Big Turk (History, Pictures & Marketing)

Big Turk is one of the most unique candy bars that has probably ever been made. It combines the flavors of a Turkish Delight with a candy bar. This is a product that is made by Nestle and sold in Canada. There is a tradition of unique flavored foods and candies in Canada, so this rather odd concept is not alone. From ketchup chips to Tiger Tiger ice cream (orange sherbet and licorice), Canada offers those who love unique foods a lot of great options.

If you have never heard of Big Turk, don’t worry. Most people outside of Canada have never had one. Thankfully, you can order almost anything online these days, and you can get your own Big Turk bar to try if you want to find out what this candy is all about. This is one of the more unique and delicious candies that is sold in Canada, and you might want to either order some for yourself or make sure to give this candy a try if you visit Canada.

History

Big Turk Bars have always been sold exclusively in Canada. This candy combines a magenta Turkish Delight with a yummy layer of exterior chocolate to make a soft and flavorful candy bar that is not like any other candy you have tried. These are commonly offered as Halloween candies in Canada, and they are sold in convenience stores and the movie theater in some locations as well.

There have been other versions of the candy bar that have made their way into Canada as well. Fry’s Turkish Delish is a similar product that was originally sold in Poland, and that is still offered in Canada today. This is not the same candy product as the Big Turk, but the flavors are similar. There used to also be a Canadian candy bar called the Jersey Milk Treasures bar that featured a similar Turkish Delish center, but this candy bar was discontinued in 1980.

The Big Turk bar is sold in a red, white, and blue striped wrapper that is quite distinctive. This branding really stands out on the shelves in stores, but it is not related to any form of patriotism. The colors of the candy bar’s livery have always been red, white, and blue, and it appears that Nestle has not felt the need to change this design since the candy continues to sell without any updates to its appearance. The wrappers and the boxes that are used for display have the same stacked red, white, and blue stripes and very simple lettering for the Big Turk product name.

This candy bar combines a very classic candy treat with a chocolate bar concept. The Turkish Delight is a very old candy that is used for the center filling of the Big Turk bar. The bar is encased in a light layer of chocolate, and that is all the ingredients that there are to list. This is not a complex candy snack that includes nuts, different kinds of fillings, or even crunchy and soft layers mixed together. There are few candy bars that are as simple as the Big Turk bar, and the list of candies this unique is even shorter.

For those who have never enjoyed a Turkish Delight, this candy is Ottoman Turkish in origin. It is a gel or starch paste made with sugar included that might have pistachios, hazelnuts, dates, or walnuts included in it. The traditional candies are flavored with rosewater or bergamot orange. They might also be lemon-flavored or mastic-gum-flavored. This is a fruity and snackable treat that has been around for a few centuries at this point.

The Turkish Delight is a candy that is usually sold in smaller cubes that are wrapped in individual papers when offered in its traditional form. This candy will remind lovers of rice candy from Japan in appearance, but the flavor is very different. There is something really enjoyable about the papery and dry note that is created by the cream of tartar layer on the outside of each cube.

When you try a Big Turk bar, you will find that the flavor of the Turkish Delight inside the candy bar is more berry-inclined than traditional candies. The rosewater or bergamot flavors of traditional Turkish Delights are often too strong for modern candy audiences and have been left out of the Big Turk bar’s ingredients. The compromise in the Big Turk bar is a Turkish Delight that is more like a berry treat with a chocolate exterior.

The origins of the Turkish Delight are not truly known, but the earliest references are to manufacturing in Turkey and Iran in the late 18^th century. Candy that was made during this time period had to be able to maintain its shape and solidity even in hot weather. The rise of refrigeration and climate-controlled homes and businesses made the addition of chocolatey treats to candy stores a possibility. Before that, most candies were either hard candies of some type or sugar-paste candies like the Turkish Delight.

As mentioned before, traditional Turkish Delights are made with a layer of cream of tartar on the outside to prevent them from sticking to their wrappers or to the other candies around them. This ingredient is not needed in the Big Turk due to the chocolate layer on the outside and the fact that the candy bar is sold in individual wrappers. While the shape of the Big Turk is clearly based on small segments of square Turkish Delight that are unified by the outside chocolate layer, the need to prevent stickiness is not a factor for the Big Turk bar.

The Turkish Delight can be an acquired taste for some people, and not everyone loves the aromatic flavor of the Turkish Delight, even when wrapped in chocolate. This is also a candy that has a very unique texture that is both hard and soft, so you might be surprised at the texture of this candy when you bite into a Big Turk bar. It is hard to describe a Turkish Delight to western candy lovers since the texture and flavor of these candies are very eastern in nature.

Many people are not sure where to categorize the Big Turk bar either. It is not a regular Turkish Delight, and it is not really like a normal chocolate bar. The textures alone make this treat much softer and more along the lines of a gummy or fruit snack, but the chocolate throws that reference off slightly. The chocolate layer is also very thin, so this will not remind you of a regular candy bar in any material way. It is safe to say that this is a treat that belongs in a category all its own.

For those who love candies that are gummy and slightly chewy, this is probably going to be a win overall. The added bonus of chocolate combined with a sweet and chewy fruity candy can be really enjoyable if you like this kind of fruit candy in the first place. For those who are not fans of chewy, gummy, or slightly sticky candies, this might be the only impression that you take away from eating a Big Turk bar. The reviews are almost always split equally between people who like the texture and people who really don’t appreciate it at all.

You might want to go ahead and try some poutine, or some ketchup chips or pickle chips while you are in Canada, as well as a Turkish Delight, just to be sure that you have covered all the slightly unique Canadian food offerings out there. This is a country that loves unique foods, and the Big Turk bar is a prime example of the creative and slightly off-beat candy and snack products that are sold in convenience stores and movie theaters in Canada.

Logo

Ingredients

Per the Amazon entry for this candy bar treat, these are the ingredients:

• Sugar
• Glucose
• modified corn starch
• cocoa butter
• milk ingredients
• unsweetened chocolate
• black carrot concentrate
• soy lecithin
• natural flavor
• citric acid
• salt

The company notes that the product is gluten-free but it is not vegan due to the components of the chocolate layer. Canada is a lot like the UK in that it requires that candy bars meet certain health requirements. This means that the Big Turk bar is not loaded with sugar like some other candy bars on the market and it is often even marketed as being healthier than average candy bars.

The Big Turk bar is often advertised as being “low fat” and offering healthy ingredients. Since the main body of the candy is just sugar paste, this is probably true when compared to some of the more complex candy bars that are on the market today. However, sugar is still sugar, and this is likely only a matter of degrees of healthfulness versus truly healthy eating ingredients.

Nutrition

Serving Size:	1 bar (60g)	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat	27
Calories	230
Total Fat	3g	5%
Saturated Fat	2g	10%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	20mg	1%
Total Carbohydrates	50g	17%
Dietary Fiber	0g	0%
Sugars	35g
Protein	1g
Vitamin A		0%
Vitamin C		0%
Calcium		2%
Iron		4%

• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet.

Pictures

Ads:

A taste test review:

A tongue-in-cheek ad for the candy bar: