Candy In The Media - Spinning Cake

This sweet creation combines two of my favourite things, animation and cake.

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I Bet You Didn't Know These Where European

Most people seem to assume that so many classic candies come from their country. This likely happens because people build such a strong relationship with these candies that they associate them with home. Since it's always been there, it must come from wherever you were born. Then, instead of being rational, people assume that when they see these candies outside of their home, it must be because they're so popular that they're exported. The truth is there can only be one place of origin for any candy, and sadly, except for a very few of you, it's likely not your home town or country.

Kit Kat
Place of Origin England
Check out our Kit Kat review here.

One of the best selling candies in the world was born in a place where so many other great candies were born, England. In fact that Kit Kat was created in a particular town in England that could be the birthplace of more popular chocolate treats than anywhere else in the world, York. These treats include the Aero bar, Terry's Chocolate Orange, and Smarties, just to name a few. Treats created in York can be found all over the world. In fact I think I could safely say that there isn't a country in the world (except maybe North Korea) where at least one York created treat can be found. At the very least you can find them in every airport in the world.

Likely the most popular of York's creations though is the Kit Kat bar. I've had people from all over the world claim that the bar was invented in their country. I've even had people point out Kit Kat rip off bars and claim that it was the original. While I haven't done any serious investigation of these allegations, food historians generally agree that the Kit Kat bar was the first, and it was made in York.

PEZ
Place of Origin Austria
Check out one of our PEZ reviews here.

You would think it would be obvious because of the name "PEZ" which doesn't sound English at all, but this is one very European candy. Invented in Austria as a breath mint for smokers, the letters PEZ are actually a short form of the German word "Pfefferminz". At this point I think the USA is probably one of the biggest consumer of the candies since many of the dispensers are themed with American characters. I assume that most people assume that the origins are from their own country because they're so used to seeing their favourite characters on the dispensers.

This candies ability to take on so many shapes (or at the very least the dispensers ability) is likely why this candy is such a global phenomenon. The candy itself is always the same, with a few flavour variations sometimes available in one place over another, but the packaging is what people love about this candy. It's also the reason people assume that it's from their own country.

Gummy Bear
Place Of Origin Germany
Check out one of our Gummy Bear reviews here.

The gummy bear is kind of complicated, but there's no denying that the origins are German. It gets complicated because of the popularity of the candy later on. The gummy bear was invented in Bonn Germany in 1922 but the candy didn't go global until the 1980s, but when it broke it broke big.  It went from being a simple German candy that no one had ever heard of into the catalyst for a candy revolution. This was the candy that actually started a candy trend that's lasted ever since, the gummy. Many could credit the gummy bear as being the original gummy candy, and I'm sure many people would assume that it came from their own country.

The gummy bear's explosion of popularity is likely caused by the American market in the 80s, it went all the way to a popular television series. But the origins are much simpler, and found a ten hour flight away from the USA.

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Candy In The Media - Squirrel Eating A Donut

This video of a squirrel eating a donut is pretty much the reason why the internet exists.

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Hidden Treasures Of Europe

Many European candy companies sell their treats all over the world. Some have become so popular overseas that people don't even know that they're European (that's a future article coming next week). While it seems like you can get just about everything in North America, there are a few European hidden treasures that are difficult or even impossible to find in the US or Canada. You might be able to hunt them down online, or at a few import candy stores, but for the most part these candies are completely unknown to those of us in North America.

Well I'm here to help you out. Below is a list of European candy that's not very common in American or Canadian stores, but well worth your time to search out. You might have to fly to Europe to find them, but frankly I think it's totally worth it.

Manner "Original Neapolitaner"
Made By: Manner
Originated In: Austria

I've heard a story that Arnold Schwarzenegger insists on having Manner bars on set when he shoots a movie. If you're in Austria you can pretty much find this bar everywhere. It's so dominant that you're thrown off a little after leaving Austria to find that you don't see them everywhere else in the world. The good news is that this is a seriously good wafer bar, in fact it's one of my favourites and well worth a flight to bite into one.

Click here to read our review.

