How white chocolate evolved from a coating for kids’ medicine into a sweet, creamy treat
The weird story of how white chocolate was made is surprisingly tied to medicines and energy-booster formulas discovered by its creator, Henri Nestlé
The mention of chocolate and its creamy goodness doesn’t usually make one imagine the white variety. Be it the cream colour as opposed to the shiny pure dark and light brown, white chocolate almost sounds out of place. It’s a bit like pink, yellow and blue wine; they still belong to the booze category though are a bit of an exception.
And yet white chocolate is just as much part of the chocolate universe as all other cocoa products that tantalise taste buds and conquer the sweet tooth. As a matter of fact, white chocolate fans are a niche breed of consumers with peculiar preferences.
“White chocolate satisfies the palates of people who do not like the strong flavour of dark bitter chocolate but want something sweeter. [The sweet taste is] due to the addition of vanilla [which makes it] more creamy”, says Valeria Feggi of Italian chocolate group Domori and cocoa teacher at the International Institute Chocolier.
White chocolate meets demand coming from specific consumers that would otherwise be cut off from chocolate delights.”
The weird story of the evolution of white chocolate is surprisingly tied to medicines and energy-booster formulas. But how can something sweet as chocolate have anything to do with nasty potions, bitter concoctions and health remedies? One hint: as Mary Poppins used to sing, it’s a spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down.
The ivory-coloured twist was a scientific creation. Switzerland is a chocolate kingdom so it’s no surprise the inventor of white chocolate is a German-Swiss man, albeit not a pastry artist.
He was a chemist called Henri Nestlé who later on delved into the chocolate industry and founded the Nestlé group, one of the world’s biggest food and drink companies. Being a scientist, Nestlé was always looking for innovations that could better life quality.
In 1875 Nestlé joined forces with Swiss businessman Daniel Peter to make history’s first milk chocolate using high-quality condensed milk. Nestlé eventually bought Peter’s chocolate firm and expanded and invested in research to find new ways to use condensed milk, specifically in medicine and health.
The turning point occurred in 1936, according to the Nestlé historical archives, when Nestlé launched white chocolate bars in Europe under the name Galak (or Milky Bar in the UK).