The Unexpected Ingredient That Makes Up KitKat Filling
Few treats are as iconic as the awe-inspiring, crave-able KitKat. This chocolate delight has been around since 1935 and has made such an impact in the 87 years it's been feeding our chocolate obsession that Time named it the globe's most "influential candy bar." And while you can find KitKat flavors ranging from mint (in the U.S.) to cough drops in Japan (yes, really), everyone knows the original is always best — but do you actually know what's in the filling that makes the original so great?
Okay, so we realize the answer may seem obvious. For example, every candy bar enthusiast can vouch that Reese's, the peanut butter cup, is made delicious by the peanut butter filling avid fans can now buy in jars to spread on their PB&J. As for KitKats, Penn State describes the treat as wafer filled and coated with chocolate. And that's not technically wrong, but the type of chocolate inside the KitKat creates a bit of a vortex. TODAY reports the chocolatey filling you love crunching into at snack time is made up of none other than even more KitKats. As mind-boggling as that is, let us try to explain.
How KitKats end up in your KitKats
According to TODAY, this revelation came about thanks to a BBC Two documentary series called "Inside the Factory." During an episode that featured a Nestlé products manufacturer located in the United Kingdom, an employee changed the way we think about KitKats forever when they explained that certain KitKats don't make it onto store shelves. Instead, they end up "reworked," which means some less-fortunate candies are crushed and used as chocolate filling.
As Food & Wine explains, there is a method to this KitKat on KitKat madness. The KitKats that are below quality standards are the ones that end up smashed up to fill their more perfect-looking brethren. And the same outlet notes that means your perfect KitKats have the potential to be filled with countless KitKats that didn't make the cut. However, a Nestlé official from the U.K. does want all KitKat fans to know that the filling isn't just a KitKat infinity loop. The representative explained the middle of the wafer is made of cocoa, liquor, and sugar as well as the smushed-up candy.
But if you're an American KitKat fan, you may have noticed that this story takes place in the country of crumpets and queens. So does the U.S. also have KitKats in its KitKats? Well, the answer is a bit complicated given that KitKats are both a Nestlé and Hershey product.
Do the U.S. KitKats also contain crumbled versions of itself?
For chocolate fans not in the know, Forbes reports that while Nestlé invented and sells KitKats in the United Kingdom (as well as 15 other countries), Hershey produces the chocolate-filled wafer bar for America. With that being said, TODAY did reach out to a representative from the American-made treat company to try and uncover if the U.S. is also eating KitKats within KitKats. However, Hershey's official response was vague, stating, "While we make and sell KitKat bars in the U.S. under a global license from Nestlé, the manufacturing process for KitKat is proprietary under this license."
Based on the snippet of info Hershey did provide, it does seem that despite having varying flavors, (the U.S. is the only country to produce mint chocolate duo Kit Kats for example), America's KitKat-making process is likely the same as the U.K.'s. — which means, the U.S. is also probably enjoying KitKats inside KitKats. So the next time you dive into your favorite candy bar, remember to salute the fallen KitKats that made your break time possible.