Here’s how kids around the world celebrate childhood with sweet treats

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There's nothing quite like the familiar taste of a snack from your childhood. Something about it seems to transport you right back to being 4 years old, in the kitchen, neck craned, struggling to get a glimpse of the tasty treats you knew were coming your way. Let's go on a little trip around the world through the different types of snacks enjoyed by children. It's interesting to take a look at how some of the simplest of things were able to bring us the greatest of joys as kids. With everything from thin slices of chocolate designed for bread to flavoured vitamin powder to our very own ice cream sandwiches - you will definitely find yourself swimming in fond memories, all while salivating uncontrollably. A far cry from what might be considered familiar to most us, Turo Rudi is a popular childhood snack in Hungary. What it is, essentially, is chocolate covered cottage cheese. These days you’ll find variations of the snack where the filling, is instead, apricot or raspberry jam!

Raindrop Cakes

Bolinhos de Chuva is a simple treat made out of eggs, milk, flour and baking powder - the batter is deep fried and sugared to create something magical. Directly translated, it means ‘raindrop cakes’. Famous in both Portugal and Brazil, this snack in a rainy day favourite. We can only imagine how good it must taste hot out of the pan, on a damp and chilly day.

Vibovit Vitamin Powder

No forcing or fighting with your child to take their vitamins with Vibovit. A vanilla flavoured vitamin powder that became widely popular in Poland in the early 90s. These days they even come in different fruit flavours, such as strawberry and orange. Who would have thought vitamins would be considered a childhood treat!

Screwball Ice Cream

Ice cream with a pop is what this is. Ice cream with bubblegum hidden at it’s base? Talk about two in one! The flavour of the bubblegum itself was not revealed, meaning you’d be knee-deep in anticipation the entire time you enjoyed the ice cream surrounding it. Plus, this way you know that when you were done with one treat you’ve still have one coming.

Halo-Halo

Fruits, beans, condensed milk, crushed ice? Sounds awfully familiar, doesn't it? However, this isn't our beloved ‘ice kachang’ - this is what is known as halo-halo in the Philippines. Halo means mix, and should give you a good idea of what this dessert is all about. A toss up on all of the best things the country has to offer. Sweet and icy, we can’t think of a better dessert to cool you down on a hot day.

Layer Cake (Biscuits)

No bake cakes have a certain charm to them - we think it’s the fact that they can be made in half the time, with half the mess. Pretty good deal, no? Known as Tartas Galletas Y Chocolate in Spain, this cake is made of layers and layers of Marie cookies, milk and chocolate. We’ve heard that the secret to making this is to ensure that you’ve only soaked the biscuits in the milk till they take a spongy texture. Be warned - too long and they become soggy!

Sugar Cane

Nature really does provide - in Kenya sugarcane is thought of fondly by kids as a sweet treat. Cut into bite-sized pieces and chewed on to get the sugary juices out. It is sugar in its most natural form, we’re pretty sure you won’t be able to outdo that.

Metre Liquorice

Kids always love it when they get to play with their food, especially since they’re always told not to. That is probably one of the many reasons why, in Finland, Metrilaku (metre liquorice) is so popular. Actually only about 70cm long, this sweet comes in a variety of flavours and colours. We’d imagine it to be quite an exciting thing for kids.

Milo Dinosaur

Ring a bell? Milo is undeniably one of the things that made childhood so memorable for us Singaporeans. Hot sports days at school, a prata dinner with the family - neither of these would have been complete without a iced cold milo. The only thing better than a regular iced milo would have to be a milo dinosaur. That extra milo powder, heaped right atop the beverage certainly added an extra kick!

Henry's Biscuits

No matter which part of the world you come from, tea and biscuits always seem to walk hand in hand. Dunking your biscuit in tea was an experience all in itself. In Morocco, kid’s have their very own version of this well loved teatime tradition - Henry’s biscuits and mint tea. The packaging even displays the biscuits alongside a tea pot, just in case you weren’t sure how to go about savouring this snack.

Egg Cakes

Akin to the waffles we have here in Singapore, these egg cakes from Taiwan are made of eggs, flour and sugar. The batter is then poured into an iron skillet and pressed together to form little shapes. They can be filled with peanut or chocolate for a tasty surprise centre! Taiwanese locals, however, swear by the plain ones.

Chocolate To Be Put On Bread

Exactly what you’d be saying in Denmark when you ask for ‘Palaegschokolade’. No mysteries here as to what delicious treat children opt for in Denmark. Essentially, it is thin slices of chocolate that are made specifically to be placed on and eaten with sliced bread! We honestly feel that this one doesn’t stop being a treat just because you stopped being a child.

