Universal Yums January 2016 Subscription Box Review – Turkey

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universal yums january 2016 box

One of our favorite snack subscriptions has received an upgrade!   Universal Yums is a monthly international snack subscription box.  Every month you’ll take a trip to a new country and munch on brand new snacks. Yum Yum! There are two sizes of box, the Yum ($13) and the Yum Yum ($25). This is the Yum Yum box, and it’s a really solid subscription that shines each and every month.

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This month featured great snacks from Turkey.  The usual intro card has been upgraded to a booklet with extra insight into the featured culture.  The box always has a tissue paper flag inside, too.  It’s a cool touch that sets the stage for you culinary exploration of culture.  The Turkish flag wasn’t as spot-on as some have been in the past.

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The information card has descriptions of all the snacks.  It has a handy ingredient/potential allergen breakdown on it, and the snack descriptions have gotten to be quite detailed.

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One of the great things about Universal Yums, particularly the Yum Yum box, is the experience of uncovering layer after layer of goodies.  I also love that there are family-size bags of some of the selections in each box.

universal yums january 2016 review

All the Yums in the January Yum Yum box.  The curators did a fabulous job rounding up some distinctly Turkish items and brands not seen often in the West.

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The new and improved booklet really enhances the experience.  It now includes a more elaborate cultural note and even has a a traditional cultural recipe to try!

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Don’t worry, the trivia page is still there, along with the light-hearted introductory passage.

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Toffee:  A chewy white candy filled with fruity jam.  These come in a variety of fruit flavors.

Falim Mastic Gum:  Made from the resin of the mastic tree, this is a very traditional gum.  With studies showing some health benefits beyond just oral health, this sugar-free gum has become more popular even outside the region.  It has a unique, long-lasting piney flavor that starts mellow and grows in intensity.

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Ulker Dankek 8kek:  A commercial version of traditional Turkish fruit-filled cake, this double-lobed cupcake has orange and chocolate cake sections and a marmalade filling.  It is also topped with chocolate icing.  It is the perfect combination of traditional desserts and modern snack cakes. universal yums january 2016 IMG_5980

Ulker Albeni:  A bit like a Twix (even in label design), this thick bar has caramel and chocolate covered shortbread. The cookie is softer and more flavorful than its Western counterpart, and the bar is the size of two Twix sticks together.

Nutymax:  The label and appearance of the bar itself is a little misleading, as it looks like you will be biting into whole hazelnuts.  The large lumps are actually pods of hazelnut cream.  Each sits atop a thin 2-layer wafer, with the whole assembly covered in a tasty chocolate.
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Ulker Clip Pizza Sticks:  Crunchy, salty breadsticks with a savory flavoring.  The seasoning is closer to traditional lahmacun than Western pizza.

Kiosk Susam Krokan:  A very seedy sesame bar.  This version is fairly savory, with the sesame seeds being the major component and the sugary binder being much less prevalent than Greek version of this treat.

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Torch Cokofest:  Delicious, moderately dark chocolate filled with a flavorful and chunky pistachio cream.  I thought this was a particularly great item to include, as I rarely see pistachios used in candy.

Ulker 9 Kat Tat:  Light and crisp wafers with a banana cream flavored filling.

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Torch Turtacik Mini:  These little shortbread cookies have an orange and cinnamon jam disk on top, covered with chocolate jimmies.

Ulkrem Biskrem Duo:  A vanilla and cocoa swirl cookie filled with rich chocolate cream.

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The box concluded with two classic Turkish treats.

Schrazat Cevizli Unum Sucuk:  A version of an ancient turkish treat composed of walnuts dipped in grape molasses.  This version uses glucose and wheat starch to bulk up the coating, but it remain very unique treat, said to be an aphrodisiac.

HazerBaba Turkish Delight Rose Petals:  Flavored with rose water, theses soft jellies are a version of the original candy that provided the inspiration for nearly every gummy and taffy we enjoy today.

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Next month, I’m guessing we are headed to the City of Lights!

Visit Universal Yums to subscribe or find out more.

The Subscription: Universal Yums
The Description: Each month, you’ll receive a box of unique, delicious snacks from a different country delivered right to your door. No repeats! 0% Yuck, 100% Yum.
The Price: Cost: $13 (Yum Box) $25 (Yum Yum Box) per month.
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The Reviews: See all our Universal Yums Reviews.

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  • Susan Burge (@georgiarealist)
    02.02.16

    I was guessing next month is Switzerland, based on the cheese and chocolate clues, but you might be right. Or maybe we’re both wrong and it’s Belgium? We’ll see!

    Oh, and the info booklet says the sprinkles only look like chocolate on those cookies, but they’re actually cinnamon. I kept trying to taste one separately, but it was hard to isolate one. It did seem to be cinnamon, though.

    • Brandy
      02.02.16

      I never look at Tom’s bizarre guesses. I don’t think either of us realized they are supposed to be cinnamon. I personally ate half of them! They sure were good anyways!

      • Susan Burge (@georgiarealist)
        02.04.16

        Yes they were tasty! Just noticed that I got a different Turkish Delight flavor from you – mine is Cherry Berry, which claims to be blackberry and sour cherry flavored. Don’t taste any sourness, but all the powdered sugar (reminds me of how much I dislike powdered sugar on things) would kill the sourness anyway.