Snacks 101: snacks from Asia and the rest of the world

Everyone has a snack that instantly brings back a memory: the rustle of a bag of rice crackers at grandma's, a sour dried plum from the Chinese shop, or that one Japanese sweet a friend once brought back from Tokyo. Snacks are the easiest way to taste another country, because you don't have to cook and you can just tear open a bag. In our shop in Amsterdam, they sit side by side on the shelf from Japan to Suriname, and that makes browsing the shelves the best part of shopping. They are the bags and boxes you simply see sitting in the supermarket in Japan, Korea or Taiwan, from Calbee and Koikeya to Want Want, so you taste exactly what people there open at home. In this guide, we'll walk through the shelves together, from wasabi chips and mochi to old-fashioned sweets and a snack box for your next movie night.

Which snacks from Asia and the rest of the world can you find with us?

Haitai Honey Butter Chips from Korea, a box of Japanese Kit Kat with strawberry and a bag of Mexican Pulparindo simply sit a few meters apart with us. You can find snacks from Asia and the rest of the world in the webshop by country, so you can immediately see what comes from Japan, Taiwan or Suriname. Each country has its own character: in Japan, it's often about small packages and surprising flavors, in Korea, it's about sweet and spicy mixed together, and in Mexico, there's almost always chili and lime included.

Japan Kit Kat, Calbee, Hi-ChewWasabi chips, Japanese Kit Kat and soft candiesShop nowKorea Honey Butter, PeperoSweet and spicy mixed together, with seaweed and MilkisShop nowChina candy, plums, nutsShop candy, dried plums and peanuts in the shellShop nowTaiwan mochi, rice crackersSoft mochi and Want Want crackersShop nowThailand seaweed, fish snacksCrunchy seaweed, fish snacks and tamarindo candyShop nowIndonesia keripik, permenCassava chips, peanuts with garlic and ginger candyShop nowPhilippines Boy Bawang, crackersCrunchy corn kernels and dried mangoShop nowMexico dulces, botanasTamarindo candy with chili, sweet and sour at the same timeShop nowSuriname peje, banana chipsBanana chips, peje and Chinese plumsShop nowAmerica candy, chipsSour gummies, jawbreakers and cheese curlsShop nowGreat Britain shortbread, crackersButtery shortbread for teaShop now

What makes Asian snacks different?

Koikeya Wasabi Nori Potato Chips show in one bite why Asian snacks taste different: the chips are simply made of potato, but the flavor comes from seaweed and wasabi. In Asia, flavors you know from the kitchen here also easily go into a bag of chips or a candy, such as shrimp, grilled beef, matcha, durian and sweet and sour plum. Sweet and savory also often go together, think of chips with honey and butter or rice crackers with a sugar coating.

Japan is also known for seasonal and regional flavors, and Kit Kat is the best example of that: besides milk chocolate, you can find matcha, strawberry and mont blanc. Not everything is that strange, though. A Hello Panda is simply a crispy cookie with chocolate filling, and every child understands that.

Wasabi nori Koikeya · JapanChips with seaweed and a kick of wasabiChip Star yakiniku YBC · JapanChips in a tube with grilled meat flavourPickled plum Koikeya · JapanSweet and sour chips with ume flavourRich matcha Kit Kat · JapanWaffle with rich matcha chocolateZzaldduk Samyang · KoreaCrunchy rice snack with buldak heatHot chili cuttlefish Lay's · ThailandChips with squid and chiliDurian candy candy · ChinaFor those who dare to taste durianWhite peach oolong Oreo · ChinaOreo with white peach and oolong tea

What types of snacks are available?

Meiji Hello Panda is in the biscuits, Hi-Chew in the sweets and Honey Butter Chips in the chips: besides by country, you can also browse our snacks by type. This is handy if you already know what you fancy and especially want to see what is available. Mochi have their own section, from red bean to bubble tea, and you can read all about these soft rice treats in Mochi Explained.

Chips chips, crackers, prawn crackersFrom wasabi and prawn to honey BBQShop nowSweets candy, gummiesHi-Chew, ginger sweets, jawbreakersShop nowBiscuits biscuits, wafflesHello Panda, Pepero and shortbreadShop nowMochi daifukuSoft rice treats with fillingShop nowFrozen snacks bao, fried chickenSteamed buns and more from the freezerShop now

Frozen snacks, such as steamed buns with pandan-coconut filling, are a story apart. They need to stay cold and therefore may have different shipping conditions than a bag of chips, so check the product to see what applies to your order or simply come and pick them up at the toko. Store them as stated on the label.

