The One Swedish Candy You Really Need To Try, According To Our Taste Test
Swedish candy is having a true viral moment right now. At some point in your nightly scrolling session, you'll likely come across a video of influencers sampling bags of sour gummy skulls and pastel puffs with wide eyes and excited squeals. Swedish candy is different from American candy because it contains more natural ingredients and offers unique textures. Plus, the pick 'n' mix style candy shop that Sweden is especially known for is every candy-lover's dream, and we couldn't resist getting in on the fun. Tasting Table ranked 21 popular Swedish candies, and, despite all the viral fame of Swedish gummies, a chocolate confection surprisingly took the top spot.
Dumle chocolate-coated caramels were instant winners as soon as our taste tester unwrapped the red and blue plastic and tasted the first one. She enjoyed the precise ratio of chocolate to caramel and "the perfect melt-in-your-mouth experience" it created. Dumle came about in 1945 when they were created by candy company Mazetti in lollipop form. There's a reason the candy has remained relevant for so long, and that's because it is delicious toffee and chocolate perfection. The candy is also not afraid of change. Today, you can find Dumle (now made by Fazer) in all kinds of variations, including Dumle mousse eggs, cookies, chocolate bars, and even protein bars.
When did Sweden get so good at making candy?
Candy and desserts are an important and charming staple of Sweden's culture. Every Saturday, Swedes participate in lördagsgodis, or "Saturday sweets," and eat candy together, often as a family and especially with children. That's the entire tradition, and it is the most adorable thing ever as well as a pretty good case for relocating there. Lördagsgodis started in the 1950s as a government effort to prevent tooth decay and cavities in the community by encouraging people to only consume candy one day out of the week. It has grown to become a splendid family-friendly ritual, and it's not uncommon to see Swedish children buzzing about town with their parents on Saturdays with bags of pick 'n' mix in their tiny hands.
If you want to do your own Swedish candy taste test, you can actually find pick 'n' mix bags from a variety of online retailers. Build your own bag or purchase them premixed for a fun, curated surprise of fizzy bottles, sour skulls, salted licorice, chewy marshmallows, and more. You can also see what Swedish candy you are, based on your Zodiac sign. No matter what mix you grab, we insist that you make sure to get a few Dumle confections in there, too. In fact, you can even grab a bag of just Dumle Originals on Amazon.