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Friday, March 02, 2007
Peruvian CandiesMy next door neighbors went to Peru for three weeks and brought back a huge cache of Peruvian (and South American) consumer candies. (They also brought some cookies, but I’ll try to keep this focused.) I find it quite fun to sample the consumer candies of all countries and regions and Peru was no different. So here are nine candies from Peru:
These little guys probably look familiar. They’re chocolate lentils ala Nestle Smarties. Only they’re not quite Smartie-like ... they’re the same size as M&Ms (Smarties are just slightly flatter and larger than M&Ms). The shell on these is very thick and crunchy. The colors are unbelievably bright. The chocolate itself is only so so - grainy, too sweet and completely lacking in chocolate taste. Rating: 4 out of 10.
This bar had a lovely photo of the cloud-wrapped city of Machu Picchu on the box. Inside the box the large chocolate tablet was inside a plastic wrapper that looked exactly the same. The bar was attractive: a dark looking milk chocolate.
Rating: 7 out of 10.
This is one of those bars that looks huge. The package is about the size a set of Twix bars, yet it only weighs 18 grams. This featherweight bar is all wafers with some light mockolate coating. Between the wafers is a little cocoa cream. The bar, called Cua Cua, I’m guessing is a play on the sound a duck makes. The bar smells sweet and a bit of chocolate. It’s also a little smoky smelling, though I couldn’t quite figure that out from the ingredients.
The mockolate was of course waxy and unappealing. It often flaked off the bar when I bit into it. I’m a big fan of wafer with cream (I can’t imagine how many pounds of Nabisco Wafers I’ve eaten over the years) but this one just wasn’t quite as ducky as I’d hoped. Rating: 3 out of 10.
This bar calls itself “barrita baņada rellena con crema de chocolate” which I’m guessing means chocolate filling with crisp wafers bathed in chocolate. The crisp log of wafer was interesting, kind of like a sweet Cheeto. The chocolate filling was like a frosting, with a good chocolate taste and slightly grain. Like the Cua Cua, this was a light bar. Though it’s big it only weighs 26 grams (and is the size of a Snickers ... which are 58 grams). Unfortunately the coating on the outside isn’t chocolate and it’s rather waxy and uninteresting. Rating: 4 out of 10.
These are crazy! Crazy, I tell you. They’re little gummis covered with granulated sugar. About the size and shape of an incense cone. Nice and soft but with a good gelatin bounce. They look like they could be green apple or lime or maybe even spearmint. But they’re not. They’re mentholated eucaplytus flavored. Just like Hall’s Cough Drops.
It’s rather refreshing to get a cough drop that’s not all crunchy and hard, instead it’s soothing and invigorating all at once. Definitely a winner in my book. Rating: 7 out of 10.
The packaging here is pretty, it’s a white thick plastic wrap with a bold brown logo for the name of the bar and pretty little pictures of the nuts in the bar. The label says, “tableta con sabor a chocolate rellena con mani almendra y cereal crocante” which means “peanut, almond and crispy cereal filled chocolatey bar.”
The nuts were fresh and crunchy and gave the bar a promising aroma, but the mockolate in this bar was waxy, chalky and just so bad. Look at it in the photo ... does that look like something you’re supposed to eat or something I molded out of dung? Rating: 2 out of 10.
If it weren’t for the Arcor brand on this, I’d be looking forward to this bar. The label says “Oblea rellena cubierta con caramelo y cereal crocante, con cobertura sabor chocolate” ... which translates to (courtesy of the wrapper, thankyouverymuch) “Filled wafer, toffee, crispies, all covered with chocolate flavor.” Oh Arcor, again with the chocolate flavor? Is that why your company motto is “Le damos sabor al mundo” (translation: We flavor the world)?
