Taste Test – Universal Yums (Ukraine)

Universal Yums for the month is the former Soviet Republic The Ukraine.
First up are the Potato and Onion Potato Booms

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These are delicious snacks made from potato with an onion flavor. They are a snack version of the french fry like pan-fried potato dish popular in the Ukraine.
Alex 10 Rita 10 Joe 10

Next are the Veal & Adjika Potato Boom

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Alex quite liked them giving them an 8. I do not like the meat flavored snacks that seem to be popular in Europe, I rate them a five out of ten.

Salute Ham & adjika; Mustard Puffs

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

More meat flavored snacks; Alex – 9 Joe – 6

Salute Mushroom Puffs

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Neither of us cared for this flavor combination, Alex – 5 Joe – 6

Salo Hrustata Potato

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Even more meat flavored snacks, salo is a local delicacy of sliced pork fat cured in salt, garlic and spices and eaten raw. I think I would very much enjoy actual salo but the chip I give a five out of ten. Alex – 6

Tomato Basil Hrustata Potato
Basically a pizza flavored chip, Emma seems like she wants to try some.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

They were OK Alex – 7 Joe 6

Shou’de Dark Chocolate with Candied Fruits

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Alex is not a fan of dark chocolate 4 out of ten. I could have done without the candied fruit on top but the chocolate was very good 8 out of ten

Roshen Blueberry Chocolate

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Dark chocolate with cookie bits and blueberries. Again the chocolate was good but I was not a big fan of the inclusions. Joe 7 out of 10 Alex – 6

Roshen Creme Brûlée Chocolate

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Delicious milk chocolate with a caramel filling. Alex – 8 Joe – 9

Creamy Deluxe Toffee Squares

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Chewy toffee Alex-6 Joe-5

Wafers with Baked Milk

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Very good wafer cookie similar to what you can find here in the states. Alex loved them 10 out of 10, Joe-7

Slasti Curd Waffles

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More wafer type cookies with chocolate and cheese filling. Alex-8, Joe-7

Choco Pizza

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A delicious selection of milk and dark chocolate with some interesting toppings. So good we ate it all before we could take the picture! Alex, Rita and Joe 10 out of 10

Dill and Sour Cream Golden Chips

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An interesting processed chip similar to a Pringles. Alex-7 Joe-6

Golden Chips Aspic & Horseradish

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More Pringle type chips again with a meat flavoring. Alex loved them 10 out of 10 Joe-6

Peanut Bar with Puffed Rice and Honey

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Chewy and gooey similar to a chewy granola type bar. Alex-9 Joe-5

Minky Binky Assorted Fruit Caramels with Fruit Fillings

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A soft milky sweet with a nice burst of fruit flavor in the center. This was the biggest disparity between Alex and I. I thought they were great and gave them a 9 out of 10 where Alex only rated them a one.

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Roshen Ladybird

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Another great candy for me a gummy with a fruit juice filling. Joe-9 Alex-6

Barberry Karamelkino

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

A unique Ukrainian berry in hard candy. Alex-3 Joe-4 We both spit it out and did not finish.

Stats:
Alex Average Rating 6.5 out of 10
Favorites: Potato & Onion Boom, Aspic and Horseradish Golden Chip, Choco Pizza, Wafers with Baked Milk
Least Favorite: Minky Binky

Joe Average 6.4 out of 10
Favorites: Potato & Onion boom, Choco Pizza
Least Favorite: Barberry Karamelkino, Peanut Kozinak

Taste Test – Universal Yums (Russia)

October’s Universal Yums shipment was from Russia. An improvement on the Thailand box with a nice mixture of sweets, chocolates and chips.
The first item was Holodets and Horseradish Husks

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Holdets is Russian for cold meat jelly sort of a gelatin based snack. These rye sticks do not contain gelatin but are crunchy bread sticks with a horseradish flavor. I very much enjoyed them but Alex thought the flavor was a little strong. My score 8 out of 10 Alex scored it a 6.
Next up was Tula Pryanik a gingerbread flavored with honey.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Neither Alex or I thought this was very good. The cake was somewhat dry and crumbly with a not very pronounced gingerbread flavor. This is one of Russia’s oldest and well loved treats and I think that I would very much enjoy a home cooked example of the cake but this packaged version left much to be desired. Joe – 5. Alex – 5.
The Red October Krepysch is a soft toffee peanut bar.

