Toblerone

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An opened Toblerone bar
An opened Toblerone bar

Toblerone (pronounced /ˈtoʊbləroʊn/ in English, and /to.blɛ.ˈʁo.ne/ in Swiss German) is a chocolate bar made by Kraft Foods Switzerland. It is best known for its triangular chunks (representing the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps),[1] its distinctive packaging, its prism shape and its ubiquity in airport duty-free shops.

Toblerone was created by Theodor Tobler and Emil Baumann in Bern, Switzerland in 1908. The two gentlemen developed a unique milk chocolate including nougat, almonds and honey with a distinctive triangular shape. The product's name is a portmanteau combining Tobler's name with the Italian word torrone (a type of nougat).[1]

Contents

[edit] Variations

Limited edition
Limited edition

In 1932 Tobler made the first filled bars of chocolate, the Tobler-O-rum.

Since the 1970s, other versions of the Toblerone have been produced. These include plain chocolate (dark chocolate) in a green or black wrapper, white chocolate in a white wrapper, "snow-capped" editions with white chocolate peaks (also in a white/silver wrapper), Filled editions - milk chocolate with a white chocolate centre (blue wrapper), and OneByOne, individually wrapped triangular chunks. New for 2007 is a Fruit and Nut version with a half purple cardboard box. New for 2008 is a Honeycomb crisp version with a half white box with honeycomb pieces pictured on it. Bar sizes range from ten centimetres to nearly one metre, all similarly proportioned.

Seasonal packaging variations are produced, often with a separate outer sleeve bearing a topical parody of the Toblerone logo, including "ToMyLove" and "HoHoHo".

[edit] Sizes and peaks

According to Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany the sizes and number of peaks for Toblerones are as follows:

Size Mini 35g 50g 75g 100g 200g 400g 750g 4.5kg
Peaks 3 9 11 11 12 15 15 17 12

[edit] Manufacturing

Theodor Tobler applied for a patent for the Toblerone manufacturing process in Bern in 1906. [1]

[edit] "Toblerone affair"

In 1995 it was revealed that the Swedish politician Mona Sahlin had bought, among other things, a Toblerone using her Riksdag credit card. She was forced to step down as a candidate for the post as Prime Minister. This was later called the "Toblerone affair." She returned to politics in 1998. [2]

[edit] Trademark

The Toblerone brand was trademarked in 1909, at the Federal Institute for Intellectual Property in Bern.[3] Albert Einstein was employed there as a patent clerk, at the time.[3]

[edit] Symbol

There is a hidden bear in the Matterhorn mountain symbolizing Bern, the town of its origin.[2]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Toblerone: Shape and Name. Our Secret: A Different Form of Enjoyment. Kraft Foods (2006). Retrieved on 2008-02-03.
  2. ^ Svensson, Britta. "Nej det handlade inte bara om Toblerone...", Expressen, 2007-01-05. Retrieved on 2007-01-24. (Swedish) 
  3. ^ a b Toblerone: 1909. How it All Began: Tobler's Chocolate. Kraft Foods (2006). Retrieved on 2008-02-03.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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Kraft brands