The Reason America's Kit Kats Disappeared For Almost 30 Years
Those who identify as chocolate lovers have a whole variety of treats to choose from in the candy aisle. You've got the classic Hershey's bar, with its indulgent milk chocolate squares. There's the Reese's peanut butter cup, with its creamy filling. There's the Snickers bar, with its sweet and savory combo of caramel and nuts. And then, of course, there's the Kit Kat. The chocolate-covered wafers are one of the most popular candies in the world, according to Eat This, Not That!, which reports that some 192 million Kit Kats are sold every year. Not only that, but a recent Mashed poll found that Kit Kats were America's favorite candy bar, with 27 percent of respondents choosing it as their go-to sweet treat.
However, that wasn't always the case. In fact, there were 30 years during Kit Kat's history that the shareable bars were pulled from grocery store shelves (dark times indeed). What caused The Hershey Company to deny Americans the delicious candy? Here's what really happened.
Kit Kats were too hard to make
Believe it or not, Hershey's wasn't the first company to make Kit Kats. The recipe actually came from an English candy company, Rowntree's, that came out with a popular crispy bar across the pond in 1935 (via Mental Floss). Because it was so well-received with the Brits, Hershey's decided to try to make their own version for Americans. In 1938, Hershey's came out with Biscrisp, which was intended as its version of Rowntree's candy. Despite the fact that the company contracted with the British brand to get the original recipe, they struggled to replicate it perfectly. Hershey's had to use American flour instead of English flour which reportedly significantly altered the taste.
Surprisingly, Americans didn't seem to mind the different flavor and they fell in love with the candy. But it was too much trouble for Hershey's to produce, as its scientists were struggling to reproduce the recipe. As a result, Hershey's stopped producing the Biscrisp after a year. Although it took a long time — Kit Kat as we know it today wasn't introduced until 30 years later in 1969 — the fan-favorite candy bar made a comeback.