Is it just me, or has Halloween become terribly banal? Even though this spooky holiday is supposed to deliver adrenaline via gore, ghouls, scares, and surprises, Halloween treats are decidedly generic. How many fun-sized Snickers, Starburst, Kit Kats, Skittles, Candy Corn, and Nerds will you sift through this year? Instead, diversity your corporate American treat haul with popular snacks that hail from different corners of the world.
Lychee Coconut Jelly
Cubes of tropical lychee suspended in coconut jelly make for a sweet, refreshing, and vaguely healthy treat. (It’s got fruit in it!) Slurp it out of the cup like you’re tossing back jello shots at On the Roxx.
Pulparindo
Sugar, spice, and everything nice. No candy has any business having as complex a flavor as this tamarind candy does. While it may look like an extremely earthy Airhead, it’s the furthest thing from those cloying, radioactively colored taffies. Instead, you get a chewy-sweet-tart-salty-spicy bite from tamarind blended with sugar, salt, and chilis.
Chim Dii Shrimp Chins
Before you turn your nose up at shrimp chins (prawn heads, basically), let me ask you: Do you enjoy softshell crab? Because this is basically the same thing, but turned into crispy, crunchy, salty, high-calcium morsels—a true textural delight.
Bubu Lubu
Marshmallow topped with a layer of strawberry gummy and coated in a thin shell of milk chocolate—it’s a light, pillowy candy bar, the antithesis of a dense, hefty, hunger-obliterating Snickers.
Manimoto Peanuts
Have you ever wondered, “What would it be like if CornNuts were actually good?” This Colombian snack answers that question with peanuts covered in a hard, crunchy flour shell.
Hello Panda Biscuits
We’re using “biscuit” very loosely here. It’s not a Southern brunch staple, nor is it a British cookie. Instead, these biscuits are bite-sized shortbread pockets filled with strawberry cream. But really, the whole point is the adorable pandas stamped on each biscuit.
