What is your comfort food? For me, it can sometimes be having some of my favorite childhood snacks. It gives me a sense of nostalgia and comfort to go back to my childhood days when things were a lot simpler and fun. Join me as I take a trip down memory lane and share some of my favorite childhood snacks. Some of these may be ones that you might still be able to find today. If you are looking for a little nostalgia or an idea for a good snack, this one is for you!
An earlier episode of the Fandesals Podcast featured Filipino childhood snacks. It gave me the idea to share this post of nostalgic treats from my past and where to find them. The full episode of the podcast is at the end of this post if you want to check it out.
Childhood Snacks as Comfort Food
I have a bunch of things that give me comfort, but one of the things that helps me to de-stress is eating my comfort food. There is a long list of types of food that give me comfort, so let me settle on the category of childhood snacks.
There is something about eating snacks that I used to enjoy as a child that helps me to feel better. Having them after a long and tiring day is such a comfort. This is because these snacks remind me of easier times. It brings me back to memories of days when I did not have as many responsibilities and was able to do whatever I wanted.
My family is aware of the comfort that these snacks give me. My sisters would often buy me these snacks whenever they found them in stores. They do that often, especially on days when they know that I have been busy or stressed out with work. I know it makes me sound like a bratty toddler made to stop crying with a snack but that is how it feels sometimes. Seeing the packaging when someone hands it to me is enough to make my heavy days feel so much lighter.
Here is a list of some of my cherished snacks from my childhood. Let me know which ones we have in common in the comments!
Fibisco Choco Mallows
Of all the snacks listed here, this is at the top of the list. The sight of the bright yellow color of the box is enough to make me excited about this snack. I love the entire process of opening the foil cover, and then biting into the light chocolate. I love getting into that soft and gooey marshmallow inside. I do not even have to eat the entire box to get those happy vibes from this snack. One is enough for me, so one box goes a long way. I end up being able to have one and then save the rest for future comfort whenever I get a box of these from family.
This is something that I still see in grocery shops. I heard that they have packs of unbranded choco mallows available in Divisoria too. While there are similar products from other brands, Fibisco is still the best one for me. They are good, but they are not the same, do you know what I mean? It's not only the flavor that I love about it. It's the nostalgia factor that I love too.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
I am not a major fan of peanut butter as a spread/filling for a sandwich. Weird, since I am a fan of that flavor in this type of chocolate snack. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter in that one cup, I love it! It is something that makes me feel good after one bite. I know there are small-sized cups, but I prefer the bigger pack of two that I usually get. It is the right amount of chocolate (and peanut butter) for me.
While not available in the smaller grocery shops, it is available in the larger stores. Other variants such as the peanut butter bar, candies, minis, and corn puffs are also available.
Iced Gem Biscuits
I do not get to see this snack often (even if it is usually available in grocery shops and some small sari-sari stores). It is not something I would go out of my way to buy but I love having it when I have the chance.
I only get to have these when other people are snacking on them or when my sister buys them for her kids. I tend to eat it in a certain way: I eat all the biscuit parts first and I leave the icing behind to eat later. That was the way I used to eat it as a child, and it is something that stayed with me as an adult. I do not know if anyone else eats that way but for me, that is the most satisfying way to do it.
This is a snack that reminds me of the days when we used to have a sari-sari store at home, and we used to sell this snack. This was one of the things I would always snack in to grab at the store when I was hungry and wanted something to eat!
Uraro
Though not usually categorized as a snack for kids, it was a childhood snack for me. My grandmother used to have these in a jar all the time in her home when I was younger. I used to spend a lot of time in her house, sleeping there not only on weekends but sometimes on weekdays too. This was my favorite snack because I equated it with how much my grandmother spoiled and pampered me. I only learned the name of this when I became an adult. It was also only recently that I learned that this is a biscuit made from arrowroot flour. I have no idea what arrowroot is, but it is interesting to find out that is not an ordinary snack.
Uraro is not always available in grocery shops, which makes it difficult to buy for me. I sometimes find them in shops that specialize in Filipino snacks.
Barquillos
Again, this is another Filipino snack that I used to love when I was a young girl. It is a wafer roll, but I loved it back then because it was a simple thing to eat. I also enjoy eating the Barquiron, which is a barquillo that has a powdered filling. It is a bit messy to eat, but it is fun to bite into. I have not had these in a while, but I am sure I would love to have them as a snack again if given the chance.
This is a snack that reminds me of school field trips when I was in grade school. There would be vendors selling this when we made stops along the way. This was not that expensive, and it was something we kids could buy and eat on the bus. It involved looking like a powdery mess if we bought the Barquiron, but it was still a fun thing to have regardless.
Like the Uraro, this is usually found in shops that specialize in Filipino snacks. You can also find them in the big grocery shops that have a section for Filipino snacks.
Twin Popsies
I loved these popsicles as a kid, and I still love them today. Someone told me the new name is Twin Pops now, but they still come in the two flavors of chocolate and orange. I prefer the orange one, which from where I am seems to be hard to find. Because of how rare I find the orange ones I make sure to buy these when I do find them in grocery stores or ice cream shops. I find it odd that Korean ice cream pops are more common in shops now than local ones like this. That might be what makes it harder to find these days.
This is a snack that reminds me of summer days and getting these as a treat from the adults. Those were days when we spent our vacations with our cousins when our parents got together.
The snacks I mentioned in this list are my favorites not only because of the flavors. It's also because of the memories that I have associated with these snacks. I am sure that everyone else has a favorite food and snacks for the same reason. The comfort that we get from things like these is precious. I encourage people to enjoy them when they can (but in moderation, of course).
Here is the episode of the Fandesals Podcast that I mentioned earlier. If you understand Tagalog, you might enjoy listening to or watching this!
If there are any other childhood snacks that you can think of, I would be happy to know what they are! I could be familiar with or know them from my childhood. I know I could have forgotten some old favorites and I need a heads up! Leave me a message in the comments and give your suggestions!
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