Candy flavors in the U.S. are pretty consistent across brands.
Most American sweets have common fruit flavors like lemon, orange, strawberry, cherry, grape or raspberry. If a manufacturer wants to get crazy, they might add a pineapple-flavored candy.
In recent years, many U.S. candy brands have doubled down on blue raspberry, which seems to be most kids’ favorite candy flavor. But not mine.
Spending time in England during my formative years meant I got introduced to some unique flavors in candies and sweets – flavors that still haven’t crossed the pond to the U.S. Flavors that I still crave, even as an adult.
Ready to go on a little taste adventure with me?
- Blackcurrant – This has been a favorite flavor of mine since childhood and evokes warm, happy memories of visiting my grandparents in England. I loved blackcurrant candies and also the concentrated blackcurrant beverage Ribena, which I can still find occasionally in the international section of our supermarket. Certain Haribo gummy candies from Germany and other European countries include blackcurrant-flavored gummies, which I adore. I don’t know why US candy manufacturers haven’t caught on to how amazing this fruit flavor is!
- Violet – The uniquely sweet, floral scent and taste of Chowards’ Violet candy and gum is another fond memory from my childhood – but this one was an American find. They were created in the 1930s by an American candy maker in search of unique flavors. I wish more manufacturers were like him!
- Rose – The iconic Fry’s Turkish Delight with a rose-flavored center, first manufactured in 1914, has always been a favorite candy of mine since childhood. Although the mass-produced, chocolate-covered version is not quite the same as the powdered sugar Turkish Delight that the white witch gave to Edmund in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, it still evokes that memory for me.
- Mastic – This one isn’t from my childhood but rather a recent discovery. Several colleagues went to Greece this summer and brought back delicious local candy: mastic toffee chews. It’s hard to describe the flavor of mastic but it’s a bit piney and subtly sweet. The flavor is “an invitation to travel,” according to a Palestinian chef quoted in The New York Times. No wonder I fell in love with it!
- Woodruff – Another recent find, this flavor turned up in a bag of Haribo “Wackelgeister” gummies gifted to us by our German daughter on her most recent trip back to the U.S. Sweet woodruff, or waldmeister in German, is a subtle flavor with a bit of vanilla and spice to it, reminiscent of cinnamon or nutmeg. It reminds me of fall or Christmas and I really liked it!
Have you ever fallen for a unique or unusual flavor in candy you sampled overseas or at a local candy shop with a great international section (we love Buckeye Candy Co. in Gahanna)? I’d love to hear about it! I’m so fascinated with the differences in flavors and even textures of international sweets.
American candy bars bore me. Give me bizarrely wonderful European gummies any day!
