Today's selection -- from The American Plate by Libby H. O'Connell. The Hershey Bar:
"Milton Hershey was a young American caramel manufacturer who traveled to Chicago's World Columbian Exposition in 1893. There, he became convinced that the future of candy making lay in chocolate, after seeing the confection being made with the latest technology. By 1900, he had developed the Hershey Bar, a milk chocolate bar that Americans embraced. He sold his caramel business for the then-stunning sum of $1 million and, in 1903, began construction of a chocolate plant in his hometown of Derry Church, Pennsylvania -- soon to be rechristened 'Hershey.'
"In 1907, a flat-bottomed, teardrop-shaped piece of milk chocolate, called the Hershey Kiss, hit the marketplace. Individually wrapped in foil by hand, the kisses were bite-sized and affordable. By 1921, a machine wrapped each kiss in foil and added the little paper ribbon bearing the name Hershey, which is still part of each Hershey Kiss today. Other chocolate products followed, including Mr. Goodbar (1925), Hershey's Syrup (1926), and Krackel (1938).
1. Weigh four ounces
2. Be high in food energy value
3. Be able to withstand high temperatures
4. Taste 'a little better than a boiled potato' (so the soldiers would reserve the bars for emergencies and not use them as a sweet snack)
"The D Ration proved successful in tests and fulfilled Colonel
Logan's fourth military requirement by using oat flour as an ingredient,
keeping the military's version of chocolate from being too tempting to
servicemen. When the United States entered World War II in 1941 after
the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Department of War ordered
massive shipments of the bars, which practically required soldiers to
develop strong teeth and weak taste buds. In response to government
requests, Hershey also invented the waxy Tropical Bar, which traveled
well in the scorching heat of the South Pacific and tasted a bit better.
Either way, soldiers often gave these less-than-delicious bars to
civilians, especially children, who were delighted by the gift.2. Be high in food energy value
3. Be able to withstand high temperatures
4. Taste 'a little better than a boiled potato' (so the soldiers would reserve the bars for emergencies and not use them as a sweet snack)
"Between 1940 and 1945, more than three billion D Ration and Tropical Bars were produced and distributed throughout the world. Hershey Chocolate Company was awarded the Army-Navy E Award for excellence in exceeding expectations for quality and quantity in the manufacturing of these products, although the troops often detested the taste.
"In 1945, when the troops finally came home, Hershey Bars made of real chocolate were waiting for them. And they've been incredibly popular since."
author: Libby O'Connell
title: The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites
publisher: Sourcebooks
date: Copyright 2014 by Libby H. O'Connell
pages: 221-223
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