Ube Love

 There are certain dessert and sweet ingredients that one associates with certain countries around the world. Turkish delight, Swiss chocolate, Thai Mango Sticky Rice just to name a few. The Philippines however has an ingredient that is not only popular there, but even grows there. In fact this ingredient was first discovered growing there and is considered the place of origin. This is actually fairly rare for treats to be native and still considered their native dish. I’m talking about ube, and it’s a pretty amazing sweet treat.

Ube translates to tuber, and as you might of guessed is a potato. It’s a sweet potato that has one amazing feature, it’s really purple. I don’t know if there is any other natural food in the world that is this purple. It’s such an amazing hue of purple that I’m surprised it’s not one of the most Instragramed foods in the world. It’s beautiful, and it keeps its colour no matter what application you use it.

This ingredient is everywhere in Filipino cooking, particularly in desserts. You won’t find a menu at any restaurant or bakery that doesn’t have something that’s bright purple in the Philippines. Whether you bake with it, or use it as a sauce, it has such a unique stamp that you know for sure what’s going on. The other advantage is that it actually tastes pretty good as well. On its own it has a fairly sweet flavour with a slight nuttiness. This makes it a great flavour for so many desserts and gives a bit of sweet that isn’t too overpowering.

Probably the most common way to enjoy ube is in a jam form. This jam is often used inside baked goods from croissant to mochi. You can also get the jam on its own, which I imagine you could even spread on toast if you like. Honestly I’m not sure what the traditional uses for ube jam are, because today it’s just used so many ways that it’s hard to pinpoint down an exact history.

While the jam is the most popular, there are many other uses for this purple potato. There are several different ice cream brands that offer an ube flavoured ice cream. There’s even one that makes a chocolate covered ice cream bar, but they also add ube to the chocolate to give it a nutty flavour and very purple colour. I also recently tried a rice porridge (like a rice pudding) that was ube flavoured. It was really great because the nutty flavour of the potato cut through the sweet flavour of the rice porridge really well. I feel like there are endless ways you could use this ingredient, and I think it’s about time Kit Kat came up with an ube bar.

When you first see this purple potato, it kind of shocks your system. It’s so bold and bright that you expect one of two things. You either expect it to blow your socks off with the flavour, or you expect it to be all show with no flavour. The good thing is it’s neither. Ube is a wonderful, slightly sweet flavour with a wonderful nutty kick. If you ever find yourself in the Philippines (or in the presence of a good Filipino cook) and they offer you something bright purple, go for it, you won’t regret it at all.

Is Sweet Potato Butter Spread Better Than Nutella?

 When I first started this series of blogs comparing Nutella to other spreads, my main focus was on chocolate hazelnut spreads, then it expanded to any kind of chocolate spread, now I think it’s gone off the rails a little. Comparing sweet potato spread to Nutella probably isn’t very fair, as they’re completely different things. The problem is since I’m now searching the grocery store isles for spreads, I sometimes come across odd things to put on toast, and sometimes I can’t pass one up. My brain also has a hard time trying to come up with another way to write about this odd spread, so I just lump it in a category that it probably doesn’t belong.

As for the spread itself, the first thing some people might have to get over the fact that it’s made with a sweet potato. For some reason some people have a hard time readjusting themselves to believing that sweet potato works as a sweet ingredient. It’s odd because just about every sweet potato dish has a sweet aspect, and the word “sweet” is even in the name. 

The only problem I had with this spread is that I’m convinced that there’s more than just sweet potato in this spread. I feel like there’s some additional sugar and possibly some spices (I couldn’t read the ingredients as they’re not in English). This makes me feel a little ripped off, like when you eat something that’s pumpkin flavoured, but it’s actually flavoured with pumpkin as well as the spices that are associated with pumpkin pie. I’m not saying that there’s no sweet potato in this, I’m just wondering how much help the sweet potato has had to make it a little more flavourful.

As far as comparing it to Nutella, I think Nutella is a bit better. However, this does have a uniqueness to it that Nutella does not, and so I would say if you have the chance to try it you should. If you have the choice of either this or Nutella then I’d lean towards Nutella assuming you’re basing your choice on flavour and texture. If you’re basing your choice on adventure and uniqueness than I would probably suggest you try the sweet potato spread instead.

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Sweet, It's a Potato

I feel like the sweet potato is one of the most underused ingredients in snacks, at least in North America. In parts of Asia the sweet potato is so common that you might even see it more often than regular potatoes. I think the thing that makes it unique is the fact that it really works well in both savory and sweet applications. The flavour is on the sweet side, but not so sweet that it doesn't work with a bit of salt. I've seen sweet potatoes as jams, cookie and chocolate fillings, coated in sugar, and as we see in today's new review, chips.

Check out my latest sweet potato snack review.

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The Candy Critic's Thanksgiving Candy Ideas That Should Exist

There are so many flavours associated with Thanksgiving, and many have crossed over to the snacking world. Pumpkin spice is probably the most popular flavour right now, but there are also many potato chips flavoured with inspirations from this holiday as well. I seem to remember Jones Soda pulled off Thanksgiving flavours at one point, and people went nuts over them. I personally think we need more snacks with the awesome flavours of Thanksgiving, but I’m not just going to complain about it.

