Global Candy Guide: Must-Try Confectionery Delights from Around the World
If you have a sweet tooth, explore the world's beloved local candies. Tasting them offers not just indulgence, but a rich cultural experience. Discover top destinations for these sugary treasures, from unique Kit Kat flavors in Tokyo to marzipan treats in Germany.
Discover Turkish Delight and More in Istanbul’s Historic Spice Bazaar
Over 400 years old, Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar bursts with vibrant colors: golden turmeric, red chilies, dried rose petals, coffee beans, and Anatolian honey. Among the highlights are the stunning pyramids of lokum—known as Turkish Delight—chewy candies cherished worldwide.
Sample rosewater lokum, pistachio-coated pomegranate varieties, and almond-studded milk lokum. Complement your selection with sesame helva or akide hard candies in flavors like bergamot, mastic, mint, and clove.
Explore Unique Kit Kat Flavors in Tokyo’s Chocolatories
In Japan, Kit Kat—a British wafer bar—is adored for its name resembling “kit to katsu” (you will win). With hundreds of limited-edition varieties, visit Kit Kat Chocolatory outlets in department stores like Daimaru and Takashimaya.
Try green tea, sake, cherry blossom, Okinawan sweet potato, Hokkaido melon, raspberry cheesecake, or unusual options like soy sauce and edamame. Ideal souvenirs for chocolate enthusiasts.
Experience the Chocolate Train Journey in Switzerland
This luxury train from Montreux heads to Gruyère for cheese factory tours and a medieval castle visit, then to Broc’s Maison Cailler chocolate factory amid the Alps.
Enjoy an immersive tour: learn chocolate history, handle cacao pods and cocoa butter, and taste specialties like milk chocolate hazelnut bars. Swiss per capita consumption nears 20 pounds annually.
Indulge at Hersheypark and Chocolate World in Pennsylvania
Hershey’s Chocolate World offers a tram ride through a factory with animatronics, leading to a vast gift shop stocked with Twizzlers and Hershey’s Kisses.
Nearby Hersheypark features 70 candy-themed rides and coasters. Fuel up with Hershey bars and Reese’s for maximum enjoyment.
Savor Traditional Dulces at Morelia’s Candy Market
Morelia’s fairy-tale historic center, with pink stone colonial buildings and baroque cathedral, hosts the Mercado de Dulces with nearly 100 vendors.
Taste fruit-based ate de fruta, crystallized pumpkin or fig, tamarind balls, jamoncillo milk fudge, pecan caramels, and Morelianas with cajeta goat’s milk caramel.
Visit France’s Sweetest Village: Flavigny
Anis de Flavigny candies, created by Benedictine monks 1,300 years ago, are sugar-coated aniseeds from egg-shaped tins. Explore the ancient abbey in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain.
Tour the modern factory, shop for gift tins, and stroll medieval lanes—filming location of Chocolat.
Join Finland’s Liquorice Festival in Helsinki
For salty liquorice fans, the annual festival celebrates lakritsi and salmiakki (ammonium chloride-flavored black gold).
Try salmiakki powder, tar-flavored gummies, ice cream, cooking demos, pairings, and cocktails.
Savor Marzipan at Germany’s Christmas Markets
Christmas markets feature marzipan delights like Marzipankartoffeln (cocoa-dusted balls), pink pigs for luck, and fruit-packed stollen with marzipan swirls, alongside glühwein and chestnuts.
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