American vegetarians: what are your favourite types of candy?
October 17, 2013 4:46 PM Subscribe
I have an acquaintance in the UK who sends me "essentials", such as Jaffa Cakes, that I can't get here in the States. In return she's asked for some good American candy. The catch is that she's vegetarian. Rather than spend ages looking through lists of off-putting ingredients, I was hoping I could get some recommendations here. Bonus points for Halloween-themed candy (I'm thinking of candy corn, etc). Thanks!
Virtually all candy is vegetarian. Do you mean vegan? If so, do you know what she eats? I don't know any vegans who eat eggs or dairy, but some do eat honey and some are careful about how their sugar is processed.
posted by insectosaurus at 4:50 PM on October 17, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by insectosaurus at 4:50 PM on October 17, 2013 [3 favorites]
This might also be useful. The comments might be enlightening too, for instance I did not know Red 40 was made from beetles.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 4:54 PM on October 17, 2013
posted by rabbitrabbit at 4:54 PM on October 17, 2013
Response by poster: I was told no meat, no fish, so I was assuming that products like gelatin might be in a lot of things. I don't know anything about crushed beetles, and other such things I probably should be more aware of, but aren't.
posted by TheDonF at 4:56 PM on October 17, 2013
posted by TheDonF at 4:56 PM on October 17, 2013
Oops, I forgot about gelatin - I am not currently vegetarian, and when I was (as a kid) I didn't pay attention to gelatin, but I know many vegetarians avoid it. I would still clarify with her what she eats though.
posted by insectosaurus at 5:06 PM on October 17, 2013
posted by insectosaurus at 5:06 PM on October 17, 2013
Candy corn is awesome and American, and the best candy corn is made with honey. So don't send her that if she doesn't do honey.
posted by hydropsyche at 5:07 PM on October 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by hydropsyche at 5:07 PM on October 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
Products that are kosher-dairy will be certified to have no meat, no weird insects etc,no beef or pork based gelatins or other additives although they might include milk, eggs and honey. (Technically fish too but I don't know if any fish products that would be in candy) THe most common certifier in the US is the Orthodox Union ( symbol is a circle with a U inside)
I would start with Jelly Belly. All of their candy is kosher and sell candy corn and other halloween themed treats.
Here is a list of kosher Hershey's candy. And here is kosher See's candy - including some with a Holloween label.
posted by metahawk at 5:15 PM on October 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
I would start with Jelly Belly. All of their candy is kosher and sell candy corn and other halloween themed treats.
Here is a list of kosher Hershey's candy. And here is kosher See's candy - including some with a Holloween label.
posted by metahawk at 5:15 PM on October 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
About bug-based dyes, according to Snopes, "Another red dye used in foods, FD&C Red Dye #40 (alternatively known as Red #40), is often mistakenly assumed to be a euphemism for cochineal or carmine. It's not: it's bug-free and is actually derived from coal."
So, anything with red 40 should be fine (if she even has a problem with crushed-bug-dye in the first place.)
I would definitely check about honey because as others said, CANDY CORN! (Or the pumpkins.)
Here's a Buzzfeed article about worst to best Halloween candies. Unfortunately most Halloween candies are just miniatures of regular candies. Maybe you can get a candy that is more just US based rather than Halloween based? Do you have a local candy store with delicious local candies?
posted by Crystalinne at 5:19 PM on October 17, 2013
So, anything with red 40 should be fine (if she even has a problem with crushed-bug-dye in the first place.)
I would definitely check about honey because as others said, CANDY CORN! (Or the pumpkins.)
Here's a Buzzfeed article about worst to best Halloween candies. Unfortunately most Halloween candies are just miniatures of regular candies. Maybe you can get a candy that is more just US based rather than Halloween based? Do you have a local candy store with delicious local candies?
posted by Crystalinne at 5:19 PM on October 17, 2013
SKITTLES. And Swedish Fish. But mostly Skittles, the best candy ever. They recently changed the green Skittles from lime to a rather ghastly "sour apple" flavor, but they're still damn fine. And Sour Skittles are the absolute best.
posted by divined by radio at 5:20 PM on October 17, 2013
posted by divined by radio at 5:20 PM on October 17, 2013
Best answer: Goldenberg's Original Dark Peanut Chews are a favorite vegan candy. You can get them in packages other than the 2lbs. tubs that I linked -- but they are very good...
posted by mean square error at 5:35 PM on October 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by mean square error at 5:35 PM on October 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
I am a vegetarian and an American, and there are no candies or candy products which are off limits to me, if you wish to take that as a data point.
posted by Juffo-Wup at 5:39 PM on October 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Juffo-Wup at 5:39 PM on October 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
Watch out for Kosher gelatin; it is made from fish and thus Kosher, but not vegetarian at all. It is used in things. Kosher is not a substitute for vegetarian. Read the actual label.
