Candy has a way of bringing people together, and just about everyone can agree that it is one of the good things in life. We may not agree on the best type of candy, but we do know that candy in general is delicious and even necessary at times.
There are types of candies that the majority of people may find very strange or weird, though, but people in some cultures have enjoyed these treats since they were small children. Take pleasure in learning about some of these interesting candies, and you decide if they are absolutely brilliant or just plain strange.
10 Lamb Caramels
In Hokkaido, “Genghis Khan” is a local dish of shredded mutton barbecue. The traditional dish is prepared in a skillet with lamb meat grilled at the top of the pan surrounded by various vegetables. That sounds like it could possibly be a delicious dish, but would it be as good in candy form?
In 2002, the owner of Sapporo Gourmet Foods developed the Genghis Khan Caramel Candy. He originally tried selling it as a sauce, but the product wasn’t performing well. They decided to rebrand the product and began selling it as a flavored treat instead.[1] The novelty candy is flavored like lamb curry with a hint of sweetness. Each box of this strange candy comes with 18 individually wrapped caramels that make a great (gag) gift for friends and family.
9 Salsagheti
Salsagheti may sound like a fun spin on a traditional spaghetti dish, but it’s actually a Mexican candy made up of spicy candy straws. Unlike spaghetti, Salsagheti is sweet and sour and is meant to be eaten with your hands. These long, tubular watermelon-flavored gummies are covered in chili-tamarind powder and sugar crystals, and the candy comes with a pack of tamarind sauce which acts as a salsa.[2] When poured on top of the noodle-shaped candy, it creates a spaghetti look.
The crazy candy is popular across Mexico, but it can also be found in other countries as well. The spaghetti-like treat is a favorite at birthday parties and other celebrations. Salsagheti was also featured on Tastemade as part of a crazy watermelon dish. The watermelon was loaded with cucumbers, mango, and assorted Mexican candies, including Salsagheti. Who would have thought spicy watermelon-flavored candy that resembled spaghetti would be such a hit?
8 Kitten Tongue Chocolate
The popular Czech candy Kocici Jazycky means “Kitten Tongues,” which sounds like a terrible idea for a treat. You might expect small, pink, or wet candies, maybe even covered in hairballs? Thankfully, the small treats are actually just sweet, milky chocolate bars in the shape of a kitten tongue.
The kitten tongue-shaped chocolate bars were first produced in 1892 in Vienna. They saw popularity in the 1920s and 1930s in the Czech lands. The box of chocolates features pictures of soft and fuzzy kittens alongside the tongue-like chocolate bars.[3] The candy may seem like a strange idea, but at least it’s only made of chocolaty goodness. If you like your candies to be cute and cuddly, you need to try this right meow!
7 Botan Rice Candy
Do you love to eat candy, but you’re too lazy to take it out of the wrapper? Botan Rice Candy actually encourages you to eat the wrapper along with the treat. It’s a soft and chewy lemon/orange-flavored candy that comes wrapped in edible rice paper.[4] Even though the wrapper is edible, you don’t have to feel pressured into devouring it. The jelly-like cubed candy is all you really need to taste.
The candy comes in a movie theater-style box that appeals to children. Each box also comes with a children’s sticker to accompany the individually wrapped pieces of candy. Some of the collectible stickers found in the package include cartoon ninjas, dogs, a bunny using a computer, and even a squirrel on a mushroom. The candy is mostly sweet but slightly mild as well. It can also be a bit sticky, but the true novelty of the candy is its edible wrapper. The strange candy can be found at several online retailers in the United States.
6 Chocolate Bar With Cheese And Onion Crisps
Tayto is an Irish snack company that has been making crisps and other snacks since 1956. The company produces several flavors of crisps and other delicious snacks to chow on. The company boasts that one in every five packs of crisps eaten in Northern Ireland is Tayto Cheese & Onion. A few years back, Tayto decided to reveal a new snack to the world, though—the Tayto milk chocolate bar with cheese and onion crisps.
