I’m not totally convinced that this is a candy. The only reason I believe it is a candy is the circumstances for which I purchased it. If someone handed me this with no context I would probably suggest that it’s some kind of ingredient used for major food manufacturing. The context which I bought these disks is at a candy store in Qatar, at this store a nice man showing me all of the local candy delights suggested I try one of these. The only reason I can think that these might still not be a candy is that this nice man likes to play strange jokes on his potential customers.

I should also note that as far as I was told, the way you’re supposed to eat these is to just bite a bit off and crunch. My first sampling of this treat actually happened in the store where he gave me a sample. Since then I’ve tasted it again twice, and frankly my opinion has not changed at all. It’s the saltiest sour thing I’ve ever had. It’s probably a little more salty than sour, but it still is pretty sour. The best way to describe this is that it’s very much like a salty lassi, but a lassi that’s not refreshing at all and much more concentrated.

There is a slight yogurt like flavour to it, that’s where I believe the sour flavour comes from. It has the same kind of tart flavour you get in yogurt, only amped up a lot. I feel like the salty flavour has something to do with how these are made, but I’m not sure. My other suspicion is that these are a very traditional treat that may only be popular with those brought up on them. As an adult trying these with no context, raised on a Western pallet, they’re kind of hard to eat. I’ve managed to eat about one quarter of one disk, and I’m not sure I could take any more.

This is not a treat that I feel many Westerners would enjoy. Having said that, if you happen to come across some I would highly recommend trying a bite (only a bite as a whole disk might be a little too much). It’s a real eye opener to the flavours enjoyed by another culture, and just how different flavours can be from one culture to another. Sure you might not like it, but if you’re like me, you really appreciate it.