Why don’t Maltesers have a flat bottom?

This bowl was full when we started this photoshoot...

Mars has never confirmed the manufacturing process that it perfected for Maltesers back in 1937, when they were marketed as ‘energy balls’. Clearly, the centres are made from a sweet, dough-like mixture and probably subjected to low air pressure to make the air bubbles expand and assume a honeycomb texture. However, from here on we have to make some intelligent guesses. The most logical solution would be that the honeycomb spheres are rolled through liquid chocolate and then down an incline – possibly rollers – so a flat surface can never form. However, with the manufacturer still refusing to reveal its secret, we can’t be 100 per cent sure.

Answered by Mike Anderiesz, How It Works contributor.