Patriotic Chocolate

Wednesday, 26 August 2015

In terms of innovative exports to the world, Sweden is famous for Ikea,  safety matches & Abba.  Australia has the Victor Lawn mower, the Hills Hoist, black box flight recorders and heaps of other stuff, and Norway? Well Norway has cheese slicers, Helly Hanson clothing, and the paperclip - In fact Norwegians were so super proud of inventing the paperclip  that in 1999 they even had a 100-year-since-patenting-the-paperclip national celebration.  Here's the commerative stamp..

 

So imagine the collective horror they must have felt when it was revealed that in fact the patented paperclip was not same design as the actual paperclip, and in fact the patented version barely worked at all.  But all is not lost, Norway does have something else to be proud of.. Freia Chocolate.  Yum. 

 

The Freia Company was created in 1892, I've also just learnt that the lunch room in the Freia Factory has the 2nd largest commissioned collection of Edvard Munch artwork (they have 12 paintings!), not only that, but they were the first company in Norway to reduce hours to 48, and the employees had their own private gardens to enjoy on the site. I want to work there!  Art and Chocolate! yum.

 

One of Freia's products is the Kvikk Lunsj (pronounced kvik lunsh).  Because the Kvikk Lunsj is not sold outside of Norway it's more like the patriotic chocolate bar of choice rather than an international phenomenon.  And Norwegians are very very patriotic.  Jon and I joked that if you dropped from the sky into a snow covered forest you would instantly know that you had landed in Norway because..  a) about 50 billion ski-ers would come past you 2 minutes later, and b) everyone one of them would be wearing clothing featuring Norwegian flags. I think in fact it is illegal to wear outerwear in Norway that doesn't feature a Norwegian flag in some form.  I guess when your history involves hundreds of years of foreign rule, then German occupation in the 2nd world war (during which time Norwegian Resistance members wore paperclips on their clothing to identify themselves), you get quite patriotic.  Anyway - back to chocolate - I don't think Australia has a patriotic chocolate bar, but if I had to pick something it would probably be the Cadbury's dairy milk family size block.   Rather like multi-squillion gold medalists Norwegian's Bjørn Dæhlie and Ole Einar Bjørndalen, both amongst the top ten highest olympic medal winners EVER, Kvikk Lunsj is really only known to Norwegians and tourists.

So when we were in Norway in January we tried to fit in with the locals as much as possible which of course involved having skis on our feet 90% of our waking hours and eating quite a few Kvikk Lunsjes. Without a Kit Kat to compare them to at the time, I would have made a case for them being exactly the same products in different wrappers.  This suggestion causes much uproar amongst the locals who claim  that the products are poles apart in both taste and class.  

 

But it's generally difficult to argue decisively either way because it's so hard to get hold of a Kit-Kat when you are Norway - mostly because Norwegian supermarkets  tend to sell nothing but these weird tubes of things  and cheese slicers.*

 


However we were lucky enough to have Clare recently send back a pack of Kvikk Lunsj via her parents so we have been able to rigourously put both bars through their paces and decide once and for all if a Kit Kat, and  Kvikk Lunsj are the same thing.  

Once you unwrap the bars, the first difference is clear both out the outside and the inside:

 


Also, technically the KvikkLunsj is 2 grams heavier. I'd say that means you get more for your money however given the exchange rate and exhorbidant food prices in Norway your total Kit Kat price will probably only buy those extra 2 grams of Kvikk Lunsj.

Time for the taste test. Here is the judging panel..

 

After a few rounds of blind tasting and scoring both Zali and Jett selected the Kit-Kat as their favourite, and to be honest so did I as I have low-brow tastes in chocolate - for example I prefer Cadbury to Lindt, and milk to dark.  Jon preferred the Kvikk Lunsj as he went to a posh private school.

I found the Kvicklunch to have a smoother, creamier and slightly darker flavour - more like Lindt than Cadburys while the wafer elements and proportions were pretty much the same in both. The Kit-Kat was a more traditional Nestle style sweet milk chocolate.

However, when you factor in the fact that you get to eat a Kvikk Lunsj in NORWAY, doing Norwegian things, I'd be happy to give up Kit-Kats forever..

