Today’s grocery stores are stocked with a seemingly endless variety of candy bars. This modern-day menagerie of chocolate treats can trace its origins back to World War I, when an increased demand for chocolate rations created a veritable candy bar boom. Chocolate bars were seen as an ideal source of sustenance for soldiers fighting abroad: They provided quick calories, were easy to transport across long distances, and catered to the sweet tooth many American GIs had developed overseas when they began to sample European sweets. In response to this sudden demand, the U.S. government began soliciting donations of 20-pound blocks of chocolate from American candymakers, which were then cut, individually wrapped, and distributed to GIs abroad.
By the end of World War I, American soldiers’ love of chocolate bars had spread to become a nationwide sensation. In the 1920s, veterans and civilians alike eagerly sought out candy bars, particularly after Prohibition left them looking for pleasurable alternatives to alcohol. Candymakers across the country began developing different kinds of products. To stand out in a crowded market, these companies would experiment with a variety of ingredients, ranging from nougat to dehydrated vegetables. They also started giving their products catchy names designed to grab people’s attention: The Charleston Chew, introduced in 1925, was named after the Charleston dance craze that was sweeping the nation at the time, and in 1921, Baby Ruth bars benefited from their association with baseball superstar Babe Ruth, though they were actually named after the late daughter of former President Grover Cleveland. The Lindy Bar, meanwhile, was named after famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, and there were also tasty treats named for Dick Tracy, Little Orphan Annie, and Betsy Ross. By the end of the 1920s, more than 40,000 different candy bars were being produced in the United States.
WHY WORLD WAR I HELPED CREATE THE CANDY BAR BOOM
The journey of the cocoa bean has certainly been a long one. Its cultivation likely began with the Olmecs of Mesoamerica, who passed down to the Aztec Empire. The latter used the bean as a form of currency and as the basis for a drink known as xocoatl (via Smithsonian Magazine). Refined sugar would come later so most of these cultures would not recognize chocolate in its modern iteration as a solid food or sweet treat.
While Europe eventually became smitten with the drink once sugar was added (as opposed to the Aztec use of chili powder), it was not until 1847 that the first solid chocolate was produced by British inventor Joseph Fry. Afterward, companies either began to adopt it, like Cadbury Chocolate (which had previously sold chocolate as a drink), or form it into a solid form from scratch, like the Nestle and Hershey companies (via Bulk Candy Store). The popularity of chocolate in bar form, however, didn't truly take off until World War I.
IT TOOK A WORLD WAR TO TRULY POPULARIZE CHOCOLATE BARS
Conditions on the front lines of World War I were horrific to say the least, particularly on the muddy Western Front. In previous (and later) conflicts, troops would often be on the move, the Great War's trench warfare meant soldiers and armies would remain static for months as artillery, illness, and starvation became some of the daily hurdles to survival. In an effort to provide some emotional relief, chocolate rations became increasingly common in the British and, later, American supply lines.
In the case of America and its veterans, their enjoyment transitioned into huge domestic demand for chocolate bars, especially at a time when Prohibition would soon leave many in need of pleasurable alternatives. As old and new producers began to set up locations throughout the country, many different ingredients were experimented with as the burgeoning industry took shape. It was thanks to these WWI veterans that by the time of World War II, companies like Hershey became so well-established that they hardly batted an eye when commissioned to make products for the military — such as heat-resistant candy bars.
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