Australian Treats

I don't think I've ever written about how much I love treats from Australia and New Zealand. Much like the culture and wildlife, the treats are unique and a little strange. Unlike the wildlife, they're not trying to kill me at every opportunity. The treats while being different, are also very comfortable for a North American palette as well. There's just enough to make them odd and weird, but not so strange that I don't enjoy eating them. I can't say that I've tasted a treat from this part of the world that I didn't like, and there are many that I absolutely adore.

Check out my latest Australian candy review.

Time To Go Down Under, And Off To The Right For Junk Fud on the Road New Zealand

In this fun episode, Allison and Chris talk about New Zealand. They had been pretty sure that they already covered New Zealand on the Australia episode, but it appears they did not, so here we are.

Check out all the past episodes of Junk Fud on the Road.

And also be sure follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter too.

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Candy Critic Quick List - Top 5 Candies We've Reviewed From Oceania (That's Australia and New Zealand Mostly)

Dairy Milk "Chocolate" - Candy Critic Score 14.5

I'm not sure how this compares to the original British Dairy Milk, but it's worse I'd be surprised.

Click here to check out the full review.

Caramello Koala - Candy Critic Score 14

This is a treat that I had never tried till Allison told me about it, now I feel bad that I haven't been eating them my whole life.

Click here to check out the full review.

Fabulicious Sherbert Fizz - Candy Critic Score 14

This treat shouldn't be so great, but it is.

Click here to check out the full review.

33% Cocoa Hokey Pokey Milk Chocolate Bar - Candy Critic Score 13

Before I visited Australia, I had no idea what Hokey Pokey was, now I can't get enough of it.

Click here to check out the full review.

Pods "With Mars" - Candy Critic Score 13

There are more "Pods" out there, and if they're anything like these, I want to try them all.

Click here to check out the full review.

Bonus, the worst candy from Oceania that we've ever reviewed.

Cherry Ripe - Candy Critic Score 4

I get a lot of flak from Australians about how low I rank this bar, but I stand by it.

Click here to check out the full review.

CC

Another Episode of the Junk Fud Podcast Is Online

On the latest episode of Junk Fud, I talk to an Australian (not the one picture above) Kristen about all the unique and interesting junk food in Australia and New Zealand.  Kristen has been living away from Australia for about a year now, so she's starting to have massive cravings for certain treats, and fortunately I have a few Tim Tams and Caramello Koalas to calm her cravings.  We talk about beet roots, Australian baked goods, chocolate bars, kangaroo meat, and much more.

Click here to download the 3rd episode of Junk Fud.

If you missed out last two podcasts, you can download the first one here, and the second one here.

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Australia/New Zealand Review-A-Thon - Caramello Koala

While many of the treats I discovered in Australia and New Zealand were unknown to me, the Caramallo Koala was not.  In fact the Caramello Koala had quite the reputation, and a lot to live up to.  I think Allison was the first to tell me about these, but she was not the last.  Just about anybody I know who has tried these caramel filled delights has had nothing but fine words to say.  This makes the review fairly difficult since it's so built up in my head, it means I'm going to have high expectations.

Click here to find out if my expectations have been met.

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Australia/New Zealand Review-A-Thon - Fabulicious Sherbert Fizz

Happy Australia Day!!!  Who knew that National Peanut Brittle Day was also Australia Day.  Australians seem to be very passionate about this holiday, but they don't really seem to explain to people what the day actually celebrates.  Is it the discovery of the continent, is it the day they became independent from the commonwealth, maybe it's just a great day to be Australian.  Either way, I'm glad I can help them celebrate this awesome day by posting yet another Australian treat in this review-a-thon.

Click here to read all about one of the great treats that makes up this country.

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OZ/NZ Epic Trip Roundup - Part 5 - Disappointing Candy Stores

I had a great time traveling through New Zealand and Australia.  It was a great place to visit, explore, and sample great food.  I managed to sample so many sweet treats and junk food bites that I just couldn't find anywhere else in the world, but I was really disappointed about one thing, candy stores.