View all snacks and desserts →

Which snacks from the past can you still find in the toko?

Want Want Shelly Senbei is a taste of the past for many people with Chinese or Indonesian roots: round rice crackers with a sweet and salty coating, which were served in a bowl on birthdays. There are also more classics from the Chinese sweet shop, such as mixed sweets from Chunguang, lychee sweets, crispy sesame sticks and dried plums that are sweet, salty and sour at the same time. The creamy milk sweets from White Rabbit are also such a childhood memory, but we are currently out of stock.

Shelly senbei Want WantRice crackers with a sweet-and-salty coatingAssorted candy ChunguangAssorted candy with coconut and fruitLychee candy candyHard candies with lychee flavorSesame crisp Swallow SailingCrispy sesame barsChan pei mui Hop Tai HongSweet-and-salty preserved plumsRed plums Mei YuanDried plums, sweet and sourCoffee candy KopikoHard candies with coffee flavorFortune cookies Tin Lung · 12 pcsFortune cookies with a message inside

Candy from home: Surinamese and Indonesian

Sodiro's Javanese Peje is a taste of home for anyone who grew up in a Surinamese family: thin, crispy peanut crackers, related to Indonesian rempeyek and brought over by Javanese Surinamese. Sodiro's banana chips, Zpikkelz cornstarch cookies and Chinese plums—which could be found in a tin in just about every Surinamese family—are also on offer. If you're looking for the sweet-and-sour tamarind balls you remember, X.O.'s tamarind with sugar is the closest match. From the Indonesian side, there are chewy Ting Ting Jahe ginger candies and Kopiko coffee candies, which many grandparents kept in their coat pockets.

Javanese peje Sodiro · 100 gCrispy peanut crackersBanana chips Sodiro · 150 gThin, crispy banana chipsZpikkelz Festival · cornstarchCrumbly cornstarch cookiesTamarind with sugar X.O. · 110 gSweet and sour, like tamarind ballsTing ting jahe Sin-a · gingerChewy ginger candies from Indonesia

Browse all Surinamese snacks →

How do you put together a snack box?

Meiji Hello Panda, cookies with a little panda face and chocolate filling, make a lovely start to a snack box, because a good box begins with something that makes you smile. Then mix countries and flavors: something savory, something sweet, something sour and one thing nobody knows. Here's how to put one together for three occasions.

Birthday: choose mostly small packs that are easy to share, such as Hello Panda, Pepero, Hi-Chew and a few Ring Pops, and put a bowl of Want Want crackers out for the parents.

Movie night: put a bag of Japanese chips, Honey Butter Chips and Takis side by side and let everyone guess which is the spiciest. Add a bag of salted caramel popcorn and a few bottles of Milkis, the Korean soft drink with a creamy hint.

Gift: choose a theme, such as a trip through Japan with Kit Kat, mochi and Chip Star, or a box of nostalgic candy for your mother or aunt. Add a card explaining where everything comes from to complete the gift.

Read more about snacks from Japan, Korea and around the world

These guides take a closer look at what's inside the bags, by country or by type.

Japanese snacksCalbee, Japanese Kit Kat, Hi-Chew and cookies by type.Korean snacksHoney Butter Chips, Pepero, seaweed and Milkis.Mochi explainedDaifuku, mochi ice cream, and Japanese and Taiwanese mochi.American and British candySour gummies, jawbreakers, cheese curls and shortbread.Mexican snacksChili tamarind candy, Tajín and chamoy.

Instant noodles are also simply a snack for many people, and you can read all about them in Instant noodles. If you like heat, you'll also find Takis in Hot sauce 101. Candy and cookies are an essential part of holidays, as you'll read in our guides to Lunar New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival. And if you'd like to cook after snacking, start with Japanese cuisine 101, Korean cuisine 101, Chinese cuisine 101 or Indonesian cuisine 101.

Frequently asked questions

Trying snacks from another country is a bit like traveling without a suitcase, and the best part is that you will never run out of things to try, because there is always another bag with a flavor you didn't expect next to something you have known since childhood. Start with a country that piques your curiosity, read on in our guides about Japanese snacks, Korean snacks, and mochi, and be sure to visit the toko in Amsterdam, where we will be happy to help you choose if you are standing in front of the shelf and don't know where to begin among all the colorful packaging.