Caramel Treat

In South Africa, when you couldn't afford sweets you did what you could to get by. In some cases, this meant sneaking into baking cabinets and stealing a tin of Caramel Treat. The ingredient designed to be used in popular South African desserts, is what children in that part of the world enjoyed by the spoonfuls!

Mamee Instant Noodles

What was meant to be a bowl of instant noodles quickly became a crunchy snack. Why have noodles when you can have something salty and crunchy instead? That is exactly what kids in Hong Kong were likely to be thinking. Powder in, a quick crush to break up the noodles, and you were good to go!

Tartines A La Confitures

Anything homemade manages to taste extra special. Perhaps there is truth in the idea behind food being made with love tasting the best. We’re sure the children in France will agree with us. Especially since a popular childhood snack for them is homemade jam on baguettes. Berries picked from one’s very own garden turned jam are enjoyed as an after school treat.

Cadbury Chocolate

In India, this well known and loved chocolate holds an extra special place in the hearts of children. Originating from the UK, the chocolate found its way to India and without a doubt became a hit with the young ones. Some kids even saying it was enough motivation to get through a school day!

Polse I Lompe

Sausages will always be a treat for kids - children in Norway aren’t any different! Polse i lompe is a type of sausage served on a potato flat bread. This snack is also enjoyed by adults and kids alike during the Norwegian Constitution Day on 17th May! We hear it is best enjoyed with a sprinkling of crispy onion.

Roti Aiskrim

Another one on the list that we’re sure Singaporeans aren’t strangers to! An ice cream sandwich in Malaysia is a treat much sought after by kids. We know perfectly well why - how else does one battle the heat we deal with on a daily basis?

Tortillas and Cream Cheese

Guatemalan tortillas are typically smaller than that of the Mexican variety. Tortillas are considered a staple and a replacement for bread in a meal. These tortillas are served with cream cheese and heaped serving of fried black beans. You can bet they ring excitement in the stomachs of kids in Guatemala come mealtime.

Benjamin Blumchen Torooo Torte

A popular childhood character, ice cream and cake - it’s no wonder kids in Germany fight over this birthday must-have. A big party was always nice but not if it meant having to skimp on the serving size of cake that you received! We hear this cake was almost worth losing friends over.

Kinnie Soft Drink

In Malta, this soft drink was known to be similar to bitter lemon soda. Bitter lemon with a twist, in the sense that it was orange flavoured instead of lemon! An alternative to the popular Coca Cola most of us are all too familiar with, children in Malta probably washed down their meals with a glass of this refreshing drink.

Chocolate Sprinkles

Also known as Hagelslag in the Netherlands, is enjoyed sprinkled on top of slices of bread. Chocolate on bread seems to be a running theme for some lucky kids! Over 750, 000 slices of bread dusted with chocolate sprinkles are eaten each day in the Netherlands. You have to admit - that’s a lot of bread (and even more chocolate sprinkles!).

Cucciolone Ice Cream

How does one make ice cream better? Italy says you print a joke on it, and that is just what they did! Having grown up, many admit the jokes weren't as funny as they seemed at the time. However, it was meant for kids and if it got a laugh at the time, we think it’s a job well done!

Granko Chocolate Drink

Another group of extremely lucky children, in Slovakia you drink your chocolate! The hot chocolate could also be enjoyed with cereal or as a chocolate syrup. We can’t think of anything not to love about this versatile childhood favourite.

Salty Liquorice

We’ve told you about stretchy, sweet liquorice - now we give you the salted kind! Hockeypulver is known and loved in Sweden. Packaged in a puck-shaped box, kids would dip their fingers in and enjoy licking the salty treat. They’d dream about the next time they would get another box of the stuff!

Glazed Curd

In Russia, it was a common treat - curd, sugar, butter and vanilla all glazed over with chocolate! Since it’s birth in the 1930s, this treat now comes in over 40 different flavours. It has grown so much in popularity that a website has even been set up by it’s dedicated fans to spread and create awareness. That’s definitely love.

Dinosaur Biscuits

Belgium says Dinosaurus Biscuits au Chocolat. We aren’t going to argue with the fact that children love chocolate and dinosaurs. In other words, this snack sounds like at least a good hour of fun. We feel there was always something exciting about munching on food shaped like animals, especially the prehistoric kind.

Written by

Sonia Pasupathy

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