Nothing catches our eye while in another country quite like the brightly coloured packing of a familiar food brand, known and loved. Luckily for Brits there are many other countries who favour the types of groceries we do, but unfortunately you may not have the chance to find out as they often parade under hidden identities and confusing pseudonyms. If you do want to be able to tell apart your Milky Ways and your Mars Bars, your crisps and your chips, read on to find out the differences and similarities between your favourite brands and their equivalents throughout the rest of the world.
Marmite vs Vegemite (Australia)
Marmite is a dark-brown spread made from yeast extract. A true British favourite, created by a German Scientist who we must salute – thanks Justus von Liebig! Vegemite is the Australian alternative, which first appeared in Melbourne in 1922 and is rumoured to be extremely similar just with more preservatives and less of a smooth taste. The big question is – do Australians have the same love it / hate it debate that we do here in the UK? The fact that brand owner Unilever sells British Marmite as ‘Our mate’ throughout Australia and New Zealand may suggest otherwise!
Milky Way vs Musketeers (USA)
Now bare with us on this one, because this is where it gets confusing. Milky Way, the light and delicate whipped chocolate bar from Mars, has an almost identical brother in the USA called the Musketeer. However, if you want your typical Mars Bar (UK) while out in the USA, then you should pick up a Milky Bar, which offers the same chocolate-malt nougat with caramel and chocolate. We say buy one of each just to be safe.
Walkers vs Lays (USA)
If you’ve ever been Stateside, we’re sure you would have felt reassured that you could still pick up a bag of your favourite British Walkers crisps, or nearly your favourite if you don’t mind a name change. Walkers in the US, despite having almost identical packaging, are called ‘Lays’ yet look and taste almost exactly the same as our favourite homegrown Walkers. In Mexico, you can find the same just called ‘Sabritas’, in Israel its ‘Tapuchips’, Vietnam provides ‘Poca’ and Egypt ‘Chipsy’. Great news for the travelling crisp lover!
Penguins vs Tim Tams (Australia)
Penguin biscuits are English classics and its no wonder that they inspired the Tim Tam, produced by Arnott’s in Australia. Since then, many Brits and Aussies have debated over which is the superior biscuit, but are yet to reach a conclusion.
Magnum vs Langnese (Germany)
The logo with the heart can be seen pretty much everywhere in the world, but the brand name for your traditional Magnum ice cream always changes. In Germany it’s ‘Langnese’ and in other countries it can often be completely different. Luckily it still tastes just as good….
Birds Eye vs Iglo (Europe)
Did you grow up with Captain Birds Eye or Captain Iglo? In a 1993 poll, the Captain was named as the the world’s most recognised captain after Captain Cook, a firm favourite for his tasty fish fingers and chicken dippers. However which Captain you knew would depend on where you live. While he’s firmly Birdseye throughout the UK, in most other European countries he’s known as Captain Iglo, with his frozen treats labelled the same.
Galaxy vs Dove (Canada)
Galaxy, the heavenly chocolate lovers’ favourite, was launched in the UK in the 1960s (unfortunately not by Audrey Hepburn, despite what their advertising would have you believe). If you’ve ever had the iconic brown wrapping catch your eye in another country however, you’ll see that anywhere else its called ‘Dove’. According to chocolate legend, Dove was a US chocolate brand acquired by Mars (who own Galaxy) in the 1980s, which they went on to launch in the US in 1991, followed by worldwide markets. Time for a rebrand in the UK? Watch this space…
So now you can go off on your travels, safe in the knowledge that it’s completely possible to enjoy all of your favourite snacks in other countries throughout the world if you just know where to find them. Now if only someone could let them in on Monster Munch and Chocolate Digestives…
