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C H O C O L A T E C A K E G L O S S A R Y 467

Candy Bars and War

othing seems bar—called the Field Ration
N more peaceful D—that had all the flavor of
than nibbling on a boiled potatoes, designed so
chocolate candy bar. But the soldiers would eat them only
the candy bar has also played a when they were on the verge of
role in our country’s wartime efforts. starvation.
At Hershey, production of the popular But the flavor returned, for in 1943
Kisses has been interrupted only once the Army asked Hershey to come up
since they were introduced in 1907. with a candy bar that tasted better and
Kisses were not produced between 1942 was heat-resistant. Hershey’s Tropical
and 1949 because the silver foil used to Chocolate Bar was born, and it not only
wrap them was rationed during and fed servicemen around the globe but
after World War II, and because the ended up in outer space. In July 1971,
equipment was needed to make the Apollo 15 astronauts carried along these
chocolate paste for military ration bars. specially designed chocolate bars.
During World War II, Hershey The most recent “war bar” was
produced more than 3 billion ration bars developed in 1990, after the Army
for the U.S. military around the world. expressed interest in a heat-resistant
To increase their shelf life, these candy bar that tasted like commercially
bars contained no cocoa butter. They available chocolate. Hershey’s Desert
were boosted with thiamine hydro - Bars, made with pure milk chocolate,
chloride ( a source of vitamin B ) to ward were sent to Saudi Arabia for taste
1
off beriberi. The result was a candy tests a few months later.

Hershey, Pennsylvania, and is one of the Mars: Another well-known American
world’s largest chocolate manufacturers, chocolate candy bar manufacturer,
most famous for the milk chocolate bar founded by Frank and Ethel Mars in
(since 1900) and the foil-wrapped Her- 1911. The company is now a snack food
shey’s Kisses (since 1907). and pet food giant, best known for