As I’ve said before, I can’t resist an animal-shaped candy. And when I saw these Jelly Rats in Ikea, I figured that even if these weren’t good to eat, they would be a good joke for my reptile-keeper friends. After all, why should the animals be the only ones who get to eat rats?

But after my recent surprising positive experience with the Trader Joe’s Gummy Tummy Penguