Let’s Explore the Exciting World of Mexican Candy!
  |   BY DANIEL ROTHSTEIN
Mexico is a country with a rich culture and heritage. Very few countries can claim such a diverse offering of flavors of food that are immediately as distinguishable as Mexican foods are. The world of Mexican candy is no different! While candy pretty much always has a lot of sugar and is very sweet, Mexican candy also offers us a salty and spicy kick that you just cannot find anywhere else!
Traditional Mexican sweets have a long history, that makes them an integral part of the culture’s heritage. For instance, did you know that chocolate originated in Mexico approximately 4,000 years ago?
In early Mesoamerica, the Aztec civilization harvested the fruit from the “Tree of the Gods” and made a drink with the fermented cocoa beans called “xocolatl,” which roughly translates to “bitter water.” Instead of using sugar, or honey like the Europeans would later add to the bean concoction, the early Aztec civilizations added spices such as chili peppers to give it a distinct flavor. Mexican chocolate still uses a variety of these spices to this day.
Many of Mexico’s sweet treats are spicy. This includes the many fruity flavors you find in the bright, colorful packaging of today’s Mexican sweet candy. Chili powder is a common seasoning for many food items from this region, so get your taste buds ready, as they will be in for some absolutely sweet heat!
Our ultimate guide to the world of Mexican candy:
At Redstone Foods, we pride ourselves in bringing fun, exciting new flavors to the marketplace. With such a broad array of Mexican candy options, opening up your taste buds to these unique flavors could seem kind of intimidating at first.
That’s why we’ve put together our list of some of the most important and quintessential Mexican candies, so you can get an idea of the intensely wild flavors that can be found from south of the border. Let’s dive in!
De La Rosa Mazapan Original
Peanuts, like chocolate are a staple of sweet and savory foods in Mexico. This stems from many ancient Mesoamerican recipes and traditions.
Arguably one of the most distinctly Mexican favorites is Mazapan by De La Rosa. This delicious chewy candy is made out of crushed peanuts and they are delectably sweet! This candy crumbles easily, so handle with care, or you can shove the whole cylinder in your mouth at once! That way you won’t lose any of its sweet, nutty goodness!
Canel’s Fruity Gum
Gum is very popular in Mexico, and has been for centuries. Chicle is a natural gum that is derived from several species of Mesoamerican trees. The gum is very popular in Mexican cities and if you’ve ever visited, you’ve probably had the tiny packs of gum offered to you on the beach by the locals.
What many natives still call Chicle to this day, is actually Canel’s Fruity Gum or Canel’s El Original. The original includes flavors like spearmint, peppermint, violet, and cinnamon. The fruity flavor packs include banana, tutti-frutti, grape, cherry and green apple. These have long been a staple of Mexican culture and kids will absolutely love them!
Bubbaloo Chewing Gum
Another popular chewing gum in Mexico is Bubbaloo Tutti Fruti. This gum actually gets softer the more you chew it! With a sweet jelly-like liquid in the center, Bubbaloo gum offers a sweet surprise when you first bite into it, and finishes off with a surprisingly long-lasting flavor. These come in individually-wrapped pieces and are great for children’s parties.
De La Rosa Pulparindo
DE LA ROSA PULPARINDO 12 PC PEG BAG - TAMARIND
Tamarind candy is a staple of modern Mexican culture and traditions. Although the fruit originated in Africa, tamarind flavored candies are all the rage in Mexico these days. Perhaps the most famous of the tamarind candy is Pulparindo by De La Rosa.
This candy resembles a thicker fruit-roll up, but mixes the soft, chewy fruit leather texture with a salty, sweet spice that is truly unique to Mexico. These are available in original tamarind flavor, watermelon, mango and extra spicy. If you’re into spicy candy, these are absolutely sure to satisfy your taste buds!
Lucas BomVaso Sweet & Hot
Another incredibly popular tamarind candy is the Lucas BomVaso Sweet and Hot tamarindo candy. This is a jar of soft, tamarind flavored jelly with a large gumball that you keep mixing with the tamarind flavored jelly. The lid has a stick so you can keep digging it out and adding more flavor to the gum you’re chewing. This is a truly unique flavor experience!
Alamo Candy Co. Picositas Belts
ALAMO CANDY PEG BAG PICOSITAS BELTS-SOUR STRAWBERRY W/ CHILI
Venturing into the extremely sour world of Mexican candy is Alamo Candy Co’s Picositas Belts. These are sweet, sour and spicy belts that are amazingly delicious! Alamo Candy is made in San Antonio, Texas but they are no strangers to the flavor and character of Mexican candy. Keeping true to the tradition, these are extremely sour and deliciously spiced.
Alamo Candy Co. Gummy and Bloody Bears in Chamoy
ALAMO CANDY PEG BAG GUMMY BEARS IN CHAMOY & CHILI SAUCE
Another exceptional offering from the Alamo Candy Co is their Gummy and Bloody Bears, crawling in chamoy and chili. This gummy candy is one absolutely delicious mess! The super-soft gummy bears are some of the softest gummy candy we’ve ever tried! The sweet chamoy sauce keeps these gummy bears soft for a very long time, but it can get your hands really messy.
Chamoy is a popular condiment in Mexico and can be found paired with a lot of different foods, including fruit, cocktails, savory meats, candy and they are quite exceptional on pickles too! What other flavor could you think of that would be good drizzled on a plate of nachos, some fish and gummy bears? Go ahead, we’ll wait…
Lucas Muecas Chamoy
Did we already mention how popular chamoy was in the world of Mexican candy? Lucas Muecas are fun, tongue-shaped Mexican lollipops that you get to dip into a sweet and spicy candy and chili powder.
Think of it like a Pixy Stix combined with Fun Dip, but with way more flavor! These touch all 3 major flavor profiles, sweet, spicy and sour. These flavored lollipops come not only in chamoy, but there’s also cherry, watermelon and pepino cucumber flavors to excite your taste buds!
Super Rebanaditas Sandia Watermelon
SUPER REBANADITA SANDIA (WATERMELON) W/CHILI POWDER LOLLIPOP
Another popular entry into Mexican lollipops are the Super Rebanaditas, which are sweet and sour watermelon flavored lollipops you can dip into a spicy chili powder. These are the type of candy you need to taste at least once in your lifetime. The flavor combination is unforgettable!
De Losa Malvabony
DE LA ROSA MALVABONY - CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOW POP
De Losa Malvabony is a dark chocolate-covered marshmallow lollipop, encrusted with sour gummy candy in a cute happy face shape. This one will definitely hit all of your texture cravings with just one bite!
Pelon Pelo Rico
PELON PELO RICO TAMARIND DISPLAY TRAY
Last, but certainly not least are a favorite on the streets of Mexico, Pelon Pelo Rico candy with original tamarind flavor. This is perhaps one of the most tasty forms of the tamarind flavor in Mexican candy. The squeezable tube allows you to simply push the sweet and tangy fruit flavored paste directly into your mouth! This is a fun treat for kids of all ages, and one of our best-sellers here at Redstone Foods.
We sure hope you’ve enjoyed our look at the different types of Mexican candy. At Redstone Foods, we have introduced thousands of new products to new markets from all over the world during our 50 year history. We always strive to find the best, most creative and fun flavored products to offer our customers. We have a huge selection of Mexican candy that we’re sure your customers will love.
Create an account with us online, or give us a call today and find out why our wholesale distribution services are second to none. We look forward to serving you!