Saffron as a Candy Ingredient

There are a few flavours out in the world that I just don't understand, and saffron is one of them. It's a very popular and every expensive ingredient, but I really don't get the hype. The only thing I really enjoy with saffron is a raisin bread that my grandmother used to make, but she used so little of it (because it was expensive) that I'm convinced it barely made any difference to the flavour. Anything I've had that truly tastes like saffron is always a little off putting for me. I'm still going to continue to sample saffron based treats, but I have yet to have one that's wowed me.

Check out the latest saffron treat that I've reviewed right now.

Chill Out and Learn Something New

 Did you know that narwhals like to eat nougat? Well maybe not in real life (please don't feed a narwhal nougat), but it's always fun to pretend.

Pick up Treats and Beasts right now on Amazon or at bewarethecheese.com/treatsnbeasts.

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No One Should Be Left Out During The Holidays

Nancy the Narwhal T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I've got t-shirts for every letter of the alphabet featuring beasts and the treats they love. If you know someone who's name starts with "N", this one will make the perfect gift.

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E. Wedel A Classic Candy Company

E. Wedel is a a great example of a candy company that's very well known in certain parts of the world, but almost unknown in other parts of the world. This is something I'm very privileged to notice, as I get to travel a lot, and when I do I taste candy from all over the place. I also talk to people from many parts of the world and try to learn about candy and snack culture in different places. When I do, people often mention brands or candies that they feel must be well known or at least well loved all over the world, and they're often surprised to know that I'd never heard about them. Don't get me wrong, it goes both ways. I've fed grown adults their first Twinkies, and talked to people who had never tried Peanut Butter Cups (and the thought of them actually grosses some of these people out). So I'm really lucky to taste, and learn about snacks and candy all over the world, and I'm happy to share information about some of these amazing brands that may or may not be well known to you.

Check out my latest (of many) E. Wedel treat reviews.

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I Love Narwals

Nancy the Narwhal T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I might even love narwals more than I love nougat.

Check out all the other cool Treats and Beasts designs in our store.

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It's Time To Think About Nougat - Vital Belgian Top Nougat

Nougat has always been a bit of an enigma to me. It's an ingredient found in many of my favourite treats, yet on its own I have trouble appreciating it. It's a really unique ingredient in the candy world, and I think it might become an obsession. Much like licorice and spicy foods, I want to develop an appreciation for nougat. The only way to do that is to sample as many nougats as I can. It might even call for me to try and make a few myself. To be honest, I don't even know all of the ingredients that go into a nougat.

Click here to read the review that made me think about nougat.

You can also follow candycritic.org on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with my quest to love nougat.

Also, be sure to download (for free) our very first micro comic, Snack Facts issue 0.

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Our New Candy Review Is Tasty... But The Review Is A Little Late - Ritter Sport "Nugat"

Whatever you do, don't judge this candy due to are tardiness. Easter Monday got the best of us and we went to a movie (Ready Player One), then things happened, and here I am rushing to get this review posted. Fortunately it's the kind of review one can be proud to post, and because it's so good, it's well worth this breakneck, sweaty stress I'm under to get this up ASAP.

Click  here to find out why we're so happy to eat this chocolate bar.

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You can also follow us on Tumblr, if that's the kind of thing you might do.

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X Marks The Review

I'm always proud to look over all of the reviews that I've written to see that I have tasted a candy that starts with every single letter of the alphabet. The next logical goal is far more unlikely to complete, tasting a candy from every country in the world.  The goal after that is even less likely, to try every single candy in the world.  The great thing about what I do, I can always strive to complete these goals, and although I'll never complete them, I'm going to have a great time trying.

Click here to read our latest "X" review.

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Sweet Treats Of Turkey

On my recent trip through the Mediterranean I made a stop in Istanbul.  I haven't been to Istanbul since I was a child, and I have only vague recollections of that trip.  The one thing I do remember however is how this trip ruined Turkish delight for me.  When I got back to Canada and sampled other Turkish Delights, they never held up to the stuff I tried in Istanbul.  It wasn't until a recently that I've learned that many Mediterranean and Middle East countries also make a fine "Delight", but for some reason North America gets it all wrong.  So even as a child, this city had a huge impact of my candy taste testing life, it was my first step towards being a candy snob.

The thing that I was most excited about on this return trip was to see if Istanbul still held up as a unique and tasty place to get sweet treats.  As it turns out, it is, in fact I might say that Turkey rivals Japan for unique and tasty treats.  As a Westerner many of the treats, and the way they're delivered are pretty strange, but if you get by your bias you'll discover flavours and textures like nothing you've ever tried before.

Living in Greece and having traveled around this area a lot lately, I found many similar treats in Istanbul, but for some reason there's a bit more authenticity to them.  In many European countries you start to find a great deal of influence from the French, German, and other Western European countries in sweet treats.  In Istanbul it seems like they avoid this, the places I visited didn't offer many Western baked goods at all, they focused almost completely on their own.  Even the grocery stores I visited had very few Western treats, there where several bars available with Pistachios, and other Turkish/Mediterranean ingredients, and very few M& Ms, Twix, or Mars bars.

The treats from the traditional Turkish stores and market stalls were exactly what you might expect.  First of all there where many bulk stores, particularly in the Bazaars, selling candy in bulk.  The candy they sold was nougats, delights, and nut filled baklavas.  There was not a French pastry to be seen anywhere. Even the coffee shops offered some uniquely Turkish drinks (I sampled something called Sahlep that is now favourite hot drink).

I only scratch the surface in my exploration of Turkish treats, so I could be missing something entirely.  I did however find that the treats available truly reflected the Turkish culture, that meant that there was little variety, but it also meant that the local treats where in abundance.  Keep in mind that when I say there's little variety, I don't mean little selection or even evolution in their treats.  I found so many flavours and formats of Turkish delight it would blow your mind.  In particular I came across a really creative way to serve sweet treats, in Donair form (they would shave the candy off a giant hunk of candy on a spit).

This city, and this country, offers unique flavours and a glimpse into the tradition that comes from their culinary history.  It gives you a great example of a culture that hasn't had a Western influence into its sweet treats, and how this sweet treat culture has evolved.  I'm sure I could spend a whole year learning about the many varieties of sweets available, and I'm sure I'll be back to sample again.

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