Universal Yums: India and the United Kingdom

Today I'm sharing the 7th and 8th boxes from our 12-month subscription to Universal Yums. This time, the featured countries are India and the United Kingdom. As usual, each box held a variety of snacks, an informational card, booklet and sticker set. 

This is what came in the India box: 

The booklet was a bit different than in previous boxes. Instead of present-day India, it focuses on a specific time period in Indian history: the Mughal Empire (1526-1857). According to an introduction by the co-founder of Universal Yums, this is the first time in their 10-year history that they've done this. It's an interesting idea. Given that I knew literally nothing about the Mughal Empire, I appreciate the education. Otherwise, I might never have known that the Mughal Empire was one of the weathiest during the Middle Ages, was famous for freedom of religion, served daily feasts of over 500 dishes to the emperor, and used three different animals as cavalry in their military (horses, camels, and elephants). 

An article called "Let's Spice Things Up" was all about the many spices found in Indian cuisine. I was hoping that the snack foods in the box didn't feature the hottest of those spices. I can't tolerate spicy food at all. I tried a (very) small sample of everything Universal Yums sent, but three of the snacks were too hot for me. Too bad - I liked the flavor, just not the pain. My favorites in the box were the Trufills and the Green Mango candies. 

This is what came in the United Kingdom box:  

Having just been in the UK, I actually knew the answers to some of the trivia questions in the booklet. You knew that Big Ben is the bell, not the clock or the tower, right? There was a fascinating article about the importance of Cavendish bananas, a recipe for Scottish oatmeal scones, and information about some of the weirdest habits of Victorian England. Anyone want to try their beauty hack of putting a drop of lemon juice in each eye? Yeah, me neither. 

So how was the food? I absolutely loved the Rhubarb & Custard Bon Bons (affiliate link). The shortbread cookie was delicious. The pickled onion rings were... intense. Interesting, but intense. I absolutely loathed the lamb and rosemary crisps. They're vegetarian, but whatever they're using to make them taste like lamb was effective. Yuck. 

The last time I posted about Universal Yums, I got an anonymous comment from someone concerned that I was eating all this processed food while fighting cancer. Were they picturing me opening the box alone and immediately scarfing down multiple bags of chips and candies? To clarify, I am not eating everything in these boxes by myself. I try a tiny sample of each item. Steve and Trevor also sample everything, as does any friend or family member who happens to be here when we open the boxes. Then, we share the leftovers with others who are interested in trying new foods. I don't blog about each person's reaction to every item, but I assure you that there are others eating the food. And there is always someone who likes something I don't, and vice versa. I would never open a box without other people around to share the experience, since that's what makes it fun.