Suggestions for Regional/Cultural Snack Foods?

December 28, 2007 12:46 PM

I'd like to sample some distinctly regional or cultural snack foods without leaving the comfort of my own home using the magic of the Internet. Suggestions may include candies, chocolates, chips, cookies, crackers, cheeses, or any item which fills a similar role in a specific culture or region... so long as the ordering process is online and the product can be shipped to the United States.

Ideally, suggestions should require little or no additional preparation upon arrival. Simple cooking instructions are fine, but hopefully nothing very much more involved... unless the end result is worth it in your opinion.

One example of approximately what I'm looking for from my own Vermont heritage is Maple Sugar Candy (from here and elsewhere), but don't assume that I'm already familiar with any other VT snack foods just because I grew up there, or Massachusetts snack foods just because I live there now.

Barring masochistic extremes (say, a single item costing more than $1000) cost is not an object, and MA does allow importation of items which contain substantial quantities of liquor.

posted by The Confessor to food & drink (28 comments total)

I have found memories of Zapps Chips growing up in the Southeast. Also Goo Goo Clusters..mmm.
posted by melissam at 12:54 PM on December 28, 2007

Sponge Candy, Buffalo NY (some say orange chocolate is another).
Ordering from Parkside Candies is easy.

You can also get the wing sauce, but not the wings pre-made. Although the best wings aren't really at the Anchor Bar...

Beef on weck. Maybe Charlie The Butcher ships those? Perhaps you will just have to come here for that.
posted by oflinkey at 1:01 PM on December 28, 2007

I'm from Racine, Wisconsin and here the big thing is kringle.

The best comes from O&H Bakery. If you've never had it, I highly recommend it.
posted by fellion at 1:08 PM on December 28, 2007

...Although Schwabl's is the spiritual home of beef on weck...wither way, you have to come here for the sandwich, it would seem.
posted by oflinkey at 1:08 PM on December 28, 2007

From Canada: Nanaimo bars from a box! I'd also grab some Hickory Sticks.

And you can't really mail-order it, but poutine only needs three ingredients. (The canadianfavourites.com site does have cheese curds, though...)
posted by kmennie at 1:17 PM on December 28, 2007

Pocky!
posted by gac at 1:27 PM on December 28, 2007

MexGrocer can provide you with everything you need for Dia de los Muertos including candies and much more. You can get Queso Asedero and Queso Fresco delivered as well as lots more goodies.
posted by X4ster at 1:32 PM on December 28, 2007

Aplets and Cotlets, for that North Central Washington taste!
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:49 PM on December 28, 2007

Vermont Country Store: Food & Candy section.
posted by bonobo at 1:49 PM on December 28, 2007

Harper's Hams.
posted by bonobo at 1:52 PM on December 28, 2007

Puerto Rican goodies can be found at www.elcolmadito.com - it has pretty much anything any Puerto Rican would recognize as a typical food, snack, beverage, or cooking aid. My favorite soda, ever, is Old Colony Uva (grape), followed by Coco Rico (coconut soda). Another typical beverage is malta, but it's a very jarring taste to those who are not used to it (it's made of malt). Some of my favorite candies are ajonjoli (sesame seed) and dulce de coco (coconut candy).
posted by DrGirlfriend at 1:55 PM on December 28, 2007

I like shopping out of the Cuban food section of Amigo Foods when I am feeling homesick. I love snacking on Cuban Crackers (great with butter or cream cheese), guava, omelettes made with chorizo, malanga chips and plantain chips. For soda I recommend the Iron Beer, Materva and Jupina.
posted by Alison at 2:04 PM on December 28, 2007

Tastykakes if you can't get them in MA...I grew up in NJ and they are ubiquitous there. Yum, Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes.

My parents live in Lancaster County, PA now and some of the local things include Wilbur Buds, Opera Fudge, Shoo-Fly Pie and Whoopie Pies.
posted by cabingirl at 2:29 PM on December 28, 2007

Nashville's Goo Goo Clusters! More goo than you can shake a stick at.