Be careful with anything gummy: lots of those use gelatin, which (data point) I as a vegetarian do not eat. Swedish fish, sour patch kids, and Skittles are fine. Sweet delicious gummy bears and their relatives are not. (SAD.)
Confectioner's glaze is not vegan (it's made from an excretion of the lac beetle = shellac + other things) and is in lots of candies as well (including most candy corn, SAD SAD!). I avoid it (it kills a lot of inseects to get it); check with your friend to see what s/he does. There are vegan candy corns, but IIRC none of the major brands (Brachs) are. (This is also a problem with jelly beans.)
posted by lysimache at 6:01 PM on October 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Be careful with anything gummy: lots of those use gelatin, which (data point) I as a vegetarian do not eat. Swedish fish, sour patch kids, and Skittles are fine. Sweet delicious gummy bears and their relatives are not. (SAD.)
Confectioner's glaze is not vegan (it's made from an excretion of the lac beetle = shellac + other things) and is in lots of candies as well (including most candy corn, SAD SAD!). I avoid it (it kills a lot of inseects to get it); check with your friend to see what s/he does. There are vegan candy corns, but IIRC none of the major brands (Brachs) are. (This is also a problem with jelly beans.)
posted by lysimache at 6:01 PM on October 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
I have seen US Skittles made both with and without gelatin. I haven't figured out the pattern; for all I know, it's based on the phase of the moon. I suggest double-checking the ingredients list there.
Seconding lysimache: anything with that kind of chewiness is worth double-checking for gelatin.
posted by brett at 6:03 PM on October 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Seconding lysimache: anything with that kind of chewiness is worth double-checking for gelatin.
posted by brett at 6:03 PM on October 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Smarties are vegetarian and they're fun to send overseas because Aussies have a candy called Smarties that's found in the Eurozone and it's completely different!
posted by headnsouth at 6:03 PM on October 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by headnsouth at 6:03 PM on October 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Yummy Earth organic lollipops are tasty and organic and they're clear about their ingredients.
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:06 PM on October 17, 2013
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:06 PM on October 17, 2013
Goldenberg's Original Dark Peanut Chews are a favorite vegan candy.
Oh, yeah these are great, and unlike any other candy I've had.
posted by showbiz_liz at 6:11 PM on October 17, 2013
Oh, yeah these are great, and unlike any other candy I've had.
posted by showbiz_liz at 6:11 PM on October 17, 2013
I really like vegetarian/vegan marshmallows because they're so hard to find - Sweet & Sara are the best.
I'm also a fan of York peppermint patties (they don't have gelatin like Junior Mints).
Don't get Skittles/Starbursts/etc as those have gelatin in them. Airheads are good for a similar flavor without the gelatin.
posted by vegartanipla at 6:17 PM on October 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm also a fan of York peppermint patties (they don't have gelatin like Junior Mints).
Don't get Skittles/Starbursts/etc as those have gelatin in them. Airheads are good for a similar flavor without the gelatin.
posted by vegartanipla at 6:17 PM on October 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Nthing Goldenbergs Peanut Chews. My favorite candy as a kid. Worth ordering online if you can't find em locally.
posted by gnutron at 6:41 PM on October 17, 2013
posted by gnutron at 6:41 PM on October 17, 2013
Please ask your friend to clarify.
The best explanation I have ever read for occasional vegetarian tolerance of gelatin was in "The Jewish Book of Why," which had a discussion of gelatin as a kosher product because gelatin is so far removed, via extensive processing, as to be akin to a chemical rather than an animal product.
I know that probably reads as pretty flaky and I'm not advocating a particular position here; I'm just saying -- gelatin is sometimes "kosher." "Kosher is not a substitute for vegetarian" is correct; it's just: the thinking for Jews and vegetarians here is often similar...
"But during the manufacturing of gelatin, the animal extract becomes totally inedible, such that even a dog will no longer eat it. Now, food which even a dog won't eat loses its status as food. Halachically, it's no different than stones or dirt which are you allowed to eat!" via
Honey is not something problematic for vegetarians as a group. Your vegetarian may vary about bug-derived ingredients. The hivemind is making this more complex for you. Ask your friend! As a vegetarian who enjoys getting treats in the mail: for the love of all that is chewy, ask.
posted by kmennie at 6:43 PM on October 17, 2013
The best explanation I have ever read for occasional vegetarian tolerance of gelatin was in "The Jewish Book of Why," which had a discussion of gelatin as a kosher product because gelatin is so far removed, via extensive processing, as to be akin to a chemical rather than an animal product.
