krembo

Originally from Denmark, with the arrival of Ashkenazi Jews fleeing persecution in Europe during the second aliyah to Palestine, they brought with them their traditional foods and confections including the predecessor to the krembo. Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats were popular as homemade sweets among the Ashkenazi in the early 20th century. The first manufacturer, the Whitman Company, coined the name Krembo. In Hebrew, the word {{Transliteration|he|krembo}} is a combination of {{Transliteration|he|krem}} (cream) and {{Transliteration|he|bo}} (in it). A mocha flavour was introduced in 1967. In 1979 Whitman was acquired by Strauss which has the major part of the krembo market in Israel. {{cite news|title=Krembo|url=http://www.cooksinfo.com/krembo|work=cooksinfo.com|access-date=15 February 2014|author1=Cooksinfo|archive-date=22 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222133658/http://www.cooksinfo.com/krembo|url-status=live}} During the 1980s and 1990s smaller manufacturers introduced additional flavours such as banana and strawberry but failed to achieve a significant market share.

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. Under terms of the agreement, they may be sold only in kosher supermarkets and import shops. The distributor in North America is Dairy Delight, a subsidiary of Norman's Dairy.{{cite news|title=New Israeli Development: Ice Cream Krembo|url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3361646,00.html|publisher=Ynet|date=February 7, 2007|access-date=2007-02-07|language=he|archive-date=2007-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208002826/http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3361646,00.html|url-status=live}} In 2007, Nestlé introduced an ice cream variation of krembo called Lekbo ({{langx|he|לקבו|lit=lick inside}}).

File:BoxkremboS.jpg

Due to Israel's Mediterranean climate, with long, warm summers, krembos are a seasonal treat sold only four months a year, from October to February. They are not sold during the rest of the year due to their fragility and as they are prone to melting when exposed to heat.{{Cite web|last=Michal|first=Palti|title=Chestnuts roasting in my gelato|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/921655.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109093726/https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/921655.html|archive-date=9 November 2007|access-date=13 March 2021}} Krembos are the most popular confection in Israel, with over 50 million krembos are sold each year—an average of 9 per person.

File:Krembo.jpg

The average krembo weighs 25 grams (0.882 ounces) and has 115 calories.{{cite news |title=10 Things you don't know about a krembo |url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-2813501,00.html |publisher=Yedioth Ahronoth |date=2003-11-07 |access-date=2007-01-20 |language=he |archive-date=2007-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312202824/http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-2813501,00.html |url-status=live }} According to the fine print on packing foil, per 100 gr of krembo there are 419 calories, 3.2 gr protein, 64 gr carbohydrates (of which 54 gr are sugars); 16.7% Fats (of which 13.9% are poly-saturated fatty acids, less than 0.5% are trans fatty acids) and 67 mg Sodium.Strauss Krembo foil package, printed data, February 15, 2014.

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Under kashrut, the dietary rules of Jewish law or (Halacha), some Orthodox rabbis find significance to the order in which one eats a Krembo. Both the biscuit and the chocolate have to be blessed and one need pronounce only the blessing over the main components, thus for a chocolate croissant one would say the blessing over the dough, and skip the blessing over the chocolate.{{cite web |title=The Biscuit, the Cream, and the Talmud |date=6 August 2015 |url=https://www.letterstojosep.com/2015/08/06/the-biscuit-the-cream-and-the-talmud/ |access-date=2025-05-26}} But in the case of the Krembo, there is no consensus as to which is the "main" component: the biscuit, or the cream and chocolate. One solution is to bless over each component separately.{{cite web |title=Understanding Halachah Through the Krembo: A Case Study in Religious Translation |url=https://www.trustedtranslations.com/understanding-halachah-through-krembo |access-date=2025-05-26}}

In the Hebrew version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, translator Gili Bar-Hillel translated Dumbledore's favourite sweet as a Krembo, instead of a sherbet lemon.[http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2007/10/18/features/arts/aarts1019.txt When Harry’ met Hebrew] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719000715/http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2007/10/18/features/arts/aarts1019.txt |date=2009-07-19 }}, Cleveland Jewish News, Sarah Bronson, October 18, 2007

Although considered a children's treat, sociologists have found that it is consumed as a comfort food by Israeli expatriates in the United States, evoking nostalgia for their childhood.{{cite book|last=Abramovitch|first=Ilana|title=Jews of Brooklyn|publisher=Brandeis University Press|isbn=1-58465-003-6|pages=55|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ydmtk2HGrcAC&q=krembo+manufacture&pg=PA55|author2=Galvin, Sean|year=2002|access-date=15 February 2014|archive-date=1 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501181226/https://books.google.com/books?id=ydmtk2HGrcAC&q=krembo+manufacture&pg=PA55|url-status=live}}

{{reflist}}

• Klik
• Chanukah gelt
• Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats

{{Cuisine of Israel}}

{{Jewish cuisine}}

Category:Food product brands

Category:Israeli brands

Category:Israeli desserts

Category:Jewish cuisine

Category:Jewish desserts

Category:Israeli confectionery

Category:Snack foods

Category:Words and phrases in Modern Hebrew