Whether you prefer the sultry indulgence of dark chocolate, the velvety taste of milk chocolate or the luscious creaminess of white chocolate, this versatile snack is enjoyed all over the world. In fact, we’ll bet you’ve probably had chocolate at some point this week! So, in honour of this delicious delicacy, we’ve put together some facts about where chocolate comes from and then we look at some long lost bars of chocolate’s past – with a chance to vote in a poll for the one you’d love to bring back. Ready to sink your teeth in?

The History of Chocolate

Can you believe that chocolate is over 4,000 years old?! Of course, the Ancient Mayans weren’t snacking on giant bars of Galaxy – back then, it was a bitter tasting drink that they sometimes mixed with chilli. In fact, cacao beans were more valuable than gold! So, how did it make its way to Europe? Well, during the 16th century, an explorer called Hernán Cortés travelled to South America and during his time there he enjoyed gallons of the spicy drink, so he took some back to Spain and – you guessed it – it was a huge hit!

Although it began as a drink for the very upper classes of society, in 1828 the cocoa press was invented which separated the fat from the cacao bean, leaving a fine powder. This meant it could be mass produced as a product similar to the hot chocolate we love today, and everyone in society could enjoy it. Then, in 1847 British chocolatier J.S. Fry and Sons decided to combine the fat and liquor again – this time adding sugar. He set this in moulds… and ta da! The chocolate bar as we know it today was born.

Chocolate Bars From The Past

They say you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone, and that’s certainly true for those chocolate bars that are no longer on the shelves. Perhaps the memory of these bars is even sweeter knowing we may never taste them again (*sob*) but we guess the companies must have had some reason to stop making them, even if we don’t quite understand it.

Mars Delight

A lighter Mars Bar, with wafer instead of nougat in between fluffy caramel and chocolate mousse. Delightful. Literally.

Dream Bar

Basically, the best white chocolate bar ever. There have been rumours that this bar might be making a return to B&M though so keep your eyes peeled. Maybe all is not lost, after all.

Cadbury’s Snowflake

A Flake bar that we know and love, but with a white chocolate middle. Simple, yet incredible.

Mars Planets

Another Mars treat, gone but not forgotten. They were small tasty balls of nougat, caramel or a crispy biscuit. Basically, Revels without the danger of getting a coffee one.

Fuse Bar

Fuse bars were the number one combo that is milk chocolate, peanuts, raisins, crispy cereal pieces and fudge bits. How could you take that off the shelves?

White Chocolate Maltesers

This one disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived, but these tasty balls of heaven prove what we’ve known all along – everything tastes better wrapped in white chocolate.

Which chocolate bar would you bring back?

It’s quiz time, but there’s no wrong answer really. Vote for the chocolate bar that you’d bring back if you could!

Do you have a favourite chocolate bar that no longer exists that we may have missed? Let us know in the comments or on Mecca Bingo’s Facebook or Instagram.

In between snaffling your favourite chocolate bars today, why not take our Chocolates slots game for a spin? It’s a slot game with 2,401 ways to win which increases to a mouth-watering 65,536 winning combos during free spins. As if that wasn’t delicious enough already, you might be tempted by the box of chocolates which opens up to four matching chocolate symbols every time the box appears. Talk about combining slots with sweets!