Growing up in Canada, there’s always a sense of being overshadowed by the bigger, grander, louder United States.

But if there’s one area where Canada has it better than our friends south of the border, it’s gotta be our snacks.

Ketchup and all dressed chips, Poutine, soap flavoured gum… wait a second. One of these is not like the other.

I feel like I may too young to have experienced this, but apparently soap flavoured gum was a big thing in this country? It’s sold under a brand called Thrills, which actually first started making this gum in London, England, and was owned by the O Pee Chee company before being bought by Nestle in 1980.

Turns out the gum wasn’t actually soap flavoured. The brand sold three different flavours: peppermint, spearmint, and… Cachou? What the heck is a cachou? Is that an alternate spelling of cashew?

Apparently not. The original Cachou flavour was supposed to taste something like rosewater and liquorice, but I guess that didn’t exactly translate.

Now that the company is owned by nestle, the only flavour Thrills makes is the Cachou flavour, except they don’t call it that anymore, it is literally called soap flavour now, it even says it on the package!

Moving on to something perhaps a bit more savoury, did you know that the first ever wrapped chocolate bar was invented in Canada? Take that Americans!

This tasty chocolate bar is named the Pal-o-Mine and was invented by Arthur Ganong, who started the Ganong Candy Company in 1873, the oldest candy company in Canada.

Ganong even opened a chocolate museum in the same town where his chocolate factory was located: St. Stephens, New Brunswick.

As a chocolate fanatic, that is definitely going on my bucket list.

Ganong being the oldest candy company in Canada and still going strong today, they have made some other… interesting… creations over the years.

For example, they sold candy called “chicken bones,” starting in 1885 that were a combination of cinnamon and dark chocolate. Why they were called chicken bones I couldn’t tell you.

I think I’ll stick to eating Maltesers and Smarties.

What’s your favourite Canadian candy?