I know that probably reads as pretty flaky and I'm not advocating a particular position here; I'm just saying -- gelatin is sometimes "kosher." "Kosher is not a substitute for vegetarian" is correct; it's just: the thinking for Jews and vegetarians here is often similar...
"But during the manufacturing of gelatin, the animal extract becomes totally inedible, such that even a dog will no longer eat it. Now, food which even a dog won't eat loses its status as food. Halachically, it's no different than stones or dirt which are you allowed to eat!" via
Honey is not something problematic for vegetarians as a group. Your vegetarian may vary about bug-derived ingredients. The hivemind is making this more complex for you. Ask your friend! As a vegetarian who enjoys getting treats in the mail: for the love of all that is chewy, ask.
posted by kmennie at 6:43 PM on October 17, 2013
Honey is vegetarian but not universally vegan.
(in my unresearched understanding. I have lived with and cooked for vegetarians and vegans and asked them what was ok)
posted by zippy at 7:04 PM on October 17, 2013
(in my unresearched understanding. I have lived with and cooked for vegetarians and vegans and asked them what was ok)
posted by zippy at 7:04 PM on October 17, 2013
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Not solely Halloween candy, but so good.
posted by sugarbomb at 7:05 PM on October 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by sugarbomb at 7:05 PM on October 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
An awful lot of gummy candies don't actually use gelatin anyway. (I'm not vegan, but happened to remember being told that Sour Patch Kids are, and they do indeed seem to be on PETA's okay list.)
Mary Janes kisses (the orange and black wrapped ones) are my favorite Halloween candy and also appear to be.
posted by Sequence at 7:08 PM on October 17, 2013
Mary Janes kisses (the orange and black wrapped ones) are my favorite Halloween candy and also appear to be.
posted by Sequence at 7:08 PM on October 17, 2013
Best answer: Gelatin is not vegetarian, full stop. People can sometimes justify it (I know some of the medicine I take has it and I don't really have a choice in the matter, but when it comes to food I'll draw a pretty hard line)
Things I'd love to get in the mail
red vines
peanut butter cups
swedish fish!!!
vegetarian marshmallows
non-gelatin veggie candies
wax coke bottles (might not survive the trip)
posted by bottlebrushtree at 7:31 PM on October 17, 2013
Things I'd love to get in the mail
red vines
peanut butter cups
swedish fish!!!
vegetarian marshmallows
non-gelatin veggie candies
wax coke bottles (might not survive the trip)
posted by bottlebrushtree at 7:31 PM on October 17, 2013
Other distinctively American candy that you can find from smaller scale regional producers -
Maple sugar candy; salt water taffy; pralines; buckeyes; chocolate turtles; etc.
Peanut-based:
Peanut brittle; Reese's Cups (they have special small ones for Halloween); Goldenberg's Peanut Chews; Mary Janes; Squirrel Nut Zippers
In the same vein of the penny-candy type old fashioned candy, and assuming she can have whey (which is vegetarian but not vegan), Tootsie Rolls and Bit O Honey are permissible. (Bit O Honey also has egg and obviously honey)
How about baseball-related? Big League Chew bubble gum [has lecithin] or Cracker Jack, which is candied popcorn+nuts with a silly little prize in each pack.
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:42 PM on October 17, 2013
Maple sugar candy; salt water taffy; pralines; buckeyes; chocolate turtles; etc.
Peanut-based:
Peanut brittle; Reese's Cups (they have special small ones for Halloween); Goldenberg's Peanut Chews; Mary Janes; Squirrel Nut Zippers
In the same vein of the penny-candy type old fashioned candy, and assuming she can have whey (which is vegetarian but not vegan), Tootsie Rolls and Bit O Honey are permissible. (Bit O Honey also has egg and obviously honey)
How about baseball-related? Big League Chew bubble gum [has lecithin] or Cracker Jack, which is candied popcorn+nuts with a silly little prize in each pack.
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:42 PM on October 17, 2013
Response by poster: Okay, I'm on the case with honey. I'm on PDX and she's in the UK, so there's going to be some time lag before I can answer. Thanks everyone for your suggestions so far. Out of interest, does anyone know where to get the Goldenberg's in Portland? The internets say it's not local at all.
