The Weirdest Sweets You Can Only Buy Abroad

Country: Thailand
Average Price: $3.95/Pack*

Coming all the way from the “Land of Smiles” is the chewy and tangy, sweet yet sour, Tamarind candy. The candy base is made from the paste of tamarind fruit that’s been mixed with sugar. The simple concoction is laid out in a long, thin log and cut into individual servings.

Tamarind Candy @binjalpandya/Pinterest

Tamarind candy is similar in look and texture to Tootsie Rolls, but that’s where the comparison ends. The Thai treat isn’t as sweet as its North American alternative. On the contrary, it has more of a fruity taste with a hint of sourness, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less delicious.

Country: Mexico
Average Price: $0.20/Each*

Dedos is a Tamarind-based treat from the Mexican candy manufacturer Indy that comes individually wrapped in larger packs. Each one looks like a finger, and they are eaten with your fingers (usually), which explains the name “Dedos” (“fingers” in Spanish). 

Indy Dedos @abillionapp/Pinterest

Anyone who has tried Salsagheti (another of Mexico’s popular candies) will find Dedos to be a little familiar. They’re chewy, sour, and as addictive as candy can get. Thanks to the chili powder coating on each treat, Dedos provides snackers with a bit of “hey, how ya doin’?” with every bite. 

Country: China
Average Price: $10.64/lb*

They’re sweet. They’re chewy. They’re downright delicious. White Rabbit is a small, rectangular, individually wrapped milk candy that has been enjoyed in China since 1943. On the other hand, milk candy has been in production (in one form or another) for centuries. 

White Rabbit @Joshua Agatep/Facebook

It’s made up of sugar, cow milk (formerly water-buffalo milk), condensed milk, and/or powdered milk. At least, that’s when the Shanghai Guan Sheng Yuan Foods company began manufacturing them. If you want to give them a try, a 6.3 oz pack with 20-30 pieces is only $4.19* on Amazon.

Country: New Zealand
Average Price: $7.25/lb*

Created in ‘the other land down under by the Oamaru-based Regina Confectionary Company (RCC), these pineapple-flavored, chocolate-covered marshmallows have been a fan favorite ‘lolly’ amongst Kiwi youth since the mid-1950s. However, more than anything else, the Lumps’ creation resulted from happenstance.

Pineapple Lumps @crossenm/Pinterest

RCC’s confectionary chief, Charles Diver, formulated a plan that would see the excess parts from the company’s most wasteful product, pineapple-flavored marshmallows shaped like fish, repurposed into new candies, “Pineapple Lumps.” Variations of the “Lumps” can be found worldwide, but anyone who’s tried them knows there’s nothing quite like the OG.

Country: Japan
Average Price: $3/Bar*

With two-thirds of the total number of Kit Kat flavors originating there, Japan has unwittingly become the unofficial “Kit Kat capital of the world”. In the mid-2010s, as dozens upon dozens of new flavors were being introduced, the Japanese Kit Kat factory produced one of its most popular flavors to date — wasabi.

Wasabi-Flavored Kit Kats @buzzfeed/Pinterest

Not to be mistaken for the matcha Kit Kat, the wasabi variety is of a lighter green complexion than its tea-flavored companion. One would think a wasabi-flavored chocolate bar would be spicy. On the contrary, these bars have all the flavor of the sinus-clearing horseradish paste, but only a hint of the spice. 

Country: Romania
Average Price: $4.25/Bar*

A lot happened in 1964. America was in a race to space that it was half a decade away from winning, the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series, and Romania’s national chocolate bar hit the shelves for the first time.

ROM @nixcraft/Twitter

ROM is a rum-scented chocolate bar that comes in a handful of varieties, including raisin, caramel peanut, milk, and sandwich. The bar’s original wrapper was red, yellow, and blue like the Romanian flag, but an alternate American flag-backed wrapper has since made an appearance as well. This caused quite a controversy when it happened, but the bar was what mattered most when it came down to it, and everyone loved the ROM bar.

Country: South Africa
Average Price: $3.49/Bar*

There are few flavors more refreshing than the combination of mint and chocolate on a sweltering hot day. Needless to say, there are many humid and hot days in South Africa and, therefore, there are many such occasions for refreshing treats. In the 1960s, the British confectionery company Wilson-Rowntree met the demand by releasing the Peppermint Crisp bar. Shortly after its introduction, Peppermint Crisp was sold to Nestle.

Peppermint Crisp @candyplanet/Amazon

The crispy multi-layered mint interior is made of cylindrical tubes composed of a sugar concoction called ‘cracknel.’ Those tubes are then covered in a healthy coating of milk chocolate. Peppermint Crisp is one of the most popular bars in South Africa and has recently begun to gain momentum in New Zealand as well.

