Two chocolate fish | |
Type | Confectionery |
---|---|
Place of origin | New Zealand |
Main ingredients | Pink or white marshmallow, milk chocolate |
A chocolate fish or choccy fish is a traditional confectionery item in New Zealand. In New Zealand culture, it is a common reward for a job done well ("Give that kid a chocolate fish"). [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Chocolate fish have a conventional fish-shape and a length of 5 to 8 centimetres (2.0 to 3.1 in). They are made of pink or white marshmallow covered in a thin layer of milk chocolate. The ripples or "scales" on the fish are created simply by the fish moving under a blower; this slides the unset chocolate back, creating the illusion of scales on the fish.
Several manufacturers make the fish; the most well-recognised is Cadbury. [6] Smaller, or "fun-sized" variants of the chocolate fish are colloquially referred to as "sprats". Variants of the traditional item exist; a common version is made of solid orange-flavoured milk chocolate.
Chocolate fish have been made since at least 1903, [7] though early varieties may not have included marshmallow. Marshmallow-based chocolate fish were being produced in Dunedin in 1937. [8] For a short period, in the late 1990s to early 2000s, Tip Top sold a chocolate fish ice-cream. [9] In 2019, the chocolate fish was added to the Cadbury Favourites box. [10]
In 1970, Ron Barclay, Member of Parliament for New Plymouth, asked a question in Parliament about the price of chocolate fish. [11] [12]
Cadbury stopped producing 20g chocolate fish in 2023, stating that they had become less popular with consumers. They continued to include 'sprats' in Favourites boxes. [13] As of 2024, Queen Anne, a local company, produces a 50g fish, [13] and other companies also sell variations.
Confectionery is the art of making confections, the sweet foods themselves or the confectioner's shop. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories: bakers' confections and sugar confections. The occupation of confectioner encompasses the categories of cooking performed by both the French patissier and the confiseur.
Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelez International since 2010. It is the second-largest confectionery brand in the world, after Mars. Cadbury is internationally headquartered in Greater London, and operates in more than 50 countries worldwide. It is known for its Dairy Milk chocolate, the Creme Egg and Roses selection box, and many other confectionery products. One of the best-known British brands, in 2013 The Daily Telegraph named Cadbury among Britain's most successful exports.
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Upstairs I saw the pink mixture of the chocolate fish. In big boxes there was French chalk, with the shapes of the fish in them.