Chocolate bar

The first solid eating chocolate bars were made in England in the late 1840s, once makers learned to mix cocoa butter back into cocoa and sugar to make a moldable paste. Milk chocolate bars followed in Switzerland later in the century. Today, bars range from plain dark, milk and white chocolate to bars filled with nuts, caramel, fruit or wafers.

A well-made bar is tempered, so it has a glossy surface and a clean snap. Bars should be stored in a cool, dry place, since warmth and humidity cause a dull white bloom.