They were invented in Denmark in the 19th century[1] under the name Flødeboller (cream buns), and later also produced and distributed by Viau in Montreal as early as 1901.
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".
[4] A graham cracker circle is overlaid with extruded marshmallow, then coated in a thin shell of dark chocolate.
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.
Variation in form is also common, often this is seen in commercial products ranging from wide and flat (bøf) to tall with sharp edges (Christmas tree).
[23] These differ from the domed biscuit or wafer based styles and contain a higher proportion of thicker rippled chocolate, topped with a half walnut.
[27] The Tunnock's teacake is commonly regarded in the same food category as the British biscuit, eaten at break times with a cup of tea as shown in advertising for the product.
[28] Popular throughout the UK, the Tunnock's Teacake enjoys iconic status in Scotland,[29] evoking memories of childhood,[30] or symbolising "home" for Scots around the world.
[25] A giant fully edible replica of a Tunnock's Teacake was made by Michelle Kershaw and Nick Dodds at Pimp That Snack.
[34][35] The product itself consists of a small round shortbread base covered with a hemisphere of Italian meringue, a whipped egg white concoction similar to marshmallow.
[citation needed] An argument about whether the teacake is a biscuit or a cake led to an action in the European Court of Justice by British company Marks and Spencer.
In 2005, the Foundation for Honor and Reparation of Payments for Victims of Slavery in Suriname fought to change the name, which happened shortly after.
This led to some controversy, since the Dutch word neger was perceived by some as more neutral compared to the English equivalent negro, though both terms are now widely considered pejorative and racist.
[44] In Hungary, the product is called négercsók ("Negro kiss") and was first introduced in 1980 by the New World Farming and Food Industry Co-operative Society (Hungarian: Újvilág Mezőgazdasági és Élelmiszeripari Szövetkezet) to great success.
[46] Zefir (Russian: зефи́р, may also be spelled zephyr or zephir) is made from fruit and berry purée with added sugar and whipped egg whites.
Produced in Serbia by Jaffa,[50] it has a biscuit base and a soft mallow filling covered by a chocolate flavoured coating, and is very similar to the original Glasgow version.
In Colombia and Ecuador, it is called Beso de Negra (Black Woman's Kiss) or "Chocmelo", a portmanteau of chocolate and masmelo (marshmallow).
In 2020, during the George Floyd protests, Nestlé announced it would rename the confectionary and remove the image on its packaging of a Black woman with bare shoulders and a colorful dress.
Examples include Cacau Show's Montebello[57] (does not contain the waffle base), and the one that popularised the international formula for the masses in Brazil, the Dan-Top.
The cookies are sold in a variety of flavours, including coconut, lemon, passion fruit, caramel, boysenberry, tonka bean and coffee.
Previously, there is a variation on the chocolate-coated marshmallow treats which are coated in desiccated coconut, sold by Betta Foods under the Eskimo Snowballs name, before it was discontinued.
[61] In South Africa, a similar confection is Sweetie Pies, originally made by Cadbury's;[62] it is now produced by Beyers.
The local version is sold under several brands, all commonly called (Persian: بستنی زمستانی, romanized: Bastani zemestani; literally meaning "winter ice cream").
In Levantine countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan, it has historically been called (Arabic: راس العبد, romanized: Ras Al-Abed; slave head), however it has since been renamed to Sambo.
[66] Krembo or Creambo (Hebrew: קרמבו, a contraction meaning literally "Cream-in-it"), is the name of a chocolate-coated marshmallow treat that is popular in Israel, especially in the winter as an alternative to ice-cream.
[71] European chocolate-coated marshmallow treats were popular as homemade sweets in Mandate Palestine, where it was known as Kushi (Hebrew: כושי, roughly Negro) and Rosh Kushi (Hebrew: ראש כושי, roughly "Negro's head") This name was borrowed from the names then used in Europe.
[72] During the 1980s and 1990s, smaller manufacturers introduced additional flavours such as banana and strawberry but failed to achieve a significant market share.
[74] In 2005, Strauss signed an agreement with Unilever to export ice cream and krembos to the United States and Canada due to a demand for products of this type with strict Kosher certification.
[75] In 2007, Nestlé introduced an ice cream variation of krembo called Lekbo (Hebrew: לקבו, "lick inside").
A fish-shaped delicacy, 12 to 20 centimeters (5 to 8 inches) in length, it is made of pink or white marshmallow covered in a thin layer of milk chocolate.