something prone to leaking. Now that you know what the different shapes mean, you won't have to guess which chocolate you should avoid because of nuts.