Rachel Eats Stuff: KitKat vs Norwegian Kvikk Lunsj blind taste test

Would the Norwegian chocolate bar trump the British favourite?

Nestle has lost its appeal to trademark the shape of one of its best-loved products, the four-finger KitKat, because the bar isn’t established enough across Europe.

Although the chocolate-wafer bar may be iconic in the UK and various other European countries, it does not have the same status across the continent as a whole.

And it’s for this reason that the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg has ruled that competitors may continue to create products in the same shape as KitKats.

One of these competitors is Freia (owned by Mondelez International), whose Kvikk Lunsj bars are Norway’s answer to the KitKat.

Kvikk Lunsj - which means “quick lunch” and can be bought in the UK from ScandiKitchen - has been on sale in Norway since 1937.

But just how does the Kvikk Lunsj compare to our beloved KitKats? We decided to put the two up against each other in a blind taste test. Would we be able to tell the difference? And - crucially - which would be more delicious?

We compared the two in a head-to-head blind taste test showdown to find out which one is better.

Look

The packaging of both chocolate bars is certainly bright and eye-catching, however we can’t help but think the Kvikk Lunsj looks somewhat old-fashioned - perhaps this retro vibe is part of the appeal.

When it comes to the actual product inside the wrapper, the chocolate of the Kvikk Lunsj is a fair bit lighter than the KitKat. It’s also embellished with a cute stork (or is it a flamingo?) design rather than KitKat’s less fun “#mybreak”.

Taste

There was a greater difference between the two bars than we were expecting. The main difference is in the chocolate - the Kvikk Lunsj features a lot more chocolate than the KitKat, and it’s much creamier, which we loved.

There’s a particularly generous amount of chocolate at the end of each finger, so if you're one of those people who nibble off the chocolate of each finger first - even if this is clearly the inferior method of consumption - you have more with which to play with the Norwegian bar.

However, if you prefer a decent amount of wafer and an audible crunch, you may prefer the KitKat.

Nutrition

Interestingly, KitKat says one portion is a whole four-finger bar, whereas Kvikk Lunsj considers each bar to serve two people, each portion being two fingers. The Norwegian bar is slightly larger though, at 47g compared to 41.5g.

Despite the Kvikk Lunsj’s suggestion, we’re definitely going to be eating the whole bar in one sitting, so how do the two bars compare nutritionally?

At 258 calories per bar, the Kvikk Lunsj is a higher-calorie option than the 209 calorie KitKat. Comparing per 100g, the Norwegian bar is still slightly higher in calories than KitKats, at 536 compared to 502 calories.

The Kvikk Lunsj contains more fat and protein per 100g than KitKats, but is lower in carbohydrates - there isn’t a huge deal of variation between the macronutrient levels though.

So which is best?

In wafer bars as in life, more chocolate is always better, and for that reason, the Kvikk Lunsj is our winner.