With Halloween just behind us, I'm fairly certain there has been an uptake in candy consumption. But candy isn't just one thing; what kind of candy you eat depends a lot on where you live. So let's take a look at some iconic candy around the world, both by country and region.
Country wise
Denmark - Liquorice If you've ever been to Denmark, then you know it is possible to get pretty much anything from toothpaste to pastries with liquorice flavour; Danes just love liquorice. For the hardcore fans there is something called Tyrkisk Peber, which is spicy liquorice hard candy with a core of extremely spicy liquorice powder.
China - Haw flakes Haw flakes is candy made from the fruit of the Chinese hawthorn plant. It is then made into small round discs of about two milimetres in thickness, and these are then stacked together in cylindrical packages with art that resemble Chinese fireworks. The taste is sweet and tangy, but as they are mainly made by fruit they don't have the sugary taste most people associate with candy.
Turkey - Turkish delight Turkish delight - or Rahat Lokum as its original name is - is chewy candy made form sugar and cornstarch and then covered in powdered sugar to keep from getting too sticky. They come in hundreds of flavour variations so there is something for everyone.
Nepal - Chatpata mazza Nepal loves spiced candy. Rasilo Chatpata mazza is an example of this. It is a hardboiled candy with chatpata taste, which is both salty, spicy, herbal and sour at the same time. A selling point for this candy is that the herbs in it is supposedly good for digestion.
India - Kacha aam with masala twist Kacha Aam is a hard candy that tastes of raw mango, which is called kachha aam in hindi. It has a sharp and sour taste. However, there is a twist to them, as the candy itself is hollow and filled with some tangy spice mix that changes the taste of the candy completely.
USA - Candy Corn Candy corn is a type of small candy that is shaped like the edible bits of corn. They are small triangles with three different-coloured sections, typically going from white to red to yellow. The classic taste is based on honey, sugar, butter and vanilla, but there are many special editions with both taste and colours for different seasons and festivities.
Malaysia - Durian candy Generally durian has something of a reputation for having a horrible smell and being something only a select amount of people enjoy, but durian and durian candy is very popular in Malaysia. Durian candy is a hard candy, and the durian taste is reproduced very believably.
New Zealand - Pineapple lumps Pineapple lumps is a New Zealand favourite. They consist of a soft and chewy marshmellow inside with pineapple flavour which is then covered in chocolate. They are sometimes also known as pineapple chunks, which was its original name.
Regional
East Asia - Milk candy A type of candy relatively unique to Eastern Asia is the obsession with milk candy. Coming in multiple shapes and textures, they are all flavoured like sweetened milk. A very popular version of these is the White Rabbit toffees, which are milk flavoured toffee wrapped in edible rice paper.
Middle East - Nougat Nougat - or more specifically white nougat - is a type of sweet with an unknown place of origin: however, it was somewhere in the Middle East. It therefore has many names. By the 10th century it was already widespread in Middle Eastern countries. It was imported to Europe in the 15th century where it quickly gained popularity. It is made with sugar or honey, whipped egg whites, roasted nuts and sometimes candied fruit.