Universal Yums Subscription Box Review – January 2016

Universal Yums is an international snack subscription box. Every month they send a mix of snacks from one country or region. (A different country or region is featured each month.)

This month’s snacks are from Turkey!

This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

The Subscription Box: Universal Yums

The Cost: $13/month for the Yum Box (6+ snacks) and $25/month for the Yum Yum Box (13+ snacks). (Note that this is a review of the Yum Yum Box.)

The Products: A selection of unique snacks from a different country each month.

Ships to: US & Canada (Canadian shipping is extra.)

Check out all of our Universal Yums reviews and the Food Subscription Box Directory!

Universal Yums includes a booklet that lists all of the items in the box.

The booklet includes trivia, fables, a recipe, and other fun Turkish info.

They also detail the ingredients of each item on their website.

Biskrem Duo Biscuits (185 g.)

The first item in this month’s Universal Yums box is a bag of Biskrem Duo Biscuits. These crispy chocolate & vanilla biscuits are stuffed with fudge filling, and they’re really yummy.

Ulker Pizza Sticks (60 g.)

I’ve received quite a few savory cracker sticks in past boxes from Universal Yums, which leads me to think that they’re fairly popular worldwide. The rest of the world is definitely on to something. (Listen up, US snack companies!) These sticks are pizza flavored, and, while I can’t say they remind me of pizza, there’s definitely a savory, herby flavor that’s vaguely reminiscent of Italian cuisine.

NutyMax Hazelnut Cream (44 g.)

80% of the world’s hazelnuts are from Turkey, so it’s no surprise that one of their popular candies is a hazelnut chocolate bar! I really enjoyed this treat. The chocolate was creamy and smooth, and I liked the crunchiness and flavor of the hazelnuts.

Turtacik Cinnamon Orange Jelly Cookie

I wasn’t sure what I’d think of these cinnamon orange cookies (orange and cinnamon isn’t a combination that pops up very often), but they absolutely blew me away. The orange jelly is a little chewy and a nice contrast to the crumbly cookie underneath. Hands down, this was my favorite snack in the box!

Hazerbaba Assorted Turkish Delight with Rose Petals (3.5 oz.)

I first tried Turkish delight when I was a kid, and I loved it from the very first bite. (After reading about it in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I had to get my hands on some!) Rose is my favorite, but I’ve never met a flavor I didn’t like. Based on the way the booklet is written, it sounds like subscribers will receive one of several different flavors.

Grape Sujuk (3.17 oz.)

Goodness, I wasn’t expecting to pull this out of the box! I’ve never seen anything like it before. Here’s a closeup:

(No joke, when I was holding it up to read the label, one of my dogs ran over thinking it was a dog treat!) Sujuk is made from grapes, molasses, and walnuts, and it was interesting to try the jellied snack. Frankly, I didn’t love it, but it was certainly fun to try!

Cokofest Chocolate with Pistachio (75 g.)

Pistachios are one of the foods that Turkey is best known for. According to Universal Yums, they’re smaller than the ones grown in California, but they’re intensely flavorful. They’re delicious in this pistachio-filled milk chocolate bar. The filling is a mix of pistachio pieces and pistachio cream, and it’s seriously delicious.

Ulker Banana Wafers (42 g.)

Banana is a flavor that doesn’t often pop up in US snacks, but I’m a big fan. These wafer cookies are layered with a banana filling, and I like them a lot.

Koska Susam Krokan (40 g.)

Krokan is a Turkish brittle made from real sugar and sesame seeds. Universal Yums recommends it for halva lovers. (Though, I think I might like this even more than halva!)

Albeni Biscuit (40 g.)

This chocolate, caramel, and biscuit snack reminds me of a Twix bar. Fun fact: the company that makes Albeni bars also makes Godiva.

Dankek 8 Orange Cake

“Kek,” or cake, is a popular Turkish snack. It comes with a variety of fillings, but this cake is filled with orange. I love the combination of chocolate & orange, but this cake wasn’t for me.

Toffix Fruit Chews (4 candies)

These fruity chews are made with real fruit juice, and I found them to be utterly addictive! They come in cherry, grape, strawberry, orange, apple, watermelon, and “tropical” and are filled with a liquid center.

Falim Mastic Gum (4 pieces)

This sugar-free gum is made using the resin of the mastic tree, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever tried before. I made the mistake of popping one of these into my mouth before reading the description in the Universal Yums booklet, and I was very surprised to discover that it’s not sweet at all! The mastic resin provides a flavor that lasts for hours, and Falim gum is approved by both dentists and doctors, alike. (It can prevent ulcers, lower cholesterol, prevent tooth decay, and ward off gingivitis!)

On the back of the information card, Universal Yums provides a clue to the next month’s destination. What do you think about the clue? It sounds like France to me!

Verdict: This box from Universal Yums was a lot of fun. I don’t have a lot of experience with Turkish snacks, so nearly all of the treats in this box were a new discovery for me. I enjoyed sampling all of them, but my favorites were definitely the banana wafers, cinnamon orange cookies, and the Turkish delight. I think Universal Yums does a great job of curating treats from a different country each month, and I have so much fun discovering new foods from around the world. I’m looking forward to next month’s box- fingers crossed that France will be the featured country! What a perfect pick for a Valentine’s Day box!

What do you think of this month’s Universal Yums box? Did you enjoy your box of Turkish snacks?