Non-US Candy IS Different
I’m reluctant to say “better,” even though we bring back a lot of candy when we travel and often import candy once we’re home. (It’s not that expensive if you batch it and pay for shipping once.) But it is definitely different and definitely preferred.
The top choice (because we’re apparent a bunch of old ladies) is Simpkins travel sweets. They are on the kitchen counter and usually in my purse. (Or, if not, Jila mints or Wilhelmina mints.) I know — probably not the sexy choice, but I love a good travel sweet. And these are my favourite ones.
Favourite chocolate candy (which I haven’t had in years) is Rowntree’s peppermint crisp (which, I guess, is now Nestle peppermint crisp). Close second is the Ritter Sport peppermint. Followed by straight Dairy Milk Cadbury. And then Fry’s peppermint cream. And finally Elite’s mekupelet. I know, it makes no sense why I ranked Cadbury between the two nearly identical peppermint chocolate options, but they are different in texture, and I like the Ritter Sport one better. And I would never transliterate the Hebrew to “mekupelet,” but that’s what came up when I Googled. Strange. It’s like a Cadbury flake, but better.
What are your favourite candies outside your country?
5 comments
I don’t eat much candy any more and if I do, it’s usually Hershey bars or Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips. If I want something else, it will be Fanny Mae candy. I don’t much care for European chocolate for some reason. And the main non-chocolate candy I eat would be…Twizzlers (original strawberry).
I have heard from many different sources that British chocolate is superior to anything else. 😉 I don’t know how Canadian candy compares to that, but what we have here is definitely different than the U.S. It’s not *quite* as different these days as when I was growing up — my grandparents would always bring us M&Ms whenever they came to visit because we couldn’t get them here then, although we can now. But even the supposedly same chocolate bars are often quite different in taste. My mother is a KitKat addict — she always has at least a finger before she goes to bed — and she stocks up before she goes to the States, because she swears there is a difference (and that Canadian is better, lol). I will say that U.S. Milky Way is far superior to what we get here, and my sister & I will both stock up whenever we’re south of the border. Likewise Butterfingers… Neilson’s Crispy Crunch is similar, but nothing beats Butterfingers, in my opinion. 😉 But I do prefer Skor bars to the similar Heath bars in the U.S. I think the main difference is Canadians & Brits tend to prefer milk/sweeter chocolate, & U.S. chocolate bars tend to be more dark or bittersweet chocolate.
About 10 years ago, I was addicted to something called Burnt Sugar fudge from the UK — particularly the Sea Salt flavour. Chapters & Indigo bookstores used to carry it here and I always had a stash of it in my desk at work 😉 but I haven’t seen it in years, and the company no longer seems to exist. You can still access their Facebook page, but the last post was in 2011. 🙁
I like the sound of something like a Cadbury flake, but better. I don’t eat much chocolate or any sweets/candy/lollies, and rarely buy any when we travel. Except Belgian chocolates, of course. When in Europe we’ll quite often go into a chocolaterie and treat ourselves to just one chocolate. Lol
In Iceland, the chocolate was aniseed flavour. I picked up a complimentary one once but didn’t make that mistake a second time!!!
My stepfather used to come home from traveling with a box of Belgian chocolates, Neuhaus, and they are the best in my memory. I do love fanny may vanilla buttercreams with dark chocolate, and Canadian chocolate always tasted creamier and richer to me than US. I don’t really have a mint opinion, ha.
I really like the Cadbury Violet Crumble from Australia. There’s a UK equivalent, but I can never remember the name.