Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats, also known as chocolate teacakes (especially in the United Kingdom), are confections consisting of a biscuit base topped with marshmallow-like filling and then coated in a hard shell of chocolate. They were invented in Denmark in the 19th century under the name Flødeboller (cream buns), and later also produced and distributed by Viau cookie factory in Montreal as early as 1901. Numerous varieties exist, with regional variations in recipes. Some variants of these confections have previously been known in many countries by names comprising equivalents of the Spanish word negro.
National varieties
North America
Canada
Théophile Viau first manufactured these as "Empire" biscuits in Montreal, and introduced them at a hockey game in Westmount in 1901, but in 1927, in order to lower costs, he removed the vanilla and renamed the product "Whippets". Today, Whippets are produced in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, by Dare Foods which bought the Viau bakery. They are currently available with both dark chocolate and milk chocolate coatings, and twelve varieties of flavors. "Viva Puffs" are similar to Whippets; they are produced by Dare Foods in two flavours. Viva is a trade name; these confections have been known in Canada for at least 50 years as "chocolate puffs". The cookies are similar to Mallomars of New York City. They also bear a striking resemblance to Tunnock's Tea Cakes as well as krembos. However, the Tunnock tea cake does not have the same kind of chocolate nor filling. An episode of the Canadian science program How It's Made showed the production process behind the cookie. However, many aspects of the production process (the amount of marshmallow filling, the ingredients, etc.) were not revealed. The show's narrator described these aspects as "classified information".
United States In the United States, Mallomars are produced by Nabisco. A graham cracker circle is overlaid with extruded marshmallow, then coated in a thin shell of dark chocolate. Mallomars were introduced to the public in 1913, the same year as the Moon Pie (a confection that has similar ingredients). The first box of Mallomars was sold in West Hoboken, New Jersey (now Union City, New Jersey). Mallomars are generally available from early October through to April. They are not distributed during the summer months, supposedly because they melt easily in summer temperatures, though this is as much for marketing reasons as for practical ones. Devoted eaters of the cookie have been known to stock up during winter months and keep them refrigerated over the summer, although Nabisco markets other chocolate-coated cookie brands year-round. (Those brands include Pinwheels, which also combines chocolate, cookie, and marshmallow.) Eighty-five percent of all Mallomars are sold in the New York metropolitan area. They are produced entirely within Canada, at a factory in Scarborough, Ontario.
Northern and Western Europe
Austria
The Austrian version of chocolate-coated egg white foam is called German: Schwedenbombe, lit. 'Sweden-bomb'. It was created in 1926 by Walter Niemetz who chose the name in honour of a friend of Swedish origin who had a hand in the development. Manufacturing started in 1930. Schwedenbomben were originally only sold at six per pack, but are now also available in packs of twelve and twenty. Regardless of the pack size, half the pieces in a pack are plain and the other half are sprinkled with coconut flakes. Schwedenbomben are immensely popular in Austria. They have a market share of around 80% and a brand recognition of about 94%.
Denmark
In Denmark, the treat was originally made using cream (hence the Danish name flødeboller—"cream buns"); however, the filling was later made from egg whites to help industrialize production and improve shelf life. In Denmark, the confection is known as a flødebolle (cream bun) and was in some parts, mostly in the Copenhagen area of Denmark, historically known as a negerbolle (negro bun) or negerkys (negro kiss). In the 1960s through 1980s, the term negro was phased out by all major producers due to its use as a racial slur. Denmark also markets a variation shaped more like a patty, hence the name bøf (steak). Note that the Swedish word negerboll is used for a similar but different confection (chokladboll, known as havregrynskugle in Danish). Danish-based Chocolate factory Elvirasminde claims to produce between one and two million treats every day as of 2022. In Denmark, chocolate-coated marshmallow treats are traditionally handed out in school by children on their birthday. They are found in any supermarket, and most confectioners will have delicacy versions. It is also a popular addition to ice cream cones, offered at most shops selling ice cream. Usually they are placed on top of the last ball of ice cream with whipped cream and jam (or guf, a topping made of whipped egg whites with sugar and fruit flavouring). Sometimes they are even found in restaurants. Many baking enthusiasts see them as a challenge, and it was a technical challenge in Den store Bagedyst (The Great Bake Off) on Danish TV. The popularity of the treat is evident from the sheer number of varieties. Variations in coating range from white chocolate over dark chocolate to liquorice coating, with or without sprinkles. The base is often a plain wafer in commercial products, but delicacy and homemade versions often have shortbread, marzipan biscuits or other bases. Flavoured filling is also very common, especially when homemade, but liquorice, marzipan and other flavors are commercially available. Variation in form is also common, often seen in commercial products ranging from wide and flat (bøf) to tall with sharp edges (Christmas tree shapes). Luxury versions have become more popular, and has also made the image of the flødebolle change from a basic candy or cake to a luxury product suitable as a dessert or present, similar to a box of high-quality chocolates.
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