East German Sweets... A Trip Down Memory Lane?

East Germany Sweets Box GDR with licorice

Most of my family was lucky enough to escape the East before it was closed off. We heard stories about how difficult it was to get things. My Opa would send packages to those stuck behind… packages filled with luxuries like coffee and tea that couldn’t always be found there. So when I stumbled across this box of “East German Sweets” from the DDR, I was quite surprised. East German Sweets??

But of course there would be sweets and candy! Even though it was East Germany, the tradition of Bonbons, Schokolade and etwas Süßes would not be abolished!

East German Sweets

Isn’t it funny how nostalgia makes us long for things that we can’t get anymore? Just because the East was behind the Wall, doesn’t mean that it was entirely bleak. There were still sweets and treats to be found, like “Mokkabohnen” and “Bambina”. You could even get “Kalter Hund” and Chocolate bars… just not in the same abundance as the West. Different flavors and shapes, but candies, just the same. And if you were a child of the time, these flavors are familiar to you, and you might even miss them a little bit.

People Crave Certain Flavors

East German Sweets — Click on the Photo to Buy Your own Spreewald Guerke!

Just like the scene in “Goodbye Lenin” where Mama wants Spreewald Gurken. They aren’t made anymore… so Alex has to find an old jar, and keep refilling it with other pickles, hoping she doesn’t notice.

What’s Old is New Again

When the Berlin Wall finally came down, so many people couldn’t wait to rid themselves of the old products, and buy new, “better” things from the West…. The movie shows scenes where piles of old furniture are left on the street, and no one takes them away, because no one wants them. Store shelves fill with new products. There are no used cars left to bought in West Germany!

But is new always better?

It comes full circle…

Now it’s possible to indulge in a trip down memory lane, since some of these products have become available for purchase. So, if you are missing “Knusper Flocken”, “Nudossi” or even “Dunkel Schokolade mit Puffreis” these might be the gift boxes for you.

You can even buy East German Cookbooks that specialize in the cooking of the time! Believe it or not, you can even get Spreewald Pickles…

Isn’t memory a funny thing? I hear that even the Trabant is getting popular again!!