This has always been a candy that, alongside stuff like Eat More and Bridge Mixture, I can’t say I fully understand. It’s one of those things you never actually see anyone eat, but always seems to be in there with the rest of the candy bars at the store. So who’s buying these? Older people, I guess? The packaging proudly proclaims that it’s low in fat (with “60% less fat than the average chocolate bar”) so I suppose that it might appeal to dieters or people who are trying to cut down.
This is actually only the second time in my life that I’ve eaten a Big Turk; it definitely isn’t one of the first bars you go for when you’re a kid, but once you realize that you’ve tried everything else at the store, you start wanting to try something new – even if it looks suspiciously unappealing. Well, the kid version of me took a couple of bites, deemed this completely inedible and never looked back.
This definitely isn’t quite as bad as I remember it being – I think part of the reason I hated it so much as a kid was the shock of finding gummy candy inside of a chocolate bar, which still seems incongruous to me, but which completely horrified me when I took my first bite, completely unprepared for what lay within (the wrapper in no way indicates that’s it’s gummy candy inside there, and if you’re a kid and you have no idea what Turkish Delight is, you’re in for quite a surprise). This time around, knowing what it was, I didn’t find it to be offensively bad, but I don’t think I’ll be running out to buy another one anytime soon.
In case it’s not clear from the picture, the Big Turk consists solely of a piece of gummy candy coated in milk chocolate. The gummy is extremely chewy, and is of the sticks-to-your-teeth variety. I’m not sure what the flavour is supposed to be; there’s no indication on the packaging, and the ingredients list yields no clues other than the presence of citric acid. There is a mild tartness to it, but other than that it just has a generic fruity/gummy flavour. The milk chocolate is fine, but not necessarily the best accompaniment to the fruity candy.
I think this is essentially just a case of two good things that shouldn’t go together. I like chocolate, and I like gummy candy, but cram the two together and I’m not so sure you have a winner.
Manufactured by: Nestle
Calories (60 g bar): 230
It looks like a North American version of Uk’s popular Fry’s Turkish Delight.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fry%27s_Turkish_Delight
My British boss offered me one these – his favorite candy. It kind of tasted like I was eating chocolate covered perfume. Not horrible, just not something to get excited over.
I LOVE BIG TURK! My dad introduced me to it as a kid, and I enjoyed it so much, I used to get a case of them wrapped under the Christmas Tree! You’re right, you never see anyone eating them, but as someone who is very picky about the freshness of my Big Turk (I squeeze them to make sure they’re soft, I do the same with licorice) I have noticed that it is rare to find one that is old and stale.
These are very different from the turkish delight found in the UK, not perfumy at all. Just like eating a Jujube wrapped in chocolate! How can you go wrong? LOL
I love all things gummy so I love Big Turk! I’ve tried many flavours of turkish delight and Big Turk might be called ‘orginal flavour’ turkish delight, what you’re tasting (and what makes it come off to many as ‘perfumey’) is that it’s made with rose water. Basically an extract of rose petals (which are, of course perfectly edible!) I actually find the quality of the chocolate in Big Turk to be poor so I usually break it or suck it off before enjoying the centre! The ‘original’ rosewater flavour of turkish delight isn’t my favourite even though I can get it in a bar, the best flavour I’ve had was pineapple with bits of macadamia nut in it…mmmm
Big Turk is my favorite candy bar. My brother told me about them when i was a kid back in the early 80’s and i’ve loved them ever since.
I can’t eat anything unless I know what natural phenomenon upon which it is based. What, exactly, is the Big Turk supposed to taste like? What is the original Turkish Delight? Is it made from fruit or petrochemicals? Do tell!
‘Slurp and Turk’ …that’s the combination of a Big Turk chocolate bar and a 7-11 Slurpee. It’s a classic combination and a dietary staple.
In moderation of course.
I love big Turk too. It is a bit like Fry’s Turkish delight, though the Turkish delight is milder in flavour, and less dense. It is a purely Canadian treat.
For those who don’t know, Turkish delight is meant to be rise flavour. I quite like it, but then again I also like Parma violets.
Swedish confectionary company Nestle makes this Turkish delight solely for the Canadian market. How international!
The sweet, mild flavour of the jelly has a hint of the exotic with a slight floral undertone, and paired with the familiar taste of a simple milk chocolate coating the BigTurk is appealing to many.
note: While traditional lokum is often flavored with rose, the Big Turk lists only “artificial flavor” as ingredient so I expect no actual rose extract is used. Cadbury’s Fry’s TD list “flavourings” and I’ve heard this includes a small amount of potent rose oil.