It's not that there wasn't any candy stores in either of these countries, in fact there were many.  Small towns, large cities, malls, main streets, there were plenty of candy shops to choose from.  The problem I had with most of them was the selection of treats.  These stores were full of imported candy, mostly from places like the UK or USA.  Don't get me wrong, I love UK and US treats, but not when I'm in Australia or New Zealand.  When travel, the candy I want is the stuff I can't find anywhere else, or at the very least the stuff they make better than anywhere else.

In North America and the UK they too have candy stores, and these stores also supply imports, but they have more.  Many have a supply of classic and retro candy from their own area.  Candies that are local, but that you're not likely to find on the shelf of a grocery store.  Most candy stores, the good ones at least, also have staff that weren't such candy snobs that they could recommend a local treat, even if it was "pedestrian" to them.  I didn't walk into any candy stores in either country feeling like I learned something about Australia or New Zealand candy.  Instead I walked out with a feeling that most of these candy shop owners and employees just wanted to show off how much they new about treats from other places.

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Australia/New Zealand Review-A-Thon - Dairy Milk Marvellous Create!ons

If this bar is available anywhere else in the world besides Australia or New Zealand, then it's just wrong.  I say this because Australia and New Zealand food has a really strange way of taking random ingredients, putting them together, and making something magical.  Some countries have strange ingredients, but in Australia and New Zealand the ingredients aren't strange themselves, it's how they're presented that's strange.  Let me make it perfectly clear, it's not gross strange, most of the time it's extremely yummy strange.

Click here to read about this strange Dairy Milk bar.

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Australia/New Zealand Review-A-Thon - Pineapple Lumps

The last few reviews I've posted could arguably be treats from anywhere in the world, but today's addition to the Australia/New Zealand Review-a-Thon is unquestionably from New Zealand.  While these, much like many treats are available in both Australia and New Zealand, there's no arguing about its origins.  Kiwi's love these chocolate covered lumps of chewy pineapple flavoured goo, and it's a source of pride for the country.  It's said that this treat originates from a need to use up left over candy ingredients, was this a good idea?  Well you'll have to read the review to find out.

Click here to read the Pineapple Lumps review.

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OZ/NZ Epic Trip Roundup - Part 3 - Random Treats

Whenever I go on a trip I always discover all kinds of fun treats.  Some treat discoveries are worth writing an entire blog entry, but some are worth a quick mention, and this is where I'll do it.

In just about every gift shop in Australia they sell jerky.  But not regular run of the mill beef jerky, no that would be too simple.  They all sell kangaroo, emu, and crocodile jerky. What I want to know is, do any real Australians eat this stuff?

You wouldn't think too much of this candy, a marshmallow treat covered in a blue sugar coating.  The thing that caught my eye is the jar of glucose pouring over the berries on the package.  I don't think I've ever seen a candy company advertise the use of glucose before.  Most of the time it's something they'd rather keep secret.

Some people consider licorice babies candy to be a little offensive.  While I'm sure you have your own opinion on that, I'm sure we can all agree that this package for Allen's licorice babies (called chicos) doesn't really help the argument.

Caramello Koalas are probably one of the most popular and well known Australian chocolate treats.  With good reason, they're pretty good (you can read more about that on my review later this week).  The treat I'd never heard of before this trip, is Fredo the Frogs.  While I'm sure they're pretty tasty, I think they're trying way too hard with all of the different varieties.  Sorry Fredo, you're just not as tasty as Caramello Koala, and the millions of different flavours only makes you come off as desperate.

The only reason I'm including this is because of the name, it's "Extra Juicy" Juice.

These are not Licorice Alsorts, they're soaps made to look like Licorice Alsorts.  I'm not sure why one would want to bath with a licorice candy, but what do I know about soaps and bathing products.  Come to think of it, I should have picked one of  these up for my mom, she's a girl (and therefore into soapy things) and she loves Licorice Alsorts (that I can't explain).  I wonder if the soap smells like licorice, that would be horrible.

I found this sign in Chinatown in Sydney, I'm thinking that the people at Haagen Dazs might want to have a word with these people.

This just might be the greatest slogan ever printed on a candy bar.  I also think that this would me a great title for a Kung Foo movie.

It's good to be in a country that knows the  importance of having ice cream trucks.  In Sydney, even on a rainy day, it's hard not to run into several of these vans filled with all kinds of ice cream delights.  They're specialty is soft serve ice cream decorated to the nines.  You can get your cones dipped, covered in nuts, covered in sprinkles, chocolate bars jabbed into it, swirled with syrup, or all of the above.  In fact I've never seen so much topping variety in an ice cream truck in my life.

Both Australia and New Zealand are packed with bakeries.  Even the smallest of towns will have at least one bakery to choose from.  The baking culture seems to borrow from all over the world.  Some of my favorite finds were Anzac cookies, Melting Moments, and Pavlova, just to name a few.

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Australia/New Zealand Review-A-Thon - Hokey Pokey Milk Chocolate Bar

Is a "Hokey Pokey" an Australian/New Zealand thing?  I can't say that I've seen it anywhere else, but I can't say that I've looked either.  It sounds like it could be Australian, they seem to have an affinity for funny names for their food (for example they call McDonald's "Maccas").  I could easily see them calling the wonderful combination of honeycomb bits and chocolate something like hokey pokey.  It's not that it's a bad name, it's just not a name that many other places in the world would give to such a fine culinary delight.

Click here to read my Hokey Pokey review.

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OZ/NZ Epic Trip Roundup - Part 1 - Airport Finds

Every time I visit an airport I always find myself blown away by the treats available at the duty free shops.  The treats in these shops are like nothing else, they're extravagant, expensive, and found in displays no other shop keeper in the world would even consider putting in their store. I'm not really sure who buys these treats, except business men that forgot to get their kids a present from the business trip they just finished.  While on my epic Australian journey I visited no less than 7 airports, and I discovered some pretty cool, and grossly overpriced treats with crazy fancy displays.

I mean who could resist a giant Oreo tin, shaped like an Oreo.  Judging by the weight of this tin I'm guessing that you get about 3 cookies.

So you're looking to buy a giant Toblerone bar, but you're not sure how to get it home.  Well the folks at Toblerone have you covered with this stylish handle.  Although I'm not sure if this bar is too big for carry on, so you may have to check it.

Now I'm not really sure that "Red Kangaroo Essence" is a candy or treat,  in fact, I'm completely boggled as to what one might do with this at all.  Ladies, are you attracted to a man with the musk of a marsupial?

I'd be really disappointed to receive this as a gift.  I'd see it from a distance and hope that it wasn't a box of chocolates, but instead I would want a giant square of Dairy Milk chocolate.  Why would you tease someone like this?

I just like the idea of Oreos so large, that you could fly a plane with them.

M&M's have these life sized displays in airports all over the world, but this one in Singapore's Changi airport is the first one that's ever made me chuckle out loud.  It's a fairly obscure joke to those that may not be familiar with obscure Asian fruit (the durian), and I'm not sure if they have hedgehogs in Singapore.  So this joke might be specific to the very well traveled.

I'm convinced that Toblerone sells more chocolate in airports than they do anywhere else in the world.  I'm also convinced that you'd have a hard time finding an international airport anywhere in the world that doesn't sell Toblerone.  Airports are often the only place where you can find the many varieties of Toblerone as well. On this trip I discovered the new Crunchy Almond variety of Toblerone.  I was going to buy one but they only came in ridiculously huge sizes and cost more than I could imagine spending on a chocolate bar.

While these donuts weren't anything special, after flying for 18 hours straight, they did make me happy.

Another example of those crazy M&M's guys up to their shenanigans again.  I wonder what the strangest situation these guys have ever been posed into doing?  Peeing like Manneken Pis, dressed as a priest in the Vatican, maybe dressed a showgirl in Vegas.

While visiting the many shops in Changi airport in Singapore, I noticed something really strange. None of the stores carried any form of gum.  Then I remembered that gum was in fact illegal in Singapore, because of the mess that people left behind.  Can you imagine how bad it must have been (or is, we only stopped over in Singapore and didn't make it out of the airport), to ban anybody from chewing gum?  For chewing gum you can be fined anywhere from 500 to 2000 US dollars.

Once again with our friends at Toblerone, they have the most amazing displays, and in this case the most unconventional displays.  What you have here is a series of buttons that play "Swiss" sound effects.  Everything from a St Bernard to yodelers.  I'm not sure how this sells chocolate, but who am I to argue, I spent 5 minutes playing with it and listened to all of the sounds at least twice.

