We’re back for another chocolate battle and this time it’s between Greek Lacta and Norwegian Freia. Back in April, we had Lacta vs Lindt and – not to be biased before we even start – but Lacta got absolutely annihilated. Meanwhile, Freia hasn’t been seen for more than eight years, when it went up against Swedish Marabou and it was a draw.
So, how are we doing today? Let’s reintroduce the competition. In the red corner, Greek Lacta, bought by Mondelez (then Kraft) in 1991. Its chunks are smaller and thinner but slightly domed. It comes in a shiny plasticky flowrap package and looks like it’s been knitted, if you look closely. Very Scandi for something Greek.
In the yellow corner, we have Norwegian Freia, bought by Mondelez in 1993, and subtitled “a little piece of Norway”. This one is made of pretty substantial chunks, embossed with a crane or a heron, or some kind of long-legged wading bird. This is a bigger bar, 250g compared to Lacta’s mere 85g and is also in shiny plasticky packaging, with the red Freia logo and some pretty brown and white cows.
Let the contenders fight!
You know, of the six or so contenders currently battling it out, I feel like these two are in my bottom three. On the other hand, with contenders like Lindt and Dairy Milk (and we’ll see how those two go against each other next month!), relatively obscure brands like these are always going to be the underdogs. Lacta is a bit… is thinner the right word, or do I actually mean milkier? Less rich? On the other hand, it does take a moment for the chocolatey flavour of Freia to come through. But when it gets there, it’s actually really good. Better than I expected. I think that’s partly because of the shape. We all know that shape affects taste, right? The bigger the surface area, the more opportunity to exchange flavour between food and mouth. So I’m pretty sure that’s partly why Freia tastes richer and more chocolatey – there’s just more of it.
No, this is no contest again, I’m afraid. Freia wins by a landslide.