The bar looks promising as well, with it’s crunchy studded mockolate. Inside are wafers with creme filling and then a scant covering of glistening caramel (I’m guessing that’s the toffee). The wafers are nice, and the toffee adds some nice flavor to the whole thing, but the bar had a rather chemical taste, like licking fresh dry cleaning. I don’t know if that’s the taste of Carbox/Methylcellulose (the last ingredient on the list), but it made my tongue buzz. After this series of Arcor products they are now on my list as the Worst Candymakers in the World. (Granted, I haven’t tried everything made by everyone yet.) This candy bar was made in Chile. Rating: 2 out of 10.
This is a cute little bar. The wrapper says, “Chocolate Blanco de leche con Mani” which is “white milk chocolate with peanuts.” Doesn’t sound too bad. And it is pretty cute to look at.
It was actually pretty good white chocolate bar. A little grainy but not the least bit waxy. This bar was made in Bolivia. Rating: 5 out of 10.
This is a cute little bar and of course has a upscale appeal of a regal name like Princesa. The ingredients are promising too, real chocolate in there. The bar says that it’s “chocolate relleno con crema de mani” which means “chocolate stuffed with peanut butter.” Yum!
There’s a little spicy taste in the background, kind of like cinnamon. This is a nice bar, not as peanutty as I expected, but as sedate and reserved as you’d expect from royalty. Rating: 6 out of 10. POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:14 am 7-Worth It • 6-Tempting • 5-Pleasant • 4-Benign • 3-Unappealing • 2-Appalling • Arcor • Kraft • Nestle • Mockolate • White Chocolate • Cookie • Caramels • Nuts • Peanuts • Gummi Candy • Chocolate • Peru • Brazil • Review • Candy • 
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.
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COPYRIGHT NOTICEAll content (text and photos unless otherwise credited) is copyright 2005-2008 by Cybele MayPlease do not use my photos on your own site without permission directly from me, they represent what I ate in preparation for these reviews and are not to be used for other purposes. Design by Hop StudiosPowered by ExpressionEngine
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VOTE IN THE POLLWhich do you prefer?
Total Votes: 419
Milk Chocolate 
41% (172)Dark Chocolate
26% (111)Really Dark Chocolate (70%+)
18% (76)White Chocolate
14% (57)Carob!
1% (3)
 
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Name: 
SUPERB
YUMMY 
TASTY 
WORTH IT 
TEMPTING 
PLEASANT 
BENIGN 
UNAPPEALING 
APPALLING 
INEDIBLE 
I have a friend in Peru, looks like I don’t need to hit him up for some chocolate any time soon!
Thanks for using flickr for your photos recently. They’re showing up in google reader, and it really ads to my enjoyment of your blog. I’ll still visit the site to check on comments occasionally, but the images in the feed are great. As for this review… thanks for taking 4 mockolate bullets for us!
Chocolatey bacon flavour...could be genius, or it could be the most disgusting thing ever.
Spit - but maybe you need to send your friend some decent candy!
Rick - the flickr photo thing is tricky, if they have an outage, them my whole site has problems ... so I’ll try to do half of the photos that way. I’m also looking as some more cost-effective hosting.
For the record, my site got hit about 150,000 times last month with “hotlinkers” to my photos. If I didn’t block that there’s no way I could afford to keep the site going.
But I’ll keep working on it, it’s very important to me that the feed is as good as the actual site.
Julilla - there have been a few review of Bacon Candy lately ... but I’m not even gonna touch the stuff!
