Is this the end of the Swedish Christmas chocolate crisis?
Lack of traditional chocolate makes this middle aged man grumpy
One of the most prominent Swedish Christmas traditions is having a box (or two… or three) of Aladdin that you share among the family on Christmas Eve. The box has two layers of sweets and you’re not allowed to move on to the bottom layer until the top one is finished. So it’s basically a team effort where everyone contributes in their own way…
This little box of chocolate has brought joy to Swedes since 1939 — but in recent years horrible things have happened. It all started in 2014 when they removed the extremely popular “trillingnöt” (chocolate covered hazelnuts) and replaced it with the pointless “fläderblom” (chocolate with a taste of elder blossom). Outrage sparked and the Twitters, Facebooks and other media outlets were flooded with disappointed voices.
“Fläderblom” was then replaced in 2016, but we didn’t get “trillingnöt” back! Instead we got an even more pointless flavour — the “limepralin”. To me this was the ultimate betrayal and I swore to never purchase a box of Aladdin again. Sad!
As we’re getting closer to Christmas Eve (it’s only 79 days left) brands are starting to roll out their Christmas campaigns. Earlier this week Delicato, a competitor to the Aladdin owner company Marabou, announced that they’d release a Christmas box. “Delicatoasken” will consist of small bits of their traditional sweets such as the “punschrulle” and “biskvi” as well as more modern treats such as the “lattebit”.
It will be sold in a limited edition in selected shops starting this week. But we’re lucky to share an office with Nöjesguiden, Swedens finest publication on entertainment in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö… And the PR people at Delicato of course made sure that one box was sent here before the official launch.
My verdict: These are little slices of heaven and will definitely help the country heal after years of horror.
God Jul!
(Now you know how to say “Merry Christmas” in Swedish…)
Per Sandström is Head of Production and Partner at Kollegorna, a team of designers, developers and strategists building first-rate digital products and services.
