How to distinguish bars of chocolate from candy bars?

Coming from German, we have two words for "chocolate bars": The Schokoriegel which is a candy bar containing chocolate, and the Schokoladentafel, a large (often 100g) and flat slab (usually divided into pieces) of either pure chocolate or chocolate with some other ingredients. Many other languages share this distinction (eg. French tablette de chocolat vs barre chocolatée) In English, "chocolate bar" may refer to either of these, though some call the former "candy bar" instead.

How can I specifically refer to the latter kind of chocolate bars in English to avoid confusion?

People I talked to have suggested "bar of chocolate", as this implies the bar is primarily made of chocolate, but this term doesn't seem to be well accepted by internet resources. Some consider it fully synonymous with "chocolate bar"^{1 2}, others don't recognise it at all^{3 4 5}. From those I've seen, only Wiktionary seems to accept it with this specific meaning⁶.

Solution 1:

As a British-English speaker I would instinctively say bar of chocolate for Schokoladentafel. I might even say chocolate bar for Schokoriegel, but it could be misunderstood.

'Your dictionary' seems to agree.

A flat slab of chocolate, usually oblong in shape, which can be broken into smaller segments when being eaten. Not the same as a chocolate bar.

If I wanted a Schokoriegel, I might say to a friend going into the shops 'Could you get me a chocolate bar (please)?' But realizing that it was potentially ambiguous, I'd probably run after them and specify: I mean a Mars bar/Twix/Crunchie.

As I see it, it's the Schokoriegel which doesn't have an unambiguous English word and the brand probably needs specifying.

US speakers might have a different perspective. (As I understand it, a candy bar in US English may have a chocolate coating or partially contain chocolate, but it doesn't have to.)

Solution 2:

Here in Australian English, the ambiguity seems to have been somewhat resolved, at least relative to what these answers from other dialects suggest: a Schokoriegel is a chocolate bar, whereas a Schokoladentafel is a block of chocolate.

Finding dictionary-style references for this was a little difficult, but in terms of evidence, consider this webpage from the largest chocolate manufacturer in Australia versus this webpage from the same site. Furthermore, this forum thread features a number of self-described (from their profile information under their respective avatars) Australian and New Zealand English speakers elucidating the distinction.

Solution 3:

In the US, a "candy bar" is a piece of candy which is designed to be held in your hand while eaten, with pieces bitten off as you eat. It would generally be 1-3 oz in weight. The term normally implies something that is reasonably soft (vs, say, "peanut brittle"). Chocolate may or may not be present, and, if present, it may or may not be the principal ingredient.

A "chocolate bar" is a bar-shaped piece of (mostly) chocolate candy (it may, eg, include nuts or grains), usually (but not always) designed to be eaten like a candy bar. Sometimes large chocolate bars are designed to be broken/sliced into segments so that several people can enjoy them, or so that the bar can be eaten in several separate sessions.

There is no hard-and-fast division between the two terms.

(Note that in the US "candy" is pretty much anything sweet that is designed to be eaten using your hand to hold it.)

Solution 4:

In American English, a chocolate bar for baking is called

Baking chocolate

and "also referred to as bitter chocolate, cooking chocolate and unsweetened chocolate." (Wikipedia)

If you called it baking chocolate, there would be little doubt in the reader's mind that you are not seeking a candy bar. In American grocery stores, the chocolate candy bars are found in one aisle (with perhaps gummy bears) and the baking chocolate is found in another aisle (probably close to the flour and baking powder). (Note that baking chocolate also comes in small, drop shapes and are called chocolate chips.)

(edit: Adding picture of baking chocolate, along with more information.) I hope the picture is clear enough, but this is a flat slab of chocolate (113g) and breaks off into equally-sized squares. It can be found with other baking items. The one pictured is semi-sweet, but baking chocolate also comes in a bittersweet form. The difference:

By U.S. government standards, bittersweet chocolate must contain at least 35 percent chocolate liquor; semisweet can contain between 15 and 35 percent, according to the Chocolate Manufacturers Association.

(source)

Solution 5:

I'm a Brit living in the USA: my personal experience is that language of food is one of the most different areas between these two variants of English. That's partly just linguistic, but I think it's important to note that it's also because the range and styles of foods on offer is inherently different between the two nations. There are cultural differences in the expectation of chocolate, that might not perfectly map to your Germanic or more generally European expectations.

That all said, three prominent manufacturers in the USA all refer to slab-type products as "Chocolate Bars":

• Hershey's: https://www.hersheys.com/en_us/products.html?filters=hersheysfranchise-products-bars-minis
• Lindt: https://www.lindtusa.com/shop-our-chocolates--sc4/bars-and-snacks--sc4/all-chocolate-bars-and-sticks--sc4#facet:
• Ghirardelli: https://www.ghirardelli.com/chocolate/all-chocolate/bars--1#facet:&productBeginIndex:0&facetLimit:&orderBy:&pageView:grid&minPrice:&maxPrice:&pageSize:&

So I think "Chocolate Bar" is probably the best US English translation for Schokoladentafel.

Whereas brands like Snickers are described clearly as "Candy Bars". This, in US English, seems like the best translation of Schokoriegel.