Are you hankering for new and unusual flavors? If so, then you should definitely check out some of the candies and snacks that come from Turkey. In Turkey, there is a wide variety of unique things that you can’t find anywhere else in the world—especially where the classics are concerned. Classic candies similar to the favorites that you remember from your childhood are quite popular among the Turkish. That means this is a good place to look for all those old-fashioned flavors we just can’t get anymore.
But classic candies are just the tip of the iceberg. The Turkish also produce some decadent desserts that will satisfy even the strongest sweet tooth. So whether you’re looking for rich chocolatey snacks, sweet and fruity flavors, or something with a hint of sour, read below to learn more about some of the best Turkish delights out there!
1. Solen’s Crazy Extra Bars
These candy bars are so good, it’s crazy! If you’re a fan of the old Bar None bars—which have made a recent comeback—Crazy Extra bars by Solen have all the goodness of Bar None, plus a little extra. With the Bar None, you get chocolate wafers sandwiching chocolate cream, all of it topped in crushed peanuts and dipped in chocolate. Crazy Extra bars have a lot of the same texture and flavor, but with an unusual twist. This is a Turkish classic that you’ll love once you get to try one.
Each bar is filled with layers of crispy wafers. There’s a delicious hazelnut cream filling between the wafers that adds subtle rich goodness with a hint of caramel. These bars are coated in chocolate and crispy rice, too. Not only do Crazy Extra bars feature an awesome blend of flavors, but they’ve got a wonderful blend of textures—and plenty of crispness without being too crunchy—that you’re sure to want another after you’ve tried the first!
2. Ulker Cokomel Strawberry Marshmallows
There isn’t another candy like the Ulker Cokomel Strawberry Marshmallows! These are part cookie, part candy, and entirely delicious. If you’ve ever tried Moon Pie cookies, Strawberry Marshmallows are reminiscent of those—but smaller, with a unique flavoring that you won’t find anywhere else. Each pack comes with six, which means there are plenty to share with your friends.
The first thing you’ll notice about Strawberry Marshmallows is the chocolate coating. When you bite into it, you’ll find a mixture of interesting flavors and textures. The base of this treat is a crispy chocolate wafer cookie. On top of that is a wonderfully chewy strawberry flavored marshmallow. These candies are sweet, and just the right blend of soft, chewy and crispy.
In Turkey, they come in other flavors, too. There are Ulker Cokomel Banana Marshmallows, which feature a banana-flavored marshmallow instead of strawberry, and there are Lokmalik Coconut Marshmallows. These are a bit unique because the marshmallows inside have coconut flavoring, and on the outside, the chocolate coating has been dusted with coconut flakes for an extra-rich coconut flavor.
3. Ulker O’lala Cake Bar
What could be better than chocolate cake? How about chocolate cake in single serving, easily portable packaging! Ulker’s O’lala Cake Bar fits in your purse or your lunchbox, and it’s the perfect portion for when you need just a few bites of decadent goodness.
And this cake bar is packed with goodness. It layers chocolate on chocolate upon chocolate. Inside, there is a rich, moist chocolate cake, and layered on top of that, sweet and creamy chocolate filling. The whole thing is wrapped in a chocolate coating—with a little extra chocolate drizzled on the top for good measure. If you’ve got a chocolate craving, this is the best way to satisfy it!
It’s a shame that Ulker’s products are harder to get outside of Turkey because this snack maker has an amazing lineup of single-serving treats. The O’lala Cake Bar numbers among the best, but it’s by no means the only treat to try! For a similar flavor, if you ever have the chance, try the O’lala Souffle Cake. This, too, features rich and moist chocolate cake just like the cake bar, but inside, you’ll find a gooey chocolate filling—kind of like chocolate lava cake. You can even pop it in the microwave if you’d rather eat it warm! Among other baked goods by Ulker, there are quite a few fruit flavored cakes, too, which means this brand has something to fit anyone’s tastes.
4. Ulker’s Albeni Bar
When you first glimpse Ulker’s Albeni Bar, it’ll put you in mind of a Twix. Both candy bars have a cookie base coated in an upper layer of rich caramel, with both wrapped in a thick layer of milk chocolate. And that’s where the similarities end!
The Albeni Bar is a classic in Turkey, and that’s because Ulker went the extra mile to produce a quality treat. The cookie inside these bars is a kind of shortbread, with a light, delicate flavor that you’d enjoy even without the chocolate and caramel. It’s perfectly crisp, too, not crumbly, which makes it a wonderful complement to the soft caramel. In fact, some love the cookie inside that they recommend dunking the Albeni Bar like you might an Oreo!
The caramel inside the bar puts other types of caramel to shame. In the Albeni Bar, it has a buttery and creamy flavor that isn’t overly sugary. And the chocolate on the outside is a rich milk chocolate that melts in your mouth. So these bars are a little like a Twix—but with a twist that will leave you wanting more once you’ve finished the first one!
Oh, and there are Albeni Bites, too. These are a little different from the Albeni Bar in that they’re bite-sized, featuring nougat filling instead of caramel, and the chocolate coating has been sprinkled with cookie crumbles.
5. Rainbow Sour Belts by Zweet
These are a treat that are as much fun to play with as they are to eat! Zweet’s Rainbow Sour Belts are a licorice-rope styled gummy candy shaped like long belts. You can eat them by the inch, or if you’d rather eat the bright colors one at a time, then peel the strings apart to enjoy them one by one. They’re also nice and snappy, too, if you prefer to break them apart and eat them chunk by chunk.
As flavor goes, these candies are packed with true tutti frutti taste, which makes them sweet, fruity and delicious. On the outside, they’re coated with sour sugar crystals—but not too sour! Many report that they have a little tanginess to them, but it’s not so strong as the sour gummies that normally make us pucker. The texture is nice and chewy, too.
Candymaker Zweet specializes in classic candies. Once you’ve tried the Rainbow Sour Belts, you’ll want to try other treats this company makes. They’ve got more sour belts in all kinds of different flavors, and there are other treats in their product lineup beyond the sour belt line.
6. Jelaxy Watermelon Gummies
The candy manufacturer Elvan is Turkish in origin, and they have a large product line of classic candies loved by everyone in Turkey. The Jelaxy line specifically focuses on gummies—and they’ve got all kinds of creative shapes and sizes, from traditional gummy bears and gummy worms to gummy brains.
The Jelaxy Watermelons are a twist on that. These candies are as nice to look at as they are to eat. Red and green, they’re shaped to look just like miniature watermelon slices, and they’re dusted in a sour sugar coating which gives them a mildly sour flavor that doesn’t pack too much of a punch. It’s just enough to satisfy your need for a sour candy without making you pucker.
The watermelon flavor of these gummies proves to be the highlight. They’re made with real fruit juice, which gives them a sweet and refreshing flavor, just like the real thing. It’s a flavor that will last, too, because these gummies prove plenty chewy without working your jaw too hard—just the right texture that you’d expect in the best gummy candies.
These are some of the best snacks that Turkey has to offer, but there’s a lot more where these came from. In Turkey, a lot of classic candies similar to the things we remember from our childhoods are quite popular—and that makes them all the more special when we get the chance to try them out here in the United States!
