Kvikk Lunsj

Kvikk Lunsj may look like your standard chocolate-covered wafer. Unwrapped, it could easily be mistaken for a KitKat, save the small storks stamped into its coating. But in Norway, Kvikk Lunsj isn’t just candy; it’s fuel for outdoor exploration.

The snack, whose name translates to “quick lunch,” plays a role similar to granola bars or trail mix in other countries. No hiking or skiing excursion is complete without one. Its slogan, Tursjokoladen, means “the hiking chocolate,” and its ads depict skiers and trekkers enjoying their snack on the slopes or after reaching the top of a mountain. One surprisingly relaxing commercial shows a family concluding their hike with breaking apart their chocolate beneath the phrase velkommen til et liv ute (“welcome to a life out”).

And just how does the hiking chocolate stack up against the KitKat? In taste tests conducted by The Guardian and The Independent in the United Kingdom (birthplace of the KitKat), samplers selected Kvikk Lunsj as the winner. Its edge? More chocolate and a creamier flavor.