Cookies and snacks from all over the world (particularly India/Middle East) can be ordered from Kalustyan's. They also have a great retail store in Manhattan.
posted by moonmilk at 2:45 PM on December 28, 2007

Nothing says England to me like Branston Pickle and cheddar cheese (on bread or crackers)

Except maybe Heinz baked beans on toast (buttered toast with hot beans on top, with or without a fried egg - yum)

For dessert? It has to be a Cadbury's Dairy Milk.
posted by triggerfinger at 2:46 PM on December 28, 2007

Since my sister has moved to NC, we have been introduced to Cheerwine soda.
Also, after growing up in RI, I can recommend the Del's lemonade and Olneyville NY System Weiner sauce found here. Skip the Mayor's Marinara though, and get some of this instead!
posted by Biblio at 2:59 PM on December 28, 2007

You can order Tim Tams and Vegemite on this site, as well as an entire sampler hamper of Aussie food. Although if you asked nicely, I'm sure one of the Aussie MeFites (such as myself) would be glad to send you something. :)
posted by web-goddess at 3:02 PM on December 28, 2007

Cashew crunch and mallow hash from Dinstuhl's. The Memphis Peanut Shoppe is also pretty sweet.

But more importantly, Corky's BBQ offers the stupendous Memphis Throw Down (scroll to the bottom) which isn't exactly in the snack category, but totally COULD be.
posted by naomi at 3:53 PM on December 28, 2007

Twin Bing and Valomilk (the latter doesn't have a direct link to buy on their website, but apparently you can buy them at candyfavorites.com?).
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 4:18 PM on December 28, 2007

More from central Pa.: Utz chips, Herr's chips, Snyder's pretzels and Lebanon bologna.

Incidentally, Lebanon celebrates New Year's Eve with a bologna drop -- a 7-foot-plus log o'meat that descends from on high just before midnight. (No, I'm not kidding. One year, though, they dropped small wrapped bologna rolls from a helicopter. As God as my witness, they thought bologna could fly.)
posted by MonkeyToes at 4:50 PM on December 28, 2007

Pearson's Nut Goodies (from Minnesota)
posted by belladonna at 4:50 PM on December 28, 2007

You can seriously find hundreds of these, complete with full descriptions, photos, and ordering info, in the wonderful book Food Finds.

Or check Candyfreak for candy bars only.

Also, seconding belladonna on Pearson's Nut Goodies. A St. Paul original, they are chocolate and peanuts with a maple center. Order here.
posted by GaelFC at 6:19 PM on December 28, 2007

Moon Pies and RC Cola are a classic TN treat.
posted by ecrivain at 6:52 PM on December 28, 2007

JBox has loads of great Japanese snacks, as well as crazy cultural items.
posted by fan_of_all_things_small at 8:17 PM on December 28, 2007

One of my favorite snacks is the Israeli Bamba, which are peanut-butter-flavored-corn-puffs. Think cheetos with peanut butter instead of fake cheese. I swear, they're delicious.

There's also bissli, which are these crunchy, er, shapes, that come in flavors as varied as taco, hamburger, onion, and pizza, but I think they taste awful. I also hate doritos, though, and for much the same reasons. I imagine if you like doritos you'd be more likely to enjoy bissli. They can also be found at the website I linked above.
posted by mismatched at 8:31 PM on December 28, 2007

I just got back from NOLA, where the praline seems to be the local equivalent of maple sugar candy.
posted by phoenixy at 9:37 PM on December 28, 2007

Just this past Christmas I introduced my west coast family to Mallomars, which are primarily an east coast thing.
posted by Brian James at 9:06 AM on December 29, 2007

Sincere thanks to all who answered; I now have sufficient leads for at least a month or two worth of junk food!
posted by The Confessor at 6:51 PM on December 29, 2007