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Alex and I both liked the bar, it was chewy with a good amount of peanuts. Tasty but not spectacular snack.
Blackcurrant Kefir is a chocolate covered blackcurrant marshmallow. The soft gooey center covered with a nice chocolate is similar to the malo type bars sold in American supermarkets. Alex and Rita both gave the treat an 8 while I scored it a 7.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Shashlik Potato Chips are shish kabob flavored potato chips.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

This is the second box in a row with “meat flavored” chips as last month’s Thailand box also had a hot dog flavored potato snack. These do have a distinct meat taste. In my opinion these are two flavors that do not go together. Joe – 5. Alex – 5.
Korovka Fairy Tale Roll Cake

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

These baked milk cakes are a rolled cake with a cream filling and decorated top. The cakes were tasty and again I would have to say that if I tasted a home cooked version I would quite like it. As for the packaged version Alex, Rita and I all scored it 7 out of 10.
Next are the package of Grilled Potato and Shallots snack.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

This was closest to an American style potato snack. These crunchy potato-wheat waffle cut snacks had a nice but not overpowering onion flavor. Joe – 9. Alex 10.
The Grapefruit Chocolate Bar is a pleasant dark chocolate bar with a sweet grapefruit flavored filling. Decent chocolate flavor covering the gooey grapefruit filling. Joe – 6. Alex 7.

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The Salmon and Cheese Husks are another set of crunchy breadsticks.

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The sticks had a savory flavor with cheese predominant. Alex and Rita both rated it a 5 while I gave them a 7.
Korovka Baked Milk Biscuits

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These were great chocolate filled cookies with the tradition Russian baked milk flavor. Alex scored them a 10 and I gave them a 9.
Strawberry Popcorn is popcorn covered in a sweet strawberry glaze. I am not a fan of sweet popcorn and found the strawberry flavor to be very artificial and overly sweet. Joe – 5. Alex – 6.

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The Cinnamon Chocolate Bar was very good dark chocolate with a barely hint of cinnamon flavor. High quality chocolate. Joe – 9. Rita – 9. Alex – 8.

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Next was a package of Mushroom Croutons.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

As you can see from Alex’s face he was not a fan. These wheat crackers had a savory if not very pronounced mushroom flavor. Joe – 6. Alex – 4.
One of the box’s highlights was the Red October Southern Nuts.

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The cocoa powder coated nut nougats were delicious. The sweet creamy nut flavored filling covered in a quite tasty cocoa powder had a grainy texture and quality chocolate hit. Joe – 10. Alex – 10. Rita – 8.
Marma Berries and Cream Gummies.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

These are the best tasting dummies you will find with a pleasant liquid center which explodes in your mouth as you bite into them. Joe 10. Alex 9.
Pickled Cucumber Corn Balls

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

This turned out to be my favorite snack in the box. At first taste I thought they were good but with each additional tasting the taste grew on me. I found myself munching on them while watching TV and quickly ran out wanting more. Joe – 10. Alex – 7.
Caramel Dream Candy

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Lemon flavored caramel candies which are similar to American candies of the same type. Joe – 7. Alex – 2.
Forest Fairy Honey Peanut Delight.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Peanut candy covered in chocolate, not my personal favorite. Joe – 3. Alex – 10.
Juicy Light Peach & Apricot Jellies

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

A jelly fruit flavored candy. Joe – 5. Alex – 6.
Swan Souffle

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Another great chocolate snack from Russia. This soft toffee is covered in chocolate and is a pleasant sweat treat.
I was very impressed with Russian chocolate and most of the chocolate based snacks were of high quality. I was again disappointed with most of the savory snacks as many of them did not satisfy my American taste pallet.
Joe Average Score – 7.2
Alex Average Score – 6.9

Joe’s Favorite – Red October Southern Nuts, Marma Gummies, Pickled Cucumber Corn Balls (10)
Alex’s Favorite – Grilled Potatoes and Shallots, Korovka Baked Milk Biscuits, Red October Southern Nuts, Forest Fairy Delight (10)

Joe’s Least Favorite – Forest Fairy Honey Peanut Delight (3)
Alex’s Least Favorite – Caramel Dreams (2)

Taste Test – Universal Yums (Thailand)

