Today is Easter, which means that certain readers will be embracing the tradition of enjoying a chocolate treat designed to look like a chicken’s egg. That would be the Cadbury Creme Egg, which is ubiquitous in many an Easter basket. (Full disclosure: I once assembled a batch of homemade creme eggs; they were very tasty, even if melting the chocolate was a bigger challenge than I’d first thought.) There are plenty of reasons why these candies are appealing, from their seasonal release schedule to their blend of decadence and portability. Also, they’re delicious.
There’s also a globetrotting component to the Cadbury Creme Egg, which has its origins in the U.K. and may be the second-biggest British export to the U.S. in the 20th century, right behind The Beatles. But as Eater’s Amy McCarthy reports, the U.S. and U.K. iterations of the Creme Egg aren’t quite the same thing. That’s because the former are made in the United States by Hershey’s.
This has led to a few cases where the two version of the Creme Egg have diverged slightly, including a controversy over an altered U.K. recipe in 2015 which prompted assurances from Hershey’s that their version would remain unchanged.
Writing at Eater, McCarthy notes that some candy aficionados who have tried Cadbury’s offerings in both the U.S. and U.K. prefer the latter version. “[T]he British stuff does taste richer, with a creamier, less waxy texture,” she writes. That said, if you’re hoping for a one-to-one Creme Egg comparison, that might be more of a challenge than you’d expect: there are legal hurdles to selling the U.K. version in the U.S.
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There’s scientific evidence that it’s great post-workout fuel, but it’s not for everyoneThe world of candy is a lot more fascinating than you might have thought. And this international intrigue doesn’t take into account another seasonal wrinkle: that moment after Easter has passed, when heretofore-unsold seasonal candy goes on sale. April 1, 2024 might be a great time to stock up on Creme Eggs for the weeks to come.
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