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. For those interested, the UK does have Skittles, Smarties, Starbursts, and, if you hunt them down hard enough, peanut butter cups. Please carry on suggesting, and I'll hopefully have an update for the honey thing in the next 12 hours or so. Yay!
posted by TheDonF at 8:08 PM on October 17, 2013
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. For those interested, the UK does have Skittles, Smarties, Starbursts, and, if you hunt them down hard enough, peanut butter cups. Please carry on suggesting, and I'll hopefully have an update for the honey thing in the next 12 hours or so. Yay!
posted by TheDonF at 8:08 PM on October 17, 2013
Also agreeing with the suggestion of Goldenberg's peanut chews, but if you're going to buy them online, you can find them much cheaper here for $4.49 a pound.
Also, I just used this product finder and it says that Rite Aid has them in Portland.
posted by Hey Judas! at 8:23 PM on October 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Also, I just used this product finder and it says that Rite Aid has them in Portland.
posted by Hey Judas! at 8:23 PM on October 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Twizzlers and Nibs, assuming they are not commonly available in the UK. Also, cinnamon hearts. Also, Whole Foods has the most delicious packets of gummy worms. They are all natural, colored with veg and fruit juices, and organic.
posted by Blitz at 8:33 PM on October 17, 2013
posted by Blitz at 8:33 PM on October 17, 2013
Best answer: So while more Portland centric than US centric, the Meadow has an amazing selection of chocolates, including vegan options, that are small batch/local/amazing and things not easily found in the UK in many cases. I realize it isn't standard fare American halloween candy, but thought I'd point out it's a pretty great local option.
Also, another Pacific Northwest staple is the Almond Roca.
posted by mrzarquon at 8:53 PM on October 17, 2013
Also, another Pacific Northwest staple is the Almond Roca.
posted by mrzarquon at 8:53 PM on October 17, 2013
+1 Swedish Fish (former vegan here). Also, most dark chocolate is vegan. That is, assuming you're not concerned about whether sugar itself is vegan.
posted by slidell at 8:58 PM on October 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by slidell at 8:58 PM on October 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Stuff with peanut butter. When I've lived overseas, I've missed peanut butter more than anything else. So Reese's Peanut Butter Cups?
posted by croutonsupafreak at 10:03 PM on October 17, 2013
posted by croutonsupafreak at 10:03 PM on October 17, 2013
One of my UK friends keeps bugging me to send him more Laffy Taffy. Apparently that was completely novel and amazing to him. And Nerds.
posted by kendrak at 10:26 PM on October 17, 2013
posted by kendrak at 10:26 PM on October 17, 2013
It was mentioned but I'll just reiterate: eating a vegan marshmallow is like eating a cloud made out of sugar. And I've seen them in Portland.
posted by aniola at 10:33 PM on October 17, 2013
posted by aniola at 10:33 PM on October 17, 2013
Vegetarian-not-vegan: salted turtles (sometimes called sea turtles). Roasted and salted pecans topped with caramel and milk chocolate. Obscenely good, and something that I've only ever seen at actual candy shops. (Regular unsalted turtles are everywhere, but don't even come close to these.)
Chocolate bars with potato chips in them were unbelievably novel to a UK friend when she was here.
Maybe Bit-o-Honey? I love those, and it seems that you mostly only see them around Halloween. (Probably because no one else likes them, because other people are wrongheaded.)
Seconding saltwater taffy and maple sugar candy, both of which I send to very impressed Australians on a regular basis.
posted by MeghanC at 11:25 PM on October 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
Chocolate bars with potato chips in them were unbelievably novel to a UK friend when she was here.
Maybe Bit-o-Honey? I love those, and it seems that you mostly only see them around Halloween. (Probably because no one else likes them, because other people are wrongheaded.)
Seconding saltwater taffy and maple sugar candy, both of which I send to very impressed Australians on a regular basis.
posted by MeghanC at 11:25 PM on October 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
Tootsie Rolls seem to be pretty much unknown in the UK. They are vegetarian but not vegan.
Jolly Ranchers, apparently, used to be available in the UK but now it's really hard to find them. They are vegan.
York Peppermint Patties are vegetarian but not vegan; I think they are not widely available in the UK.
Hershey's products were uncommon in the UK for a long time, although I think they're more available now ... (Cadbury's seems to serve as the more common UK equivalent.)
Some kinds of candy bars are available and some are not. Snickers are available, but I've heard that Paydays and 100 Grands are not. You'd have to check ingredients to make sure of vegetarian content.
As other posters have mentioned, anything with chocolate and peanut butter seems to be uncommon (I've heard that dark chocolate Reese's miniatures are particularly popular).
posted by kyrademon at 3:46 AM on October 18, 2013
Jolly Ranchers, apparently, used to be available in the UK but now it's really hard to find them. They are vegan.