Universal Yums is a company that offers snacks from around the world once per month on a subscription basis. One of our favorite reasons for travel is to sample the local cuisine wherever we go, this is a great way to do so vicariously from your kitchen table. This month’s selection was from Thailand and as it was our first month in the program Alex was super excited.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The first item on the list was Coconut Snack Bites. These coconut cookies were nice vanilla flavored coconut cookies. Alex 7. Joe 6.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Next up was Almond Chocolate Tivoli Select. Thailand does not as a country consume much chocolate but when they do their number one snack is the American Kit-Kat bar. This is the Thai version of a Kit-Kat. Alex loved it and rated it a 9 out of 10. My score 6. Rita 8.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Tom Yum Goong Big Roll seaweed snack was not Alex’s favorite. I found it to have a strong seaweed flavor and although Maine dulse is a favorite snack of mine I did not rate it much higher. Alex 5. Joe 6.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Spicy Pineapple Juzi-C is a spicy, chewy pineapple fruit roll-up. I thought it was very good, not very spicy but with good pineapple flavor. Alex did not like the combination as much. Alex 6. Joe 8.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Japanese Curry Snack Jack is a broad bean based snack. Japanese Curry is a thick rich stew of brown gravy, meat and potatoes which flavors this snack. Alex quite enjoyed them while I did not care for the combination of flavors. Alex 8. Joe 5.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Greenday Jackfruit Chips is made from the tropical jackfruit. I did not care for them and Alex liked the relatively bland flavor. Alex 7. Joe 5.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Tao Kae Noi Chicken Larb Seaweed Snack. Larb is a “meat salad” made of chopped meat seasoned with chili, lime juice, fish sauce and shallots. The predominate flavor for this snack is the seaweed however. I thought it was a very pleasant crunchy seaweed snack albeit with a strong aftertaste. Alex 8 Joe 8.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Mango Sour Punk Chewy candy was moderately sour with a nice fruit flavor not quite as good as the Juzi-C but still very good. Alex 5. Joe 8. As you can see Alex is not a big fan of sour.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Jack n’ Jill Combo is very similar to American style candy bars with chocolate covered wafers and crispy rice. Alex 8. Joe 5. Rita 7.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Mango Sticky Rice was exceptional. Sweet, sticky and gummy. Alex and Rita did not enjoy the texture at all. Alex 4. Joe 10. Rita 3. This is an item I have seen on Asian Street food videos numerous times and this did not disappoint.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Hanami Hot Chili Prawn Crackers recall the prawn flavored snacks that you see in all sorts of Asian markets. They must be very popular from the frequency that you see these prawn flavored crackers. I found them to be not very spicy and not to have much of a seafood flavor. Alex took the leftovers to school and did not get glowing reviews. Alex 8. Joe 5.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Coconut Cream-O Choco Plus cookies were the star of the box. The cookies had a smooth buttery flavor and the chocolate – coconut filling was rich and creamy. I would say that this was not only the best item in this box but one of the best cookies I have ever had from a package. I will miss not being able to buy these locally. Alex 6. Joe 10. Rita 10.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Don’t let Alex’s expression sway you, it really was delicious.

The Greenday Wasabi Onion Chips were one of the more unusual items. The chips were not rings as you might expect but whole segments of small onions. They were not very crisp but had more of a raw onion texture. The wasabi flavor was very pronounced. I like wasabi both for sushi and on flavored snacks so I found these quite enjoyable. Alex 4. Joe 8.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

As you can see the strong wasabi flavor was not to Alex’s liking 🙂

The Shiitake Mushroom Snack Jack was a green pea based snack. I did not detect much mushroom flavor and found the snack to be quite ordinary. Alex 6. Joe 5.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Peanut Chips were Yam and Rice based with a heavy sprinkling of peanuts. I am thinking there was peanut butter incorporated into the chip as well as the peanut flavor was extremely pronounced. These reminded me of the peanut brittle candy my father used to like. If you enjoy peanuts I think you will like these. Alex 5. Joe 4.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

I was excited to finally have a potato based snack when we got to the Jack n’ Jill Potato Rings. These tiny little rings were flavored with sweet chili sausage! Unfortunately they did taste a lot like hot dogs! Not a flavor I like in a snack chip. Alex 7. Joe 5.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Banana Chips with Strawberry Powder are very similar to the plantain chips we can find at many international markets here in the states. I did not detect any strawberry flavor. Alex 9. Joe. 6.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Last up were three different hard candies. The first of which was the Zour Bomb Cola. This sour cola candy had a sherbet filling. The candy was extremely sour overpowering every other flavor aspect the candy may have had. Alex. 3. Joe 4.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Heartbeat Salty Lime Candy was a very pleasant hard candy. Alex 10. Joe 7.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The last item in the box was the XO Lemon Iced Tea Candy. True to its name this was a tea flavored hard candy. Alex 10. Joe 5.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

I have to say that our first box from Universal Yums was a resounding success and I recommend it to anyone especially those who like food and travel. The booklet that comes with the box is interesting and informative. If you have young children this is a great way to introduce them to the world and other countries and cultures. As for the snacks from Thailand I am not the biggest fan but found them interesting if not to my taste for the most part. Maybe this is why Thai people are so skinny and healthy; their food is great and healthy and their snacks are not very good!! We are looking forward to our next country next month.

Alex’s average score for the box 6.75
Favorite – Heartbeat Salty Lime Candy & XO Lemon Iced Tea Candy (10)
Least Favorite – Zour Bomb Cola Candy (3)

Joe’s Average rating for the box 5.75
Favorite – Mango Sticky Rice & Coconut Cream-O Choco Plus (10)
Least Favorite – Zour Bomb Cola Candy, XO Lemon Iced Tea Candy & Peanut Chips (4)