Traveling Without Actually Going Anywhere: Universal Yums from the Baltics
In April 2024, our Universal Yums box came from the Baltics, which included the European countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. These countries are north of Poland and west of Russia. The pamphlet did not indicate which country each treat came from, so that was a bit of a let down.
Onto the first treat! First, we ate Mushroom Chips, which were long thin rectangle chips that looked like the wasabi chips we ate from the Ukrainian Universal Yums box. But these chips were pale tan in color instead of green. I thought these chips were gross and tasted like mushrooms and mashed potatoes. I am not a fan of mushrooms, so I was not surprised that I didn’t like them.
Next, we ate Milk Chocolate with Cookie Filling. It was really good and creamy. It almost tasted like peanut butter filling, and not cookie filling though. We then tasted Chocolate with Apple Puree and Nuts. I felt that this had too much apple gooey filling and needed thicker chocolate around it. It also had wafers surrounding the concoction that it could do without. My husband, David, thought it could have been better if the chocolate was sweeter.
Blackcurrant and Melon Jellies were listed next in our pamphlet, so we tried these. They were nasty thick jellies with a sugar coating. I did not finish my part because they were awful! Next, we sampled Chewy Cola Candy. I also didn’t finish this one as it was too chewy with a strong cherry cola flavoring that I did not like at all.
Lastly, our box had a Maple Bacon Lentil Snack. It smelled strongly of maple and definitely tasted like bacon, but I still didn’t like it. David liked it though! It was a nice opportunity to try different snacks from various countries, but this box was a big miss for me since I didn’t like most of the treats in this box.
Thankfully, the fun facts made up for the gross snacks! Remains of Viking swords were found in Estonia, Estonia has a competitive sport where men carry their wives through an obstacle course, and public transit is free in Estonia’s capital city.
Over two million people joined hands between all three Baltic countries from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in 1989 to peacefully protest being ruled by the Soviet Union. This longest human chain spanned 419 miles. Two years later, all three countries gained their independence!
The last fun fact that I’ll share with you is that in Latvia, you can see the widest waterfall in Europe. The Venta Rapid is 820 feet wide but only 6 feet tall! Stay tuned to read about our last Universal Yums box!