To continue a topic touched upon by the previous comments…
How about some bacon brittle?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cavanite/393828374/
Finally Peruvian candy! My dad was from Peru and every couple of years as a kid we would go down for Christmas. I loved the candy! Seems like your friend just sent you the crap! Donofrio makes some awesome stuff, and you can get really good homemade salty caremals on the street. And of course Manjar Blanco!! Peru’s version of Dulce de leche
eating legos? licking fresh dry cleaning? We should all be glad we aren’t limited to peruvian candies! (or at least not those ones, if Marc’s memory is to be trusted :^)
Well, then again it was 30 years ago and when you are a kid ALL candy is good!
i’m from peru and cua cuas never tasted bacony to me-- ever! maybe you got a bad batch?
i’m not that into the peruvian chocolates (although sublime actually has a milk chocolate that is pretty decent), i much prefer their hard candies and certain chews. Donofrio does make some good candy (fruit chews) as well as ice creams, but my favorite peruvian candy is called the Perita by Trome. They are so weird tasting (acidy and sweet) they’re actually addictive. Trome also makes one called Chicha Morada based on a traditional peruvian drink made out of purple maize although i believe that candy is an acquired taste.
Sandra - thanks for the hometown testimony! It makes sense that a country that gets pretty hot would have a good handle on hard candies and chews.
I’m sure the Cua Cua tasted like that because of some storage issue ... maybe the shop where they picked it up had it next to the beef jerky or something. (None of the other candy tasted off like that, so I figure it happened before they picked it up.)
Perita sounds great, I’ll keep my eye out for it and make a special request for the next time my neighbors or their friends make a trip.
Marc - I made a special request for the regular stuff you see at newsstands, so this is what I got. My neighbors friends are Peruvian and can testify that this is the stuff that they’ve eaten for years, though they also said that most of the companies have been bought out by mega-global companies that have ruined the taste. (Or as we get older we gain a little better perspective on what is actually good.)
For chocolate and bacon, check out the “Cow & Boy” comic from 8 March 2007:
http://www.comics.com/comics/cowandboy/archive/cowandboy-20070308.html
:^)
OMG! Your site is awesome :D
I have to protest because you present chocolates that are no original from Peru, such as Golpe, Nikolo and Caņonazo.
The typical peruvian chocolates are: dark Sublime, Golden Bar of D’Onofrio (Barra de Oro), of course, Princesa, Triangulo de D’ Onofrio also, Ali Baba, among others
Winters also has good chocolates.
It is very, very unfortunate for everyone to have the information that Cua Cua has bacon. Please, get a fresh one and correct your review !!!
For the new flavors, you can try Helena’s chocolates (from Ica) and the Iberica chocolates (drom Arequipa).
I agree that the favorite candies are peritas and lemon (no lime) hard candies, along with chicha morada hard candies. Also ‘gajos de limon’ and ‘gajos de naranja’.
Cucha - the candies I present are ones that are available in Peru to Peruvians (and visitors). Where the package provide the info, I said where the candies were made.
I am happy to try more of the confections from Peru at any time, thank you for your suggestions. Next time my friends go back I’ll give them a list.
I went to Peru three years ago and in the months I was there became addicted to Nestle Sublime (mmmmmmmm). I was participating in an archaeological field school, and one of the older archaeologists who had spent lots of time in Peru said Nestle used to make Sublime out of dark chocolate (mas mmmmmmmmmm). Does anyone know how I can get some Nestle Sublime delivered to the U.S.? Or is that a lost cause because of the F.D.A.?
As a Panamanian transplant living now in Chile, it has helped so much reading these reviews of chocolate that I can actually get my hands on. I admit, that most of the chocolate you reviewed there is awful and I have had the same exact reaction after eating them, but I have also tasted some really good chocolate as well. I am a complete chocoholic and one of the big things I miss about Panama is it’s huge Stateside candy imports. Chile hardly has M&M;’s, much less Stateside candy imports, so I will have to make do with what I can.
WTF??? PERUVIAN CANDY IS THE BEST OUT THERE. I LOVE CANONAZO AND LENTEJAS. LENTEJAS DO NOT TASTE GRAINY. CANONAZO IS THE BEST CANDY BAR OUT THERE. IT MIGHT OF TASTED GRAINY BECAUSE IT WAS SITTING IN A TIGHT SPACED LUGAGE FOR ATLEAST 24 HOURS. TRY THE CANDY WHEN YOU JUST BY IT IN PERU. OH, AND YOU SHOULD TRY SORRENTO. SOO GOOD!