The limited-edition candy bar featured small chunks of their best-selling crisp. Since the chocolate bar was unique, several reviewers were quick to post their opinions of the strange sweet.[5] Many reviews of the candy came back negative, stating that the cheese and onion flavor was a bit too much. Why would you mix that combination with chocolate, anyway? If you are hoping to try this weird piece of candy, you’re out of luck. It was only a limited-edition release, meaning you will have to enjoy their cheese and onion crisps instead.
5 Musk Sticks
What looks like bubblegum toothpaste and has a perfume-like flavor? Musk sticks, of course! The strange candy loved by many Australians and New Zealanders may be off-putting to others. Musk sticks are basically pink cylinders made of gelatin and icing sugar with a musk-like essence.[6]
The candy dissolves slowly in the mouth, and many people associate the taste with a strong cologne. A baker from Australia wrote about a woman in her blog who described the candy as “tasting like the smell of old ladies at the bus stop & yet kind of nice.” It’s weird, and the appeal is hard to understand, but the candy has been going strong for a century in Australia. Woolworths alone sells around 24 million musk sticks per year. If these candies don’t sound appealing, you could always use them as an air freshener instead.
4 Creamy Corn Candy
Corn is known to have various productive uses, and it can be cooked and served in several ways as well. Creamed corn is one of the more popular ways to eat corn, and there are many recipes to spruce up the dish. Victory Creamy Corn Candy is not one of those great ways to enjoy corn, though. Be careful, because this candy is not to be confused with the popular and delicious Candy Corn.
The slogan posted on the candy package may say, “Tastes So Smooth, Tastes So Rich,” but creamed corn in candy form can’t be known to “Taste So Good.” This strange candy from Malaysia claims to have the perfect blend of smoothness and rich taste that has a long-lasting aroma and flavor.[7] Next time you’re craving a small taste of Thanksgiving, bust open a bag of Creamy Corn Candy!
3 Percy Pig
The next candy is produced by the British company Marks & Spencer. They have created Percy Pig, a gummy candy that is widely popular across the UK. Gummy candy always sounds delicious, but there is a strange twist on these sweets. Percy Pigs look like normal gummy candies, but they are partly made with pork gelatin.[8]
These gummy piggies are cute but a bit creepy after knowing the ingredients. The raspberry-flavored treats are quite popular, though, and have a large following of lovers. They can only be purchased at the department store Marks & Spencer, and they now come in other flavors and products, including Veggie Percy, Phizzy Pig Tails, Percy Pig and Pals, and Globetrotting Percy. The department store also produces Percy Pig linens, calendars, party supplies, and mugs.
2 Salt Licorice
Not all candy has to be sweet. People in parts of Northern Europe love their salmiakki, which is also known as salmiak or salted black licorice. The sharp, sour flavor of salt licorice is introduced to many children in Finland, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands, and they continue to enjoy the candy into their adulthood. Salmiakki is a soft licorice with ammonium chloride added to give it a distinct salty taste.[9]
The salt licorice is sold in both hard and soft form, and it is often used as flavoring for things like ice cream, soda, and liquor. There are mild salty flavors for those looking to try the candy for the first time, and other flavors range from salty to extremely potent. Some makers of the product claim the candy is delicious and addictive, but it seems to be more of an acquired taste.
1 Lightning Bug Gummies
If you are looking to try a candy that is flavorful but also fun to eat, then this is your treat. Lightning Bugs are small gummy treats that actually light up! No need to worry, though, because there are not actual lightning bugs inside this gummy treat. The candy is only strange for how it works, not its ingredients.
Each bag contains small gummies shaped like bugs and a small set of tweezers. The tweezers contain a battery and an LED light located on the tip. Place a gummy bug inside the tip of the tweezers and pinch the bug until it lights up.[10] It works pretty well, and the gummies are flavorful and delicious. This is one of the best and strangest novelty candies on the market, and it is sure to keep kids (and adults) entertained for hours!
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