I don’t really know what this candy is called. I got it at a market in Qatar and the bin it came in and the package were unmarked. The reason I’m saying this is because the name on this review is less the name and more a description. I also say this because I was not expecting the candy that I got.

While the nougat and pistachios are obvious, the cardamom was a huge surprise. I don’t use the word “huge” lightly either. There’s a very good reason why in this descriptive name I put the word cardamom first. The minute I opened the package it was pretty much all I smelled. Each bite filled my mouth with what might be the strongest cardamom flavour that I’ve ever had in my life. I was expecting a subtle pistachio flavour with the sweetness of a nougat, but what I got was an intense cardamom flavour with a slightly crunchy (thanks to the thin slices of pistachio) and chewy treat.

One surprising things is that I was really expecting the pistachios to be full pistachio nuts. Instead the nougat was just rolled in very thin slices of pistachio. The nougat texture was also a little bit different, I might even describe it as a marshmallow like feeling. I’m normally not a huge fan of marshmallows, but this treat was just a little more dense and flavour wise much more interesting.

I have two strong feelings about this candy. On one hand I’m disappointed that it doesn’t have full pistachios and that it isn’t a simple combination of of pistachio and nougat. On the other hand I ate something so very unique and out of my comfort zone, and that was a really bit surprise. I think that maybe the cardamom is a little bit strong, but also so fascinating at the same time.