The First Ever Candy Bar Was Not Child Friendly - Here's Why

Before chocolate was made into chewable pieces, the luxury was mostly consumed as a drink made with milk. We have chocolatier J.S. Fry and Sons to thank for coming up with the idea that chocolate could be enjoyed in a different way. In 1847, what has become dubbed as the first chocolate bar was made from paste. Admittedly, the history surrounding the exact invention is hazy, as a letter from a prisoner written in 1779 referenced a chocolate bar, and chocolate tablets were produced in a Swiss factory in 1819. Chocolatier J.S. Fry, however, mixed together sugar, chocolate liquor, and cocoa butter to form a mass that could be set and shaped. His unique recipe was cheaper and easier to form into candy bars than working with solid chocolate pills or millstones used to ground cocoa at that time.

Keep in mind that while chocolate liquor may sound boozy, this is the base form of chocolate that results from the grinding of peeled cacao nibs. There's no alcohol in chocolate liquor, but chocolate liquor does contain caffeine. In its purest form, chocolate liquor offers up more caffeine than processed chocolates made with added ingredients like milk and sugar.

Chocolat Delicieux a Manger, Fry's first chocolate bar, was released in 1849. The sweet invention took on an assortment of revisions, and Fry began to sell other bar-like treats including Fry's Chocolate Cream, a candy that maintains the title of the world's longest running chocolate bar. J.S. Fry & Sons was the first company to mass produce chocolate bars, turning what was originally viewed as a treat for the upper echelon into an accessible pleasure for the masses.

Due to a harder texture, earlier versions of chocolate bars could be difficult for some to enjoy and the concept wasn't a quick hit among the general public. Fry's main buyers ended up being sailors in the Royal Navy who were looking to replace sips of rum with something comparably enjoyable. Swiss chocolatiers came to the rescue and helped change perceptions of chocolate bars by making smoother pieces with powdered, condensed milk. The concept was a hit, and countries around the world were soon making their own versions. Various theories exist to explain the enduring popularity of chocolate bars, but we can confidently deduce that the rise of corner stores and vending machines have helped maintain business.