Instead I’m designing a few Thanksgiving candy and snack creations, and best of all for the candy/snack companies out there, I’m giving the concepts away. I invite any snack or candy company to use these ideas, all I ask in return is that you send me some samples. I’ll even post a review on candycritic.org.

Sweet Potato Marshmallows

The connection between sweet potatoes and marshmallows is a weird one. I don’t know how it started,  but I can’t deny that it works. One of the thing it taught me is that sweet potatoes work well in sweets. In Asia sweet potato candies are common, but not in North America. That’s why I think introducing a sweet potato candy in North America around Thanksgiving makes sense. If you tie it with marshmallows it just could be the novelty candy that people grow to love.

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy Pop Tarts

The idea of a savoury Pop Tart is due. McDonald’s in Asia have been selling savoury pies for years, and what is a Pop Tart other than a flat pie. I think theming it to Thanksgiving would be a great way to introduce this concept, and mash potatoes and gravy would be the perfect flavour and texture combination. You could fill the pie with the mashed potatoes and then make a nice gravy (unsweetened) topping. After that the sky’s the limit, chicken pot pie, pizza, so many choices.

Cranberry Bubble Gum

Of all the concepts I’m presenting today, I think cranberry gum is the most logical and least intimidating. It’s so logical that I wouldn’t be surprised if someone mentions in the comments that it already exists. I think cranberry could easily become the flavour of Thanksgiving much like pumpkin spice, this way we’d have a flavour to put between pumpkin spice and peppermint/candy cane.

Turkey Spice Corn Bread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

This next idea requires a little bit of imagination. Take your a average store bought cupcake, like a Hostess Cupcake, and flip it around. Go savoury over sweet, and use some Thanksgiving flavours. To start, get rid of the cake and go cornbread instead. Then take the spices one normally uses in turkey stuffing, and flavour your cornbread. If you so choose, maybe fill it with mashed potatoes as well. Next, top this cake off with some savoury cream cheese. I think this would be a fun play on pumpkin spice, and done well could actually work. Having said that, if it does work, and Starbucks makes a frappuccino flavoured with Turkey Spice, I claim no responsibility.

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Memorable Japanese Kit Kats I've Reviewed - Part 4 - You Say Potato?

We're still in Japan, and if you're following us on Facebook and Twitter you may have caught wind of some of our treat adventures. This week on the site we've been talking about some of the more memorable Kit Kat bars that we've ever reviewed. I'm sure hopping that we're getting a few more to add to the collection right now.

Today we're going to talk about potatoes. Potatoes are not something that most westerners would associated with dessert or in particular candy. Japan, and many other countries in Asia however feel that potatoes (both sweet and regular) make for wonderful sweet treats. The most popular form is sweet potato, and there are several sweet potato sweet treats available all over Asia. In fact a regular treat in Japan is simply a baked sweet potato, they sell them in trucks that roam around neighborhoods and kids line up like they were buying ice cream.  Regular potato is not as common, but it's surely available.

If you know about the Asian love of potatoes, than this potato Kit Kat bar isn't that strange. Put into a western context though, and it's pretty weird indeed.  Personally I'm pretty fond of potatoes (both sweet and regular) and I have yet to find them in a sweet treat where it didn't really work.

Click here to read this potato review.

Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out if we found a sweet potato Kit Kat.

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Candy Flavours From Around the World

As the world shrinks, the selection of food we eat grows.  Not long ago a shawarma was a foreign delicacy you’d only find in hidden away shops in cities with large Middle Eastern populations.  Now you can find a shawarma at your local mall food court along with pho, hummus, and chicken tandoori.  While our meals are evolving quickly today, our candy selection seems to be moving a little slower.

Sure you can pick up foreign candies in specialty candy shops, but some of the true foreign flavours of sweet treats have yet to really break out into the North American market (and some of our flavours haven't made it to the outside world either).  Sometimes there’s a reason for that, some of these flavours are nothing like what we’re used to, but some of these flavours are just itching to make it onto our candy shelves and bulk bins.

Tamarind – This is a common flavour of candies in South Asia and the Middle East.  It’s a sweet bean that on it’s own is a little strange, however as a flavour of gum or hard candy it can’t be beat.  The biggest problem with tamarind is how it looks, a large ugly dried bean is not something most North Americans want to eat, particularly if it's associated with sweet instead of savoury.  But get past the rough looking pod and you’re left with a unique sweet treat.

Sweet Potato – You’d have no problem covering your yams in sugar for thanks giving, yet you would probably never want to cover your yams in chocolate.  In Eastern Asia yams are as much a sweet treat as dried fruit or nuts.  In some cases it’s covered in chocolate, sugar, or just enjoyed for the sweetness it gives naturally.  In Japan they even have people going around neighbourhoods selling warm yams the same way ice cream trucks do in North America, they even have a song that plays to tell kids they’re around.

