Chocolate-coated Marshmallow Treats - National Varieties - Krembo

Krembo

Krembo (Hebrew: קרמבו‎, literally "cream-in-it") is very popular in Israel, especially in the winter as an alternative to ice-cream. It comes wrapped in colourful aluminium foil, and consists of a round biscuit base on the bottom and whipped egg whites cream from above, coated in a thin layer of chocolate. There are vanilla and mocha flavoured Krembos. In Hebrew, the word krembo is a combination of krem (cream) and bo (in it). The average krembo weighs 25 grams (0.882 ounces) and has 115 calories. In Israel, the "krembo season" is from October to February. 50 million krembos are sold each year—an average of 9 per person in Israel. According to a study funded by Strauss, Israel's leading krembo producer, 69% of Israelis prefer to eat krembos from the top down (starting with the cream), and only 10% start with the biscuit at the bottom; the rest had no preference. Krembos are exported to the United States and Canada, and sold mostly in kosher shops and import stores. The concoction was popular as a homemade sweet in Mandate Palestine in the 1940s, when it was known as Kushi (Hebrew: כושי, "negro"). It entered mass production in 1966. The first manufacturer, the Whitman Company, coined the name Krembo. A mocha flavour was introduced in 1967. In 1979 Whitman was acquired by Strauss-Elite. Today Strauss controls 54% of the krembo market in Israel. In 2007, Nestlé introduced an ice cream variation of krembo called Lekbo (Hebrew: לקבו, "lick inside"). In the Hebrew version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Dumbledore's favourite sweet is a Krembo, rather than a sherbet lemon. The Krembo has become a pop-cultural/national icon. While considered a children's favourite, sociologists have found that it is consumed as a comfort food by Israeli expatriates in the United States.