While I didn't find this particular ad in an airport, it was outside an airport, and I found it very amusing.  Although I'm not sure the image of a man in a really small, tight, bathing suit is the best way to sell fruit flavoured candies.

CC

This Week In Candy

Well we're getting back into the regular swing of things here at Candy Critic.  All this week we're having our Australia/New Zealand epic trip round up.  Not only are we posting a whole bunch of highlights from our trip to the great down under, but all this week we'll be having an OZ/NZ Review-A-Thon.

We're also working out our new changes to the site, including our weekly news roundup, instead of daily news posts.  But if you need your candy news now, we'll be posting all (more than in the round up) of the the candy related news articles we find on our Twitter feed, as we find it.  After this week, we're also going to change our review update day to Monday, that way you'll have your weekends free to go outside and smell some flowers.

Finally we're working hard on our new podcast which we hope to have online soon.

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Australia/New Zealand Review-A-Thon - Dairy Milk Snack

Whenever I do a review-a-thon I have one fear that keeps creeping back, is this treat actually from the country where I found it.  It could be that this treat is available in several countries and I just happen to have found it where I was visiting.  It could also be that this treat happened to have come out while I was travelling, but now it's available all over the place.  This is particularly difficult to know when the treat your reviewing is made by a large candy company, like Kraft, Cadbury, or Nestle.  All I can assure you about today's addition to the Australian/New Zealand review-a-thon is that I bought it on my travels.  Where this bar originated, and were it's sold I can't tell you for sure.

Click here to read the Dairy Milk Snack review.

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Australia/New Zealand Review-A-Thon - The Cherry Ripe

After such an epic trip across two amazing countries, you better believe I have many a treat to talk about. I came across many a fine treat on this adventure, and I hope to show you every single one of them throughout this week.  I've decided to start this review-a-thon with a bar that is a truly Australian creation, first made by MacRobertson's until Cadbury bought it up in 1967, it's really an Australian staple.  You can pretty much find it on every single store shelf, I guess the question is, is it worth picking up?

Click here to read the Cherry Ripe review.

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Wednesday's Candy Links

From the probably not a great candy idea file comes "Edible Deodorant Candy"

New Zealand isn't so keen on what people consider to be "trendy" chocolate, I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing for them.

Soft drinks can make you one of the richest people in the whole world, well you also need an empire of other companies as well, but soft drinks started it.

The creator of mochi ice cream has died, if you've never had mochi ice cream then you're missing out on something... well strange but special as well.

This isn't the first time I've heard about a kid stealing money to buy candy, this is however the largest sum of money I've ever heard.

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New Zealand Says Prices Will Go Up

Yesterday I posted a few articles about the estimated increase in the price of cocoa for the upcoming year.  I also posted a link, on the same post, to a story where German confectioners claimed that there would be no increase in the price of chocolate.  Well it appears that New Zealand confectioners aren't so sure.  In fact they're predicting that chocolate could go up as much as 15% in the next year.

Click here to read about New Zealand chocolate prices.

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Cadbury New Zealand Isn't As Trusted

Now I can see the importance of trusting a company to keep up the quality of its products. But I really don't know if I would trust a poll that simply asks people if they "trust" a company. It's too vague a question. If you ask about how much they like their treats, or if they would buy it again, that's OK, but trust? I mean I trust Cadbury, I trust them in that I'm sure they're not trying to kill me with food poisoning. I don't always like their treats, but I trust them.

Click here to read about New Zealand's trust issues.

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Cadbury Goes Messing With Their Candy

In New Zealand they are starting to feel the affects of a global economy in the chocolate world. One of the worst aspects of this economy is the homogenization of foods (in particular candy) all in the want to save money and streamline production. Apparently several Cadbury treats in the area have been changed because they started to manufacture them in new factories outside of New Zealand. It's a sad day in the candy world, and something we should all protest.

Click here to read more.

CC

Be Thankful

While all of you American folks are munching down what could be the best meal of the year, remember this. There are people in New Zealand eating one of these.

Click here to read more.

Happy Thanksgiving Gang!

CC