Sour Plum – Common in Japan and parts of the Far East, sour plums are just that, very sour pickled or dried out plums.  They can also be a little salty as well, thus making them fairly off-putting for most North American candy fanatics.  The only people that would probably enjoy sour plums are the same people that fell in love with the Harry Potter themed Bertie Botts jellybeans.  This is an extreme flavour, but for many Asians it’s one they love.

Licorice – What’s this?  Licorice is already a candy, there’s nothing strange about it.  While licorice is an acquired taste in North America, in the Netherlands and Finland licorice is the ultimate candy treat.  More importantly they’ve taken licorice and started to use it in other candy treats.  How about milk chocolate bar, filled with licorice chunks.  There’s also the famous Dutch “Double Zoot” salted licorice, a salty licorice flavour that you’ll either love, or loathe.

Marzipan – Most people consider marzipan to be a filling for chocolates, or occasionally found in that foreign bakery down the street.  In Austria it’s an art and a celebration.  There are shops dedicated to this sweet treat, and how they sculpt this treat into pieces of art is exceptional.  You can get plates that look exactly like Vienna Sausages, fruit, and just about anything you’d find for dinner all made out of this almond paste.  On new years it’s tradition to eat a pig made of Marzipan, for good luck.

Mastixa – Mastixa made of sap from a pine tree found on Chios island in Greece.  To say that it's an acquired taste is putting it lightly.  Many people would tell you that it tastes like awful cough medicine, others say that the strong flavoured sap is refreshing.  You can actually just chew the sap in a slightly crystallized form, however most people prefer it as a flavouring agent.  It's used to flavour ice cream, cookies, cakes and candies.

Rose – The smell of fresh roses brings memories of weddings, or Valentines Day, but in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures it brings up memories of cakes, cookies and candies.  Some North American recipes might call for rose water, but it's still a bit of a novelty.  However in Greek and Turkish desserts it's very regularly used.  Greek Christmas cookies known as kourabiethes are sprayed with rose water when they're done, and Rose flavoured Turkish delight is one of the most common.

Bonus:

Peanut Butter – peanut butter?!! Everyone loves peanut butter, right?  Nope, in many cultures peanut butter is just too strange.  Many European countries don't have much of a taste for peanut butter at all.  To them a peanut butter cup is a novelty, and too many a disgusting one at that.  So remember that next time you're eating strong piece of Dutch licorice in the Netherlands, or a sugar coated sweet potato in Japan, and grimacing about how gross it is.  They might feel the same way about your PB and J.

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Candy News

Here's a few secrets, from the folks that brought us Chunky Monkey.

Peeps are no longer going to be around just for Easter, a new year round version is coming.

Many things have spilled out of trucks into the highways of the world, including 40,000 lbs of ice cream and a massive load of corn dogs.

A new record for the most Girl Scout cookies sold in one year was achieved, and she didn't even visit my house.

I had always thought of hard core candy fans as being the minority in the candy eating world, apparently we make up a pretty decent percentage.

Sweet potato cookies might be the next big trend in North America, but they've been making treats with these for a long time in Asia.

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Wednesday's Japanese Candy Review

Sweet potato is one of those flavours that I think one day could become mainstream in the Western candy world.  After all, North Americans have been making sweet potato dishes with marshmallows and brown sugar for years now.  The sweet potato (as the name says) is a welcome addition to the sweets family.  I just think we have to open these doors a little wider, and see what kind of sweet treats they're making in Asia. I also think this tuber would offer us some great versions of classic treats.  How about sweet potato Pez, or sweet potato Jolly Ranchers, I even think that a sweet potato gummy bear would be fantastic.  So open your heart, and sweet tooth, to this awesome little vegetable.

Click here to read our latest sweet potato review.

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More Flavour Predictions For The Future

Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc has announced what it feels will be the popular flavours this year.  Most of the flavours on the top 10 list where fairly predictable, however I am really happy to see "sweet potato" on the list.  I'm hoping that this particular flavour trend might finds its way into the candy market.

Click here to check out the list.

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Vegetables In Candy

It may seem a strange idea to put vegetables in candy but it's actually pretty good. In my time in Japan I came across many treats with things like sweet potato in them and they were fantastic. There are so many sweet vegetables that would taste great as a sweet treat, and even a few sour ones. I challenge anybody to make me a tomato lollipop, I'll try it, and I can't see why I wouldn't like it.

Click here to read more about vegetables in candy.

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Reviews on Tuesdays?

I think this might turn out to be the best day for new reviews. It used to be Sunday but frankly I think I wouldn’t be able to post that regularly at this point on Sundays. So to start things off with a bang here’s a little treat I picked up in Japan and it changed the way I felt about Sweet Potatoes.

Click here to read today's review.

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For the love of sweet potatoes.

I came across a little sweet shop that is obsessed with sweet potatoes. They have everything flavoured with sweet potatoes including this tasty ice cream treat.

Allison picked up a sweet potato deep fried patty treat and it was pretty tasty.

They also have a mixed ice cream with sweet potato and a bitter green tea. I wonder if people in North America could jump on the sweet potato as a desert bandwagon. I’ve seen red been treats so why not sweet potato?

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