Food is an incredibly important and cornerstone part of any culture. It’s also, in my opinion, the easiest way to get in touch with a foreign culture.
That’s often why here at Discoverist, we’d advocate walking the streets and tasting the unique delicacies and street food any country has to offer. We have covered our fair share of street food from Seoul to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, but we have overlooked another form of food – the more packaged kind.
We’re talking about snacks and if you aren’t the kind of person to stuff your luggage with snacks when flying home, are you fully maximising your luggage space?
But since at this moment you can’t fly over to get a taste of the snacks, we thought, why not we bring it to you! Get It by Changi Recommends has a selection of Surprise Snack Boxes from our Asian neighbours that will certainly have you reminiscing about your trips.
1. Japan
We begin with Japan’s capital, Tokyo, where the Tokyo Banana reigns supreme as one of the most popular snacks in the country. A sponge cake exterior with a smooth banana custard cream interior makes this a light and delicious snack.
Up north, Hokkaido’s Shiroi Kobito is perhaps the most iconic snack everyone brings home. A small slab of white chocolate is sandwiched with two pieces of langue de chat (French baked cookie), it’s a sweet treat beloved by all.
When it comes to the Japanese Kit Kat, there’s really no flavour they haven’t experimented with. From matcha to royal milk tea and even wasabi, it’s said that there are over 200 flavours of Kit Kat!
You can get your very own Japanese Surprise Snack Box here!
2. Korea
If you haven’t heard of the Samyang Noodle challenge, you have been living under a rock my friend. The spicy noodle challenge took the world by storm and now the Samyang brand is a must-buy snack to bring home.
Lotte Choco Pie is a classic Korean snack that you should try at least once. Chocolate biscuits sandwiching a marshmallow in the middle, what’s not to like?
I don’t know how they do it, but Korea’s Bringgae Banana Milk is simply heavenly. The banana flavour is not too overpowering so even if you’re not a big fan of banana or milk or banana milk, it’s well worth a try!
You can get your very own Korean Surprise Snack Box here!
3. Thailand
Enter any Thailand supermarket and you can’t miss the aisle-wide section of MAMA noodles just stocked to the brim. With all your classic Thai flavours, you can’t leave Thailand without bringing a couple of packets home.
LAYS chips are something you can get almost everywhere across the world. What makes the Thai varieties so unique are the flavours you can get such as basil minced chicken and tom yum.
Thailand has a very strong snack game and Tao Kae Noi just takes it to a whole other level. This addictive crispy seaweed snack has a ton of flavours and you’ll blow through one packet in record time.
You can get your very own Thailand Surprise Snack Box here!
4. Taiwan
Chia Te Pineapple Tarts are quite possibly the number 1 snack that people gravitate towards, and for good reason. They are chunky and not overpoweringly sweet which makes for a great afternoon tea snack.
Right alongside pineapple tarts in popularity is the Suncake, a traditional Taiwanese pastry originating from Taichung, Taiwan. Boasting a flaky soft crust with a sweet filling, it’s texture is vastly different from the above pineapple tarts, but it makes for a comforting combination of a snack.
The Salted Egg Yolk Nougat is a little more of a modern snack, but it’s oh so good. If you’re a fan of salted egg, you cannot miss this cracker with a creamy salted egg yolk paste in the middle.
You can get your very own Taiwanese Surprise Snack Box here!
5. Singapore
FEAST Chips has been growing in popularity since it first launched just a couple of years ago. Taking the iconic flavours of Singapore such as Chicken Rice and Laksa and turning them into potato chips has both locals and tourists fawning over them.
Irvin’s Salted Egg has vaulted to become one of Singapore’s, if not the most popular snack that tourists buy. Walk around Changi Airport and you’ll see no shortage of people holding on to that strikingly yellow packet. That rich salted egg flavour is simply too addictive and you can have yours either with potato chips or be more daring and opt for the fish skin!
The Singapore range of Nissin cup noodles is to Singapore what the MAMA noodles is to Thailand, a good ol’ simple guilty pleasure. While originally a Japanese brand, Nissin Singapore offers up local flavours from Chilli Crab to Laksa. They are simple to make and can be extremely comforting on rainy days.
You can get your very own Singapore Surprise Snack Box here!