 

So therefore I award the Kvikk Lunsj with the grand prize of bestness, and I humbly acknowledge that the Kvikk Lunsj is different to the Kit Kat.  In fact the next day we changed the test (I told you it was rigorous), so that participants had to detect which was which (without seeing them). And we all did, so the Norwegians were right after all.


* ok that's not strictly true however they are strangely limited in both size, and range of product. I remember my shock in 1991 upon discovering that my local chain supermarket in Lillehammer only stocked two types of biscuits (some sort of Jaffa cake thing and something like a Granita), and about three types of cereal. Not much has changed since.

2015summary
Bringing back the Caprice Wednesday, 30 December 2015
and now for somewhere completely different.. Monday, 28 December 2015
Pizza by the Book Challenge - Week 5 Sunday, 27 December 2015
End of primary school Thursday, 24 December 2015
Suitcase Cat Thursday, 24 December 2015
Pizza by the Book Challenge - Week 4 Thursday, 24 December 2015
Simplicity Saturday, 12 December 2015
Pizza by the Book Challenge - Week 3 Tuesday, 8 December 2015
PIzza by the Book Challenge - Week 2 Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Mt Rufus Circuit Tuesday, 8 December 2015
December Flowers Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Pizza by the Book Challenge Monday, 30 November 2015
South Cape Rivulet Sunday, 22 November 2015
Meanest mum in the world.. Sunday, 15 November 2015
Before and After #34 - Green Room Take 2 Wednesday, 11 November 2015
Why Jon is not allowed a credit card - Part 2 Monday, 9 November 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #27 & #28 Sunday, 8 November 2015
To Do.. Saturday, 7 November 2015
Cathedral Rock Monday, 2 November 2015
Silver Linings Part 2 Monday, 2 November 2015
Silver Linings Part 1 Monday, 2 November 2015
Hey Pinto.. Monday, 2 November 2015
Derby River Derby Saturday, 24 October 2015
Cake Saturday, 24 October 2015
What goes around comes around.. Friday, 23 October 2015
cake teaser Tuesday, 20 October 2015
Tarn Shelf Monday, 12 October 2015
Tasman Island Tuesday, 29 September 2015
60 Great Walks Challenge - Walk 26 & Before and After #33 Monday, 28 September 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Fail Monday, 28 September 2015
Before and After #32 Wednesday, 16 September 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #26 Monday, 14 September 2015
Pennicot Wilderness Cruise Monday, 14 September 2015
Glamping Sunday, 13 September 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #25 Sunday, 13 September 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #24 Sunday, 13 September 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #23 Sunday, 13 September 2015
Jett is 10! Sunday, 6 September 2015
Patriotic Chocolate Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Snowday! Tuesday, 4 August 2015
Before and After #31 Saturday, 1 August 2015
Before and After #30 Monday, 13 July 2015
How to improve the Tour De France Sunday, 12 July 2015
Unjustness-ness. Saturday, 11 July 2015
Everyone Loves Onesie & Device Day Sunday, 5 July 2015
Homework Wednesday, 1 July 2015
Mt Amos Monday, 29 June 2015
Snow Day Monday, 29 June 2015
Less complaining, More Watching.. Sunday, 28 June 2015
Amazing India Friday, 12 June 2015
Indian Food.. Thursday, 11 June 2015
More Bikes Thursday, 11 June 2015
Routines Wednesday, 10 June 2015
Bicycles Wednesday, 10 June 2015
Goa Day 3 Monday, 8 June 2015
Goa Day 2 Sunday, 7 June 2015
Is this India? Friday, 5 June 2015
Chennai Day #5 Thursday, 4 June 2015
Chennai Day #4 Wednesday, 3 June 2015
Chennai Day #3 Wednesday, 3 June 2015
Chennai Day #2 Tuesday, 2 June 2015
Contrasts Sunday, 31 May 2015
Landing in Chennai Sunday, 31 May 2015
Sparkling Singapore Saturday, 30 May 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #22 Sunday, 24 May 2015
Hollybank! Saturday, 23 May 2015
Stitched Rock Tuesday, 19 May 2015
Literal Translations Monday, 18 May 2015
Two Mountains Sunday, 17 May 2015
It pays to be alert.. Saturday, 16 May 2015
Sick Day Friday, 15 May 2015
Public vs Private - Part 2 Thursday, 14 May 2015
Public vs Private - Part 1 Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Desperate Times.. Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Setting a price.. Monday, 11 May 2015
