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.

CC