April 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Galaxy "Desserts of Arabia"

Mars

This is both a really creative candy idea, and extremely obvious as well. I imagine that the concept stems from the fact that Galaxy chocolate is very popular in many parts of the Middle East. It appears that someone thought it would be a good idea to take traditional Middle Eastern desserts and cover them in chocolate. It’s creative in the way that Japan has taken some of their local flavours and converted them into Kit Kat bars, but obvious because they use flavours that are almost guaranteed to work with chocolate. There are three different flavours available in this package, so I’m going to review each individually.

Halawa – Halawa is sometimes also known in halva, and can come in many different flavours and textures. I’ve tasted halawa (or halva) as a hard chalky substance and as an almost gelatinous substance. I’m not even sure what the unifying thing is about the many different versions. The one found in this chocolate is the harder chalky version, and that makes sense if sold with packaged chocolates. I believe the main ingredient in this form of halawa is sesame seeds (tahini) and that flavour just works very well with chocolate. The main problem (and likely a problem throughout this treat) is there’s too much chocolate. The tahini flavour is just lost with only a hint of the crunch and a slight aftertaste.

Turkish Delight – Turkish delight is actually the only one of these desserts that I’ve tasted in this form before. There are several companies out there making Turkish delight covered in chocolate. This one however is closer to the original Turkish delight that I’m used to. They’ve also added nuts to this chocolate, which makes it a little more authentic and gives it an amazing texture. The flavour has some kind of floral flavour, my guess is rose, but I’m not sure how authentic it is. The chocolate on this one is a lot thinner as well, and the flavour really comes through. While it’s not the most creative of these treats, it takes an idea that’s been done and makes it a lot better.

Baklawa – Baklawa might be known as baklava as well. I know this dessert from my time in and around the Mediterranean, and like many of the desserts of that area, there are many interpretations. Some versions are nuttier, some are more syrup filled, it really depends on where you get it. I’ll be honest, this one is more chocolate heavy. While there is a slight crunch of what I can only imagine is the dough or maybe some kind of crystallized syrup, there’s almost no sign of any nuts at all. While the chocolate quality is great, the dessert part of this is totally lost. If it didn’t say baklawa on the front I wouldn’t have ever guessed what it was.

These chocolates are really tasty, but that’s in big part because Galaxy chocolate is one of the higher quality chocolates on the market. Other than the Turkish delight chocolate, I feel like the dessert portion was not really the star of the show. This is unfortunate because the thing that made these interesting is the dessert portion. I really enjoyed eating these, and I would certainly recommend them, I just wish they pushed the dessert flavours and textures a little more.