He already ate it

November 9, 2012 12:17 PM

So almost two weeks ago, we picked up a box of chocolate kisses from a market in Germany. They are delicious egg white and sugar treats covered in chocolate.

Tonight he was all "oh, hey, what happened to those things we bought?" and then found them in a box under a book on a chest that we just toss stuff on and clearly needs to be cleaned more often. He said "score" and stared to stuff them into his face. I was horrified and told him he's going to die. He is telling me that my American upbringing is not to be trusted and that these things are fine. I want him to make it, but I'm pretty sure he's going to be ill tomorrow. Thoughts?

posted by monkey!knife!fight! to food & drink (9 answers total)

Aren't they just meringues? If so they keep for ages.
posted by KateViolet at 12:22 PM on November 9, 2012 [2 favorites]

Are these like chocolate-covered meringues? Those seem pretty shelf-stable to me because the egg white is cooked and dry.
posted by needs more cowbell at 12:23 PM on November 9, 2012

Well, first off, no matter what...he's not going to die. Of this. Tomorrow.

But they look like meringue. They're fine. They keep forever.

Either way, you'll find out tomorrow. My money's is very much on him being fine then.
posted by inturnaround at 12:27 PM on November 9, 2012

Ok, thanks. I just thought - EGG! But thank you. Seems horrifying to me, but I feel better knowing that I won't have to wake up in the middle of the night looking for buckets.
posted by monkey!knife!fight! at 12:28 PM on November 9, 2012

(On preview I see that several other people got here before me, but anyway:)

If these are the things I think they are (thin outer layer of chocolate, creamy white stuff within, a wafer-like thingy at the bottom to keep the thing from falling apart as you eat it) they're just fine.
posted by rjs at 12:32 PM on November 9, 2012

Exactly what they are. I guess I have a lot to learn about food safety. Thanks all.
posted by monkey!knife!fight! at 12:47 PM on November 9, 2012

No meringues, in other words. Here's the entire history rolled out for you. Ignore the "marshmallow" bits of text and scroll further down.

So, yes, it's sugered eggwhite stuff (likely processed to smithereens in the factory, and thusly quite safe to eat), and no, they do not seem to kill you (at least *right now*, thinking of their sugar content).

These guys were a standard ingredient of literally all the Birthday parties I went to between age 3 and 16 (at which time we ended up sneaking up on each-other from behind and squishing the things into each other's face. The next Birthday party at that particular address turned out to be a grill party, I recall...)

I have never ever heard of anyone getting ill from these because they were old. Only because one had eaten far too many. Which totally happens.
posted by Namlit at 1:02 PM on November 9, 2012

They were not factory made. That was my only squeamish thing about them. They are hand made by a small shop in our region. If they were shop bought I never would have wondered about being a widow.
posted by monkey!knife!fight! at 1:10 PM on November 9, 2012

Nothing to worry about with candies, in general. Sugar is actually an excellent preservative, as long as the concentration is high enough.
posted by IAmBroom at 8:21 PM on November 12, 2012