Universal Yums is a snack subscription box that sends out snacks and candies from a different country each month. Choose from the Yum Box for $15 a month, the Yum Yum Box for $25 a month, or the Super Yum Box for $39 a month.
This review is of the Yum Yum box, which is $25 a month.
This month’s box takes us to Turkey!
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Universal Yums
The Subscription Box: Universal Yums
The Cost: $25 a month + free US shipping
The Products: The contents of the boxes change each month as they highlight the best snacks from each featured country. However, you can always expect a mix of flavors: salty, sweet, spicy, fruity, and more. Only authentic snacks from the featured country.
Ships to: The U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, and Israel
Universal Yums “Turkey” August 2019 Review
I love Universal Yums and how it has given me the opportunity to learn about new countries and cultures through food without having to leave my living room. I have never been outside of the United States and Canada, so receiving this box has really has given us a lot of insight on other places! My kids absolutely love this box!
When you first open the box, you are welcomed with a lovely illustrated map of Turkey. This map shares interesting tidbits about history as well as fun trivia about some of the items in the box. On the back of this map, you have the opportunity to fill out the ballot for favorite, least favorite, 2nd best, and weirdest snack- if you post your ballot on social media, you have a chance to win more of your favorites! It also includes a secret puzzle and a Turkish game to learn!
Next, we have a detailed pamphlet including all of this month’s snacks, ingredient lists, fun trivia, a recipe, and a clue to next month’s box!
Let’s experience Turkey at its finest!
Ondule Kebab
These grilled kebab flavored corn snacks are pretty darn tasty! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but these crunchy little bites actually did taste like a grilled kebab! I also enjoyed the shape and texture- they almost looked like little kebabs! My kids loved these and commented that this was a great way to start the box off!
Toku Enjoy Kek - Retail Value $2.00
I’m not usually a fan of storebought cakes, but this chocolate and vanilla cake with orange filling was really good! It was moist, rich, and filled with the perfect amount of orange jam. My kids were really impressed with the flavors as well, and wished we had a second one!
Ulker Krispi Tirtikli Kraker Baharatli
Oh my gosh. These are my favorite! I absolutely love the Baharat spices! They have a delicious blend of onion powder, parsley, garlic, thyme, and paprika, and they are perfectly crispy and crunchy. See how cute they are? I love any chip/cracker with ridges! My kids and I polished this off in no time and wished we had more!
Keyifce Fistikli Cezerye
This interesting little snack has carrots, pistachio, and coconut incorporated into it. It has a jelly texture and is very chewy. This snack wasn’t my favorite, but it wasn’t awful. My kids thought it was interesting but didn’t ask for seconds.
Lush Cocoa Creme Mosaic Cookies
Now these cookies are right up my alley! I love the beautiful mosaic pattern and the delicious chocolate cream filling! I will eat almost anything that incorporates both vanilla and chocolate, so these are obviously perfect for me! I’m really happy they sent 2 packages because it really is hard to stop eating these!
Crunch Tako and Hardal Aromali Cips
These little triangular treats are crisps with mustard and taco seasoning. They look similar to a Bugle, but tasted a little stale. I couldn’t detect a real strong mustard or taco seasoning, so they just left my mouth feeling blah. I thought my kids would like these because of the triangular shape, but they didn’t care for them at all.
Mevlana Sekeri
These treats look just like an after-dinner mint, but taste completely different! We received the strawberry flavor in our box, and when you place it into your mouth, it starts to soften and release a very sweet strawberry and sugar flavor! The kids thought these were amazing, and wanted to eat the entire pack!
Tatsan Soft Nougat
This soft chocolate nougat with hazelnuts is definitely soft. It took me a good 5 minutes to get the plastic peeled off of this candy. It was so sticky it could have been used as glue! While I love chocolate nougat and hazelnuts, this just wasn’t my favorite. My boys wouldn’t come near this, but I think it was because of what they thought it looked like!
Tatkrak Cubuk Acili
I am definitely digging these spicy cracker sticks! These skinny little sticks have just the right amount of spice (although my 4 year old thought they were a bit too spicy). In the included literature, it states they have other flavors such as cheese, and buttery popcorn! I really need all of these flavors in my life!
Today Cherry Donut
There are 2 things my kids love: donuts and cherries. They saw this package and went NUTS! This rich chocolate donut is very chocolatey and has a very powerful flavored cherry jelly inside. While I didn’t enjoy the flavoring of this snack, my kids sure did!
Ulker Krispi Peynir Sogan
Hooray! Another Ulker treat! I loved the first package of cracker chips in this box, and this cheese and onion flavor is satisfying as well! These round, little chips are perfectly crunchy and have a distinct, yet tasty, onion and cheddar taste. The only problem that I have with these is there wasn’t more!
Assorted Turkish Delight
Just look at these beautiful candies! The box is lovely, and the sweet jelly candies are beautiful pastel colors dipped in powdered sugar to look elegant and pretty. The assortment of flavors includes rose, lemon and orange. It is said that friends in Turkey exchange these candies wrapped in lace handkerchiefs, while families serve platters of them on special occasions! While I enjoyed these tasty little treats, my kids didn’t appreciate their strong flavoring and left them for me to savor!
Toffix Mastic
Look at how inviting these little blue wrapped candies are! These soft, chewy candies are infused with mastic flavor...what is mastic you ask? Well it is gum-like sap of the mastic tree! These candies are initially bitter with a heavy pine aftertaste. The booklet states most people either love or hate these little treats, and I have to say I am part of the latter - it honestly tasted like I was chewing on a pinecone! My kids wanted NOTHING to do with these after their initial lick! It was fun to try though!
Toffix Melo Melo
Now these candies are more my style! These soft milk candies are flavored with pear and orange and are the perfect little fruity fusion. They are easy to chew and extremely tasty. I really enjoyed these candies, but my boys were too scared to try them after the mastic candies!
The Verdict: We always have a great time sampling the Universal Yums box, and this month we really enjoyed the Turkish treats that were included. We had a few more misses than usual this month, but we had a lot of fun trying all of the new snacks. This box is always curated so wonderfully- we love the pictures and information they put together in the booklet, it really makes for an entire experience. We can’t wait to see where next month’s box is coming from. The included clue says “we’re off to the land of giants and greats, where you can go for the gold- but it’s up to the fates! Here, you’ll find Yums both renowned and superb, from fragrant fruit cookies to chips covered in herbs!”
Score card picks:
- Best Yum: Ulker Krispi Tirtikli Kraker Baharatli
- Runner-up: Lush Cocoa Creme Mosaic Cookies
- Worst Yum: Toffix Mastic
- Most Unusual: Keyifce Fistikli Cezerye
To Wrap Up:
Can I still get this box if I sign up today? No. Each month they ship your box no later than the 15th day of the month. The first month you will receive a box varies based on availability and may depend on the size that you order.
Value Breakdown: This box is $25.00 a month (including shipping). I received 21 individually wrapped snacks, which averages out to $1.19 per item.
Check out all of our Universal Yums reviews and the best snack subscription boxes!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
Which Universal Yums snack would you most like to try?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.