Candy
Snack report
This report details the Swedish snacks sent to tolivent. Use with care.
Kexchoklad
Kind of the ”official” candy of swedish sports. Have been sponsoring winter sports since the beginning of time. Kexchoklad has been made since after the first world war and is a common staple in any pick-nick pack given to kids, often together with a banana. Has found its way into popular culture (including songs such as Vem har tagit min kexchoklad, Who stole my Kexchoklad), and is as Swedish as meatballs and IKEA. Warning: A major source of crumbles.
Geléhallon
Historically known as Jungfrubröst (virgin breasts) and has been made in Sweden for over a century. These sugar-saturated, raspberry gumdrops are a common garnish on home-made cakes for kids.
Kulor
These small packages with six small beads come in various flavors, I have included from left to right, salta → salty liquorice, coola cola → cola, syrliga → tangy, tutti frutti → fruity, sura → sour, and blåbärs → blueberry. These are (at least were) popular among K12-kids to bring to school because they are cheap at one krona (less than ¢25) per package and small enough to hide in pockets.
Bilar
Despite Volvo, despite the now defunct SAAB, these are the best selling cars in the world, at least according to the manufacturer. Perhaps slipping behind in market share where more modern candy is taking its place, is still big among the elder population though. Like much in food science these were born of a failed experiment, the supposed marshmallows lost their fluffiness and shape, the rest is history…
Gott & blandat
If a Swedish family ever buys only one bag of candy (and it is not lösgodis) this is the one. Contains a mix of fruity flavors and liquorice. Was originally a mixture of the manufacturers candies, but has since grown to become its own product line. The same manufacturer that makes the well-known Swedish Fish brand candies.
Chocolate bars
Plopp is a classic Swedish chocolate filled with toffy. Second from the left is a new one with a filling of Geléhallon. Tarragona has whole hazelnuts, Pops is quite straight-forward. Guld Nougat, actually not nougat in the classic sense that the french once did and still do it, this is a chocolate nougat that melts away in your mouth. I am afraid it might have melted on the way, it melts even here.
Lakrisal, and Strong
These are not candy in the strict sense, but they are often treated as such, Lakrisal are liquorice and salmiak pastilles. While Strong Original are minty troches and are sometimes used for better breath. The salmiak as well. These are popular among high-schoolers.
Kungen av Danmark
Anise-tasting cough drops and candy in one. Used to be called Kungen av Danmarks bröstkarameller and was used to treat cough and any pain in the chest (bröst → chest). Denmark can trace the use of this pill back to Christian V who did not like medicines and demanded that his medicus should mix them into sugar and red beets.
Nötcréme
This is essentially roasted hazel- and peanut creme, while not uncommon to use in baked goods these small packs were always perfect to give to kids where I grew up because their resilience to heat and shocks. One would bite the corner of the small bag and then slowly suck the innards out of it. It could last for half an hour or more and I bet that every adult Swede has memoires of Nötcréme from their childhood days.
Marabou Mjölkchoklad
As with other candies I sent, these are sort of a ”default choice” in Sweden. If someone wants a bar of chocolate but fails to specify which, this is the one people will get (usually in a 100g or 200g variant). Light, milky chocolate, unable to bring forth strong emotions, Sweden distilled into candy — unable to instill any strong feelings whatsoever.
Viol & Emser
Pills, and as you can see from the packaging, still keeping with the old tradition, these were our grand grandmothers candies, but still manages to hold on. Emser are at the same time cough drops and really smooth for sore throats. A favorite of many (and I) is to heat a glass of milk and drop two or thee pills (contains honey and menthol) into it, let them dissolve and then drink it.
Viol are made from the Viola flower.
Hope you like them!