York Peppermint Patties are vegetarian but not vegan; I think they are not widely available in the UK.
Hershey's products were uncommon in the UK for a long time, although I think they're more available now ... (Cadbury's seems to serve as the more common UK equivalent.)
Some kinds of candy bars are available and some are not. Snickers are available, but I've heard that Paydays and 100 Grands are not. You'd have to check ingredients to make sure of vegetarian content.
As other posters have mentioned, anything with chocolate and peanut butter seems to be uncommon (I've heard that dark chocolate Reese's miniatures are particularly popular).
posted by kyrademon at 3:46 AM on October 18, 2013
I am in Chicago, and I can get Jaffa Cakes! They sell them at some mideastern bakeries. Just wanted you to know!
posted by agregoli at 6:15 AM on October 18, 2013
posted by agregoli at 6:15 AM on October 18, 2013
Maple sugar candy would be a fabulous idea.
I'm looking at the PETA list of vegan candies, and holy shit you have to send her the PIxy Stix, the Runts, the Bottle Caps, and the Twizzlers. Because:
a) Okay, show of hands - who hasn't gone to town on a Pixy Stix at some point in their childhood? It's basically pure sugar and nothing else. It's so iconically American it made it into a damn John Hughes movie, for God's sake.
b) Twizzlers is also a major Movie Candy Item. In fact, if you can check whether Goobers, Raisinets and Sno-Caps are okay, that'd be a fantastic "United States Movie Candy" set right there.
c) Runts and Bottle Caps are my biggest non-chocolate weakness. Runts are super-intense fruit flavors - think like Skittles in flavor intensity, but Smarties in texture. And they're also shaped like the fruit they taste like (the banana ones are like wee little bananas). And Bottle Caps are soda flavored, which fascinated the hell out of me as a kid.
Aside from that - you know those sticks of hard candy you can get in penny-candy stores and highway rest stops? You know, the ones that look like candy canes without a bend in the end, and they're all different flavors? Maybe some of those. Or rock candy, which you can make yourself at home super-easy - it is nothing but sugar, water, and flavoring.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:41 AM on October 18, 2013
I'm looking at the PETA list of vegan candies, and holy shit you have to send her the PIxy Stix, the Runts, the Bottle Caps, and the Twizzlers. Because:
a) Okay, show of hands - who hasn't gone to town on a Pixy Stix at some point in their childhood? It's basically pure sugar and nothing else. It's so iconically American it made it into a damn John Hughes movie, for God's sake.
b) Twizzlers is also a major Movie Candy Item. In fact, if you can check whether Goobers, Raisinets and Sno-Caps are okay, that'd be a fantastic "United States Movie Candy" set right there.
c) Runts and Bottle Caps are my biggest non-chocolate weakness. Runts are super-intense fruit flavors - think like Skittles in flavor intensity, but Smarties in texture. And they're also shaped like the fruit they taste like (the banana ones are like wee little bananas). And Bottle Caps are soda flavored, which fascinated the hell out of me as a kid.
Aside from that - you know those sticks of hard candy you can get in penny-candy stores and highway rest stops? You know, the ones that look like candy canes without a bend in the end, and they're all different flavors? Maybe some of those. Or rock candy, which you can make yourself at home super-easy - it is nothing but sugar, water, and flavoring.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:41 AM on October 18, 2013
...Huh, that link I sent you to also gives directions for making your own candy corn. From that recipe, it looks like it'd be okay - no gelatin in that recipe. (Although it does have corn syrup, and I can't speak to that.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:44 AM on October 18, 2013
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:44 AM on October 18, 2013
Not entirely candy, but caramel apples are delicious and seasonally appropriate.
Root Beer Barrels are vegetarian.
Kit Kats are vegetarian, but they might be easy to find in the UK.
If you're going to go for pixie sticks/runts/bottlecaps, you have to include pop rocks!
posted by inertia at 1:42 PM on October 18, 2013
Root Beer Barrels are vegetarian.
Kit Kats are vegetarian, but they might be easy to find in the UK.
If you're going to go for pixie sticks/runts/bottlecaps, you have to include pop rocks!
posted by inertia at 1:42 PM on October 18, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks for all the responses. We found a Rite Aid and bought some of the Goldenberg's Peanut Chews, and a whole load of other things from here. We may have eaten a few before sending the package off!
posted by TheDonF at 8:08 PM on November 26, 2013
posted by TheDonF at 8:08 PM on November 26, 2013
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posted by rabbitrabbit at 4:49 PM on October 17, 2013