Fazer "Blue"
Made By: Fazer
Originated In: Finland

I lived in Europe for four years, and for three of those years I was obsessed with every single Fazer product. The reason I was only obsessed about them for three of the four years is that I had not heard of them during my first year, so I could only enjoy these amazing chocolate treats for three quarters of my time there. Trust me, it's still a sore spot. I would easily put Fazer against any other chocolate company in the world, I would even say that it would likely beat out many of them.

Click here to read our review.

Lacta
Made By: Kraft (but it wasn't always Kraft)
Originated In: Greece I Think

As I mentioned before, I lived in Europe for four years, the country I lived in was Greece, and I never really gave it much thought when it came to chocolate. This all changed very quickly, and I soon realized that Greece is the home of some of the best chocolate bars in the world today. The Lacta bar is probably one of the most popular, but there are so many others that are its equal in this warm country.

Click here to read  our review.

Fry's Turkish Delight
Made By: Cadbury
Originated In: UK

I can't possibly write an article about European candy without talking about at least one British treat. It's kind of complicated to talk about British treats because they used to all be independently owned, but now Cadbury/Kraft seems to have most of them under their wing. The good news is that many of these treats have retained their original taste and quality even though they're being made by a giant corporation. I have a feeling they do this because the people of England would riot if you dare change any of their treats. I chose the Fry's Turkish Delight as an example because it's a little strange, but still very British.

Click here to read our review.

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Candy In The Media - Apparently Clear Potato Chips Are A Thing

While it seems a little weird, this recipe seems like it'll make something kind of tasty.

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Hey Everybody, It's A New Episode Of Junk Fud On The Road!

In this episode Chris and Allison talk about the very strange and very amazing country of the United Arab Emirates. It's a place that offers just about everything you might want when it comes to snacking, even Tim Horton's.

Click here to check out our past episodes of Junk Fud On The Road.

And make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook as well.

If you want an early preview of all our podcasts and videos make sure to follow us on Patreon.

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Quick Review Before We Left - Kazoozles "Cherry Punch"

Lately we've been trying to do a few reviews on the weekends, and try to keep a theme. This weekend however we only managed one, and that's really happened for two reasons. First of all we have to leave for an adventure, but most importantly this candy doesn't really go with anything else. It's not the kind of candy one can compare to other candies, nor does it really go with any other candy.

Click here to read about this very strange Wonka candy.

Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with our adventures.

Also, be sure to follow us on Patreon for video previews and exclusive content.

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And We're Off....

Allison and I are on a new adventure! Our itinerary is fairly complicated, the only way to describe it simply is to tell you that it takes place in Europe. The simple details are that we will be visiting 5 different countries, we will be in some of the big cities of Europe as well as some of the most remote. We will have internet sometimes, but likely not all the time. And I will be eating many snacks and treats along the way. That's pretty much all I can say at this point. I'd give you more details, but what's the fun in that.

We've got a few fun articles pre-posted for the time while we're gone, but most importantly we'll likely be posting a lot on social media as we go along (at least when we have internet). So make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with our adventures.  We'll also likely have some kind  of review-a-thon going on after we get back as well.

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Candy In The Media - Watching Them Ice Krispy Kreme Donuts

Here's the thing about Krispy Kreme donuts, they're glazed donut is one of the best mass produced baked thing on the planet. The problem is that their other donuts don't stack up at all.

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This Last Weekend We Ate M&Ms - M&M's "Crispy" and M&M's "Caramel"

Over the weekend we had two kinds of M&Ms, one was crispy (literally that was what they called them) and the other was chewy(not what they called them). It was interesting to have a candy that could have two very different textures yet still represent the original candy so well. Lazy varieties are something I truly hate in the candy world, and it seems that Mars is not being lazy with these M&Ms. They both worked very well, both tasted great, but most importantly both were still M&Ms in spirit.

Click here to read the "Crispy" review, and click here to read our chewy (caramel) review.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and let us know your favourite and least favourite M&M variety.

Also, if you're following us anyways, why not follow us on Pinterest too.

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Candy In The Media - Making Your Own Breaking Bad Meth Candy

You have to sit through two other fine recipes, but if you're patient you get a fun, simple recipe for candy that looks like the meth on Breaking Bad.

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