American Grammar Sunday, 10 May 2015
Happiness Saturday, 9 May 2015
Cat Tree Update Monday, 20 April 2015
This is why Jon isn't allowed his own credit card Thursday, 16 April 2015
KittyCam Sunday, 12 April 2015
Commuter Girl Saturday, 11 April 2015
Flinders Island Day #5 Thursday, 9 April 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #21 Monday, 6 April 2015
Flinders Island Day #4 - Part 2 Monday, 6 April 2015
Flinders Island Day #4 - Part 1 Monday, 6 April 2015
Flinders Island Day 3 Sunday, 5 April 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #20 Saturday, 4 April 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #19 Friday, 3 April 2015
Flinders Island Day #1 Friday, 3 April 2015
More Questions Thursday, 26 March 2015
What's the story.. Thursday, 26 March 2015
Quick Quiz Monday, 23 March 2015
This is an unspoilt beach.. Monday, 9 March 2015
Binalong Bay & Scamander Sunday, 8 March 2015
Old times.. Sunday, 1 March 2015
1 week back Friday, 27 February 2015
Packing Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Goodbye Malaysia Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Penang National Park Tuesday, 17 February 2015
I'm not afraid of parasailing horses.. Sunday, 15 February 2015
Random Photos Friday, 13 February 2015
Goodbye Drammen & Norway Friday, 13 February 2015
Putin the Norwegian Forest Cat Thursday, 12 February 2015
Goodbye Geilo Thursday, 12 February 2015
Ice Fishing - what's not to love.. Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Remains of the day Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Mountain Views Monday, 9 February 2015
uvær Monday, 9 February 2015
Melting.. Monday, 9 February 2015
Lessons Saturday, 7 February 2015
Ice Music Festival Day 2 Saturday, 7 February 2015
Wait for Meeeeeeeeee!!!!!! Saturday, 7 February 2015
Drammen to Geilo Friday, 6 February 2015
I can't believe it's come to this.. Thursday, 5 February 2015
We've come a long way.. Thursday, 5 February 2015
Mesnaelva Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Postcard Perfect Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Free days Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Point to Point Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Norwegian Forest Cat - Update 2 Monday, 2 February 2015
Ski-Every-Day team Monday, 2 February 2015
Kjelke Kjøring and Butt Racers Monday, 2 February 2015
Norwegian Forest Cat - update Sunday, 1 February 2015
Getting through the list.. Sunday, 1 February 2015
Forest Cats and Snow Dogs Sunday, 1 February 2015
Yes. We should all move to Lillehammer. Sunday, 1 February 2015
Lillehammer Day 2 Saturday, 31 January 2015
Hmmph Friday, 30 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 7 & goodbye Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Hearts and minds Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Shiplife Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 6 Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 5 Monday, 26 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 4 - part 2 Sunday, 25 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 4 - part 1 Sunday, 25 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 3 Friday, 23 January 2015
in our hearts and minds Friday, 23 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 1 & 2 Friday, 23 January 2015
Goodbye Bergen, hello Hurtigruten Thursday, 22 January 2015
Going Undercover.. Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Beautiful Bergen Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Norwegian Breakfasts Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Over the hills and far away Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Quick Update Monday, 19 January 2015
Ice Hockey! Monday, 19 January 2015
Ski trip #2 Monday, 19 January 2015
Handsome Norwegian Boys Monday, 19 January 2015
This is why.. Sunday, 18 January 2015
Ski Audit Saturday, 17 January 2015
Tourist Day Saturday, 17 January 2015
Snow Day Saturday, 17 January 2015
Thank you Oslo. Saturday, 17 January 2015
Plugged Wednesday, 14 January 2015
I think it's Friday. Friday, 9 January 2015
Happy Birthday Zali!! Friday, 9 January 2015
The Nook Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Fluted Cape Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Kicking goals together Wednesday, 31 December 2014