Wasabi Kit Kats: mdid.
Wasabi Kit Kats: Japan
Wasabi is the Japanese horseradish. And it’s now been paired with white chocolate in wasabi Kit-Kats. A Shikouza special, it has a spicy and sweet punch– the cream and the chocolate are infused with the nose-crinkling flavor most well known as a sushi garnish.
If wasabi is too strong for you, there are other specialty flavors in Japan like green tea, peach, and apple vinegar.
Bacon Mints: USA
Bacon mints: karinadalziel.
Bacon makes a lot of things taste better, but mints? I like bacon. I like mints. But I’m not too sure about these.
My brother got a tin of these as a joke gift, and they are exactly what they sound like. Might be best if the mint sticks with the lamb. They seem to be a love-them, hate-them, or be-confused-by-their-very-existence type of treat.
Coca Candy: Peru
Coca candy is hard candy made from coca leaves, and it helps with altitude sickness and provides energy. You can find them at most grocery or convenience stores. There is a chance that if you’re bringing back a suitcase full, you could be stopped at customs.
Shrimps and Bananas: United Kingdom
My imagined conversation when these treats were developed:
All right men, we want to make a sweet with the flavors of strawberry and banana. Let’s make the banana flavored candy the shape of something yellow. How about a banana? Sounds great!
Any thoughts on the shape for the strawberry flavor, maybe something red? Strawberry? Nah, too simple. A double decker bus? Nope, not food-related. Shrimp? Perfect! Now let’s pop down to the pub for a pint.
It makes no sense! But despite the name and design, these foamy candies, in the vein of circus peanuts in the US, are sweet and fruity.
Eitt Sett: Iceland
The thin layer of licorice on top of the milk chocolate bar is what sets Eitt Sett apart from other candy bars. The flavor combination is a beloved one in Iceland, so this is not the only licorice and chocolate treat you’ll find there.
Tamarind Candy: Thailand
Jar of candied tamarind: ampersandyslexia.
A traditional sweet in Thailand, tamarind candy is tamarind fruit coated with salt, sugar and crushed chiles. Pick up a bag-full from a street vendor or snag a packaged/mass-produced version from the grocery store.
The sweet and spicy snack is also popular in India, Belize and the Philippines.
Ting Ting Jahe: Indonesia
A spicy ginger and potato starch candy from Indonesia that has a chewy and slightly sticky texture, Ting Ting Jahe is double wrapped. Don’t waste your time trying to pick off the inner wrapper, it’s edible rice paper. The candy (or variations of it) has been enjoyed for hundreds of years in Indonesia.
Community Connection
Japan does have some exciting candies and snacks; check out 13 Classic Japanese Junk Foods.
If you’re gathering candy for Halloween or the Day of the Dead, here’s How to Make Sugar Skulls for Dia de los Muertos.
What are your favorite candies from around the world? And how many on this list have you tried? Share in the comments below!
Kristin Conard
Kristin Conard is an editor at Matador Nights as well as a writing instructor in California. As a child, she wanted to be a librarian, because she thought that the librarian was the one who got to write all the books in the library. Her obsession with reading and writing has continued, and when she is not grading papers and lesson planning, she is working on a collection of essays and planning her next trip.
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