Country: Ireland
Average Price: $3/Bar*

Tayto crisps have been one of the top-selling snack foods in Ireland for decades. It only makes sense that Tayto would release a limited edition chocolate bar flavored after its most popular flavor, even if that flavor is cheese & onion.

Tayto Cheese & Onion Chocolate @AndrewRGibson/Twitter

In early 2022, Tayto released a limited edition chocolate bar with pieces of cheese & onion Tayto crisps inside. The catch is they are only available online and in Northern Ireland. If you manage to get your hands on a bar and find it to your liking, be sure to stock up because Tayto has announced that there will be no more produced when they sell out. If you over-buy, you can always sell the extras on eBay.

Country: Finland
Average Price: $16.64/lb*

To enjoy Turkish pepper, or as it’s known in Finland, Tyrkisk peper, takes an acquired taste. The treat is beloved in some Finnish households and outlawed in others for no other reason than their unexpected and sometimes misunderstood combination of flavors: salt and licorice. 

Turkish Pepper Salmiakki @ruthcicale/Pinterest

Salmiakki is a candy that blends the flavor of salt and anise together in hard, soft, and chewy bite-sized snacks. If you’re a fan of the black licorice Maynards Wine Gums but always thought they were missing a salty finish, give Salmiakki Turkish pepper a try.

Country: Israel
Average Price: $2.99/Bar*

A trip to the local convenience store can be a stressful and overwhelming experience for a child, especially if it’s their first time there. There are a seemingly endless number of options, but only enough money for one snack. Do they choose something chocolaty? Or do they go with the candy that goes off like fireworks in their mouth?

Elite Milk Chocolate Popping Bar @worldofjudaica/Pinterest

Why not both? Israel’s “Elite” chocolate brand has “put those hands together” and combined chocolate with popping candy to help simplify the snack choosing decision. Looking to keep the party going right through snack time? Try one of Elite’s Milk Chocolate Popping Bars.

Country: Vietnam
Average Price: $10.69/6.34 oz Bag*

Durian fruit has gained worldwide notoriety for having a horrid aroma but a delightful roller-coaster of a taste. Understandably, someone decided that it would be best to create a candy that had the taste and not the smell of the fruit. 

Durian Candy @ebay

Originally from Ben Tre in the south of Vietnam, people everywhere can now enjoy the combination of sweet, savory, and unknown flavors of durian candy. Whether you’re visiting Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, or Sapa, this taffy-textured treat can now be found at shops across Vietnam and many other countries in the world as well.

Country: Canada
Average Price: $7.67/Gallon*

Tiger Tail ice cream is one of Canada’s hidden snack food gems like all-dressed and ketchup chips. For those who don’t know what it is, Tiger Tail is orange-flavored ice cream with a thick swirl of black licorice through the center that was named for its apparent tiger-like pattern.

Tiger Tail Ice Cream @Chapmans_Canada/Twitter

The aptly-named Tiger Tail ice cream was most popular in cities across southern Ontario throughout the 50s, 60s, and 70s, but had some fans elsewhere north of the border as well. The frozen treat’s popularity began to wane by the end of the 80s. However, recently it has made a comeback (for nostalgic reasons) and can be found in the frozen food section of Canadian grocery stores and select Baskin-Robbins locations.

Country: Mexico
Average Price: $14.88/lb*

If there were ever any doubts about whether someone should fuse the fine cuisines of Italy and Mexico, Salsagheti is proof it works. Salsagheti provides a tastebud experience, unlike any candy you’ve had before. The candy strings come in various flavors, including watermelon, mango, tamarind, and green apple.

Salsagheti @ebay

Don’t be fooled. These strings are not like the sour ropes that candy-lovers are used to. To get to the fruit-flavored rat tail gummy beneath the surface of Salsagheti, one must first get through the mouth-watering inducing taste of the spicy sprinkles and sour powder that coats each string.

Country: Japan
Average Price: $3/Pack*

In 1975, when the Japanese snack food company Meija Seika tried to find an exciting shape for its latest line of cookies, the top brass settled on mushrooms. That might seem like an odd decision to some, but over the following 4+ decades, Kinoko no Yama became one of the top-selling snacks in Japan. 

Chocolate Mushrooms @annetravelfood/Pinterest

The mushrooms’ chocolate ‘caps’ are fixed above a cookie ‘stem’ that combine to provide snackers with a crunchy sweet bite every time. If you’re looking for a fungi to have a snack with, Kinoko no Yama can now be found in the States under the name ‘Chocorooms’ at a wide range of stores, including Target and Walmart.