The Kit Kat was introduced in August of 1935, by Rowntree’s, a candy company based in York, England. Today, it is owned by Nestlé, a world famous chocolate brand.
Kit Kats are a type of chocolate that is made up of three layers of wafers. The wafers are covered with a layer of chocolate inside and out. Each whole piece is considered a “finger.” Each package of Kit Kats usually has either one, two, or four fingers connected together.
The name of this delicious candy comes from the Kit Kat club, which is named after Christopher Catling. Catling would hold a famous political and literary club in his London pie shop in the 17th century.
The red and silver design has maintained consistency since the Kit Kat’s debut except for one small period in time. In 1942, the wrapper was changed to blue to portray the change in recipe that resulted from a shortage of fresh milk. However, as availability of milk slowly increased, the red logo made its perpetual return in 1949.
Kit Kat became an international treat in the 1950’s. The brand started expanding to countries such as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Television greatly expanded the brand as well. In 1958, advertising agent Donald Gillies from JWT of London introduced the classic phrase, “Have a break, have a Kit Kat,” in a few commercials and press campaigns. Today, it is the brand’s registered trademark.
Different countries around the world have different variations of the Kit Kat. Here in America, we have milk, white, or dark chocolate, along with a few seasonal flavors. But Japan has over 200 different kinds! Japan has exciting flavors such as soy sauce, corn, green beans, miso, cherry, green tea, and yubari melon. Japan even created a bakeable Kit Kat, which is covered in dough and filled with flavors such as pudding and cheesecake.
Kit Kats will always be at the top of my list. I absolutely love their chocolate taste that just melts in my mouth along with the crunchy, crispy wafers. As my teeth chew down onto the wafer, the chocolate fills my mouth. This makes the Kit Kat quite unique compared to other chocolates, which are usually either plain, with a nougat, with caramel, with peanuts, or some combination of those variations.
So after a long day of classes, “Have a break! Have a Kit Kat!”
Fun Fact: In the Untied States, the Hershey Company has special permission to produce Kit Kats.
Sources
http://breakwithkitkat.weebly.com/history-of-kit-kat.html
http://mentalfloss.com/article/69593/12-snappy-facts-about-kit-kat
https://www.oldtimecandy.com/collections/walk-the-candy-aisle-kit-kat