Meiji Marble Chocolate: The First Grain Chocolate in Japan

In Japan, chocolate became widespread rapidly during the period from the 1920s to the 1930s. 

However, after that, Japanese people had a difficult time getting chocolate candy, because the import of cacao beans dropped sharply due to World War Ⅱ.

Meiji Marble Chocolate

In 1960 when the import of cacao beans to Japan was totally liberalized, Japanese food manufacturers began creating a wide range of chocolate candies.

And in 1961, Meiji introduced “Marble Chocolate (マーブルチョコレート)” into the market, which actually is known as the first grain chocolate in Japan.

Features

The product consists of milk chocolate coated in a thin layer of colored sugar, which comes in 7 different colors. The sugar coatings are colorful and glossy, making the grains look like marbles.

The outer sugar coating is crumbly and its original aim was to prevent the chocolate inside from melting by summer heat. 

However, thanks to the bright, fascinating colorfulness that quickly catches the eye, Meiji Marble Chocolate was able to gain tremendous popularity among children.

Taste

The chocolate grains don’t have a strong cacao flavor. Since the Japanese treat is quite milky with a gentle sweetness, anyone from adults to children can enjoy it. 

In fact, Meiji Marble Chocolate has now become one of the most loved chocolate candies in Japan.

Ingredients

Lastly, let’s see the ingredients of Meiji Marble Chocolate. Based on the list on the cardboard tube, the chocolate grains mainly consist of sugar, cacao mass, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, vegetable fat, starch, starch syrup, gelatin, eggshell calcium, emulsifier, gum arabic, colors (flavonoid, cape jasmine, carotenoid, beet red, spirulina blue, squid ink), flavoring, brightener, and cellulose.

(Reference Page: Wikipedia マーブルチョコレート )