HELP!!! My roommate left for a month and the moment he did, my chocolate craving kicked in and I devoured a nearly full box of Nestle Sublime Buenazo in two days. I began the search for replacements a day later and freaked when I saw it came from Peru. (My roommate’s distant relatives live in Peru) and when I wrote to him, he said that’s the only place it can be found. He didn’t say anything else and I’m thinking he’s crazy mad. Can anyone lead me to a Peruvian connection? Panajane? Would you be willing to assist me? I’d be delighted and happy to compensate you. And next time I’ll just run to the store for my own chocolate.
Lesson learned
Brenda
Brenda -
Here are a few unorthodox ideas ...
There are some candy swapper sites:
GimmeYourStuff.com - you can match up with other people to swap stuff.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/candyswappers/
Failing that, you could post a note on someplace like CraigsList offering to pay someone to stuff a box of them into their suitcase on their return from South America.
Or keep an eye out on eBay to see if anyone is selling stuff from Peru and might be willing to hook you up.
That’s all I can think of ...
I mostly agree with your reviews. I have to add also that I think the quality went down since I was a kid. But there is still good candy. “La Iberica” from Arequipa is just amazing, I would rank it #1, great quality of chocolate, mazapan, and “turron de alicante”. #2 “Tejas” made by Helena, you’ll get addicted to them. #3 Sublime, it is really good but I think it was better years ago. #4 Dona Pepa, it is just fun to eat. #5 Princesa, but I think you have to get the bite size ones. I can keep going but I am getting hungry and melancolic :(
I need information on how to order the Nestle chocolates?
I agree, La Iberica is wonderful chocolate! I bought it at the airport in Lima, within the terminal. If anyone knows how to get this chocolate in the US, please let me know!!
i have had 30 mts ago a black nestle SUBLIME which is the basic one and not the white one(which you can’t just find in every store in Peru because it’s not so popular as the black one i guess) and which is also made in Peru and imported directly to Bolivia and not made there(they wish).Well the reason i saw this article is because i was looking for some information about it because i just felt i needed another (i just hate the 72 grms one) to be continue......
(continued) I just wanted to say that you cannot place an article about peruvian candy when you are reviewing the most of the cheapest ones, what can you espect to find for less than 15 cents(US)(Cua Cua,Canonazo,Nikolo,Golpe)and the rest 33 cents(US)(except the prime peruvian milk which is like 1.50 or more(USD)) Please Peru have much much better candy including Black SUBLIME which is just so addictive! SORRENTO never tasted anything like it Peruvian Candy is just great! period!
Where I can purchase Helenas Candied Limes (as written about in Williams Sonoma Gourmet Magazine a few years ago?) One of your other writters mentioned Helenas candy - the candied limes are from a colonial recipe - whole limes “candied and filled with caramel and covered in fondant” and individually wrapped in while paper with “Helenas” name on them.) Would appreciate your help with this - many thanks! Lynne
Hey I’m Peruvian and I have never even heard of Nicolo. (?) and caņonazo and golpe are the cheapest and crapiest chocolates you can find. Almost everything else is pretty cheap too, so you can’t expect much :S
I do have to agree though that ever since the Peruvian companies were bought by Navisco and Nestle, etc the taste of the chocolates and candy changed a lot (bad). How sad.
I’m a big fan of Helena tejas and manjarblanco!!! mmmmmm!!!! and I LOVE cookies like coronitas, charadas! doņa pepa! and casino royal.
I also love the peritas and cocorocos de limon mmmm! And I have to say that the best candy is definitely the artisan stuff you can only find in Peru! Sorry
Hello,
For those looking for Helena Chocolates, you can find them here: http://www.helenachocolatier.com.
For those craving Peruvian chocolates and more, check this site: http://www.inkamart.com. I have just found it. Looks good!
Enjoy!
Patti
Congratulations !!!
I’d love to supply you with HELENA Tejas, Chocotejas and Chocolates. Please contact me at
786.280.3637
I am the owner of the US distribution and son of the founder Mrs. Helena Soler.
I hope to be in contact with you soon !!!
Best wishes for 2008 !!!
Fernando
786.280.3637
Hi,
Does anyone know if I can get the sublime bars personalized. I want to use them as my wedding favors.
thanks
Lia
I remember really liking Lentejas, thanks for reminding me of them, they kept us going trekking in the mountains until one fateful day when my mate spilt our last packet and stained the snow all the colours of the rainbow. Yes, they were very bright. However, I remember Sublime bars being possibly the worst chocolate bars I’ve ever tasted. They might even be the worst tasting chocolate bar in the world…
I am Peruvian and grew up there, I live in the US now. Your friends did not bring you the best representation of Peruvian candy bars. 1st. Sublime is not know for its white chocolate (its actually kind of bad) but for its classic milk chocolate with peanuts. 2nd. cua cua usually does not taste like bacon. 3rd. ditto on all the other commenters about the history and quality of the candies, 4th.if your friends go back to Peru tell them to bring you sublime milk chocolate, pricesas (single bonbon pieces), cocoroco’s peritas, triangulo, dona pepa, morochas (cookies), triangulo, barra de oro, coronitas (cookies). 5th. The absolute best chocolates in Peru come from “La Iberica”.
For Peruvian candy in the US there is an online store that is legit. (I’ve ordered Peruvian chocolates, candies or cookies from them, including cocoroco’s Peritas).
http://www.labodegaperuana.com/golosinas.htm
I wanted to find out how to get Dona Pepa in the United States. I would buy it online but I don’t have a credit/debit card currently. Does anyone know of an outlet store of some sort in Washington State I could go to? If you do please contact me @ THANKYOU.
I want to buy Cua Cua, how do I get them here in the US?
I COMPLETELY DISAGREE with the ratings you gave the chocolates! I lived in Peru for 8 1/2 years and the chocolate there is SO MUCH BETTER than chocolate you get here (unless you pay the ridiculous amounts for high end chocolate that I’m sure isn’t even from the US). The sublimes ESPECIALLY deserve a higher rating! For any of you who considered not trying chocolates from Peru based on these ratings, I strongly urge you to reconsider! Peruvian chocolate is AMAZING!
I completely disagree with your derogative comments on Arcor. Like you said, you haven’t tried almost anything from them yet, and yet you dare put them in a black list. Shame on you. So, if you lack information, and you want a serious blog, try a decent percentage of the 1500 products they produce and write later.
Silvina - a decent percentage of 1,500 products? What would that be?
Do have a suggestion of an Arcor product that is good?
David - I think the real Peruvian chocolate bar I had was quite good and have since had some very good Peruvian chocolate (or at least made from Peruvian beans, which I think will become some of the most sought after on the planet).
I have found a true Peruvian Chocolate at Whole Foods on River Road in Bethesda, MD. I travelled to Peru recently and tried the chocolates that you mentioned in your blog. Those are cheap chocolate imitations. They are not quality chocolates, just as in the US we have cheap chocolate and then fine specialty chocolates.
The chocolates are La Orquidea and are made in Peru from the finest Peruvian cocoa and other local ingredients. They have Quinoa and Kiwicha varieties that have a nice crunchy texture. They use Brazil nuts in another variety, which helps preserve the rainforest due the growing conditions needed to produce Brazil Nuts. There are nine varieties in total. A friend of mine in Colorado ordered some as well and they shipped to her without problem. They sent her an invoice for her order through google checkout.
The site is http://www.peruvianchocolate.com
Your posting addresses the cheap chocolate found at kiosks and bodegas in Peru. It is unfortunate that most Peruvians don’t know about the great chocolate that Peru produces and have to eat the chocolate you rated abouve.
Dan, as I mentioned to Marc, above, you totally miss one of the points of this blog. It’s about candy ... the good and bad. Even if this isn’t the best ambassador candy of Peru, it’s stuff that not only exists, is extremely popular. Yes, ordinary people buy it at bodegas ... that’s what I’m after, cultural exchange of items from everyday life.
I’m glad you found some great Peruvian chocolate.
I understand the point of the Blog. However, You show the bad and none of the good. If you have a blog, try to be a bit more balanced. Your posting makes it seem that all Peruvian candy is garbage. Just try to be a bit more balanced.
Perhaps you could mention why people in Peru buy cheap chocolates, that would expose more of your readers to the daily life of Peruvians and do more in the way of your “cultural exchange”.
Dan - none of the good? Did you read the post? There are two very good products listed there, the single origin chocolate and the strange but tasty menthol gummis. How much of Candy Blog have you even read ... do you understand my rating system and what other candies fall within those ratings? Did you read any other candy reviews or just this one?
The blog is a review of candies that I get a hold of, not an analysis of different candy markets. That would be a different blog that you are more than welcome to create and maintain.
I’m looking for Ambrofoli candy. It’s is a candy that contains licor. On the label it also reads BON-AMI. Made in Peru. Does anyone know how i can get more of this candy. A friend gave it to me but doesn’t know where i can get it from.
These brings such good memories my parents and I are from Peru. In 1980 was the last time I`ve been in Peru but I still rememeber when my dad use to buy me peruvian chocolates Sublime was my favorite in rich chocolate.Also Golazo de Motta. My dad has passed away but I treasure this moments like gold.
My wife recently visited Peru and came home with Winter’s Milk Chocolate. It’s about the best cholocate I’ve ever eaten! Does anyone know where in the US I can purchase it?
The chocolate and candy market here is divided sharply into three sectors: children, global and mainstream (the names differ between manufacturers, but that’s the gist of it). What you got fits in the categories like this:
Children:
Lacta Cua Cua
Costa Caņonazo
Nestle Lentejas
Global:
Arcor Nikolo
Arcor Golpe
Nestle White Sublime
Mainstream:
Winter’s Prime Peruvian Milk Chocolate
Gomas Eucalypto
Nestle Princesa
The children’s sector is just that, sugar, fancy packaging and not much else. Global is a mixture of old peruvian *brands* with global companies’ formulations. Mainstream is historical peruvian chocolate and candy.
The problem is that there is a lot of mix between the segments with the same brand. For example, Sublime has a product in all three segments (Sublime in mainstream is the original D’onofrio formula; White Sublime is a standard Nestle bar sold all over the world with different names; Sublime Bonbon is the Children’s entry).
This is because of all the buyouts and mergers that took place in the 80’s, effectively eliminating “peruvian chocolate” from stores.
Hola Todos,
The candy in Peru is very different than that found in the USA but that is good because this way we can have diversity and a chance to long for that incredible bite of a candy we had not tasted in awhile.
I have available most of the candies that you are looking at here on this page, if I don’t have it I can get it with in 7 - 10 business days.
Just email me and in awhile you will be taken back to a cobble stone street in the Andes mountains.
Buen provecho, chau chau
Hi all,
I wanted to give everyone wanting to try Peruvian chocolates or candies a shot or for those that have had a bad expierence with Peruvian chocolates or candies a great site to have them delivered right to your home, and while your at it can give Peruvian meals a try as well.
http://www.perusupermarket.com
The Helena Chocotejas I had delieverd were awesome! and they have pretty much everything else mentioned above too.
Hello and Hola,
Please feel free to take a look at our new website offering the best in Peruvian delights.. we are prompt, insured and run by professional chefs.
Need something for your wedding? Party? or you are just craving something special, we have it or can find it..
Try us out http://WWW.LittlePeruvianGirls.com
Thank you - Gracias - chau chau
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