Erik Eats Candy!

This week's blog is a video--watch me pull faces as I explore the world of Czech candy!

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Photos from the candy aisle!

Haribo Heaven!

Milka. I'm not in love with Milka, though they do a very wide an
impressive range of chocolate products, from candy to cookies.

Orion main brand (lower shelves) and their more gourmet brand, Studentska.
Both do very the same flavors you might find in other countries.

In this video, Erik eats, in order:

• Lentilky: In the video, I incorrectly say these are a lot like the British Skittle--I meant Smarties, which are different from American Smarties. Anyway, it turns out, Lentilky are nearly identical to UK Smarties, with only minor differences. And yes, the name literally means "lentils," because they kind of resemble lentils. (?)

• Haribo Mega-Roulette Fizz: These are pretty self-explanatory, although it seems you can also buy Roulettes (coin-shaped gummies) without the sour "fizz." Also, I don't mention in the video, but the sour taste is in the gummy itself, not just in a sour coating on the outside. Nice work, Haribo!

• Kastany: I pretty much got these right! The "Kaštany" line (which means "ice chestnut," maybe because of its shape?) includes the original, which I tried, as well as white chocolate, extra dark, and marzipan varieties--but the classic is just dark chocolate around more chocolate.

• Slavia: So, when I tasted these, I couldn't quite decide if the filling was supposed to be coffee or chocolate. Turns out, it *is* chocolate. Who knew?! I certainly didn't.

• Margot: I was right! The flavor isn't just coconut, it's RUM COCONUT! Also, this one is worth a bit of a Google if you're having a boring day. There's actually a sub-class of candy bars here that are essentially soy products, created during the Communist era to try to replace Western candy brands. The Margot bar is considered a "high-end" version, and it features both actual coconut and rum, but it's still essentially the hot dog of candies: made from by-products. People who didn't grow up eating these, i.e., everyone except Czechs and Slovaks, tend to share my (highly) negative opinion of them. In addition to the classic coconut, there is also a version with raisins and one which, I wish I were kidding, has a layer of tropical punch flavored filling on the inside. Thanks, Margot, for being unexpectedly interesting and terrible. 

• Banány v čokoládě: This is a 90 year old recipe that is essentially unchanged: banana flavored "jelly' dipped in chocolate. The name literally just means "Bananas in chocolate," which, isn't, like, super catchy, y'know? Anyway, the same product line also features bars with strawberry and cherry "jellies" on the inside, making them rather like a cookie-less Jaffa Cake.

• Hašlerky: Originally invented by a Hamburg pharmacist in the late 1800s, these candy/lozenges (or, "wind candies" as Google translate ridiculously calls them--they're actually a patent medicine) were given to the famous Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso in order to help him sing despite some throat issues. Supposedly, they worked, and when the recipe came to Prague after World War I, the manufacturers found a famous Czech singer, Karel Hašler, and he agreed to loan his name to the product. There are a range of varieties, but they are all herbal drops, with rather medicinal flavors like menthol and lemon.

• Deli: A pretty standard candy bar, the Deli bar originated in 1980, and comes in three flavors: the pistachio I tried, hazelnut, and chocolate. They all feature the nougaty filling and a thin layer of caramel dipped in chocolate.

• Kofila: My favorite find of this experiment, the Kofila bar dates back to the 1920s and has remained pretty true to form for the past century. There is a "latte" variety--milkier, I guess--but this is what it says on the package: a coffee flavored chocolate bar.

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