One of my friends recently returned from Mexico (the same one who went to France last year, yes, I am so jealous), and she kindly brought me back a couple Mexican sweets to try! The first of two is Pelon Pelo Rico, a Hershey product. The flavor is tamarind, a fruit I don't see too often in the United States (just in Pad Thai).
If you look at the following picture, you might be reminded, as I was, of the Play-doh barber shop toy. Pretty fun concept for candy, too, but pretty messy. Definitely for kids.
The goo smelled like tamarind. The goo was also difficult to eat, and I ended up scraping it off the top with my teeth. If I was younger, I would have had no trouble just sucking it off. It was chewy, sort of like melted fruit leather might taste - sticky and pulpy. I have to say that the experience was pretty fun.
The initial flavor was very intense. It wasn't bad, but very foreign to my tongue (and I have had tamarind before). Once I was used to the flavor, it was better. My husband said the taste reminded him of mild peppers, and he liked it more than I did. I think tamarind is probably an acquired taste, and I think that if I had more exposure to it, I would have liked this candy more. It was a lot of fun to eat, and unlike any candy I've ever had before!
B
Hershey Pelon Pelo Rico website
6 comments:
For a short time I saw Pelon Pelo Rico in stores all over Los Angeles, I'm not sure why. But I never saw it in the tamarind, just dulce de leche and chocolate. (Which tasted like frosting.)
Tamarind is interesting, not really a "candy" flavor for me, it's more like having a tomato and calling it fruit.
I took one look at this and it turned my stomach. Those little blobs on the lid looks...hmmm...they're brown. And they look sticky and gooey, two things i do not like in food.
Interesting review though!
Cybele - Those flavors sound much better than tamarind. I agree, it's really not a candy flavor.
Kelly - Yeah, I took a deep breath before I tried it. I am known for trying just about any food, though, for better or worse.
This is MEXICAN candy, after all, so it might not be something that YOU'RE used to eating (color or flavor wise) but after I had my first one a couple of days ago, I went out and bought more. You get over the fact that it looks like little brown blobs coming out. Actually, that's part of the fun of eating it! Tamarind is a popular flavor in Mexico, and if you give it a chance, you might change your mind about it!
@ Cybele ... Tomato IS a fruit :)
Anon - that's why I said I think I would have liked it better if I had more exposure to tamarind. My experience is limited to Thai cooking. I didn't say that I didn't like it, just that I would like it more if I had it more! I also agree that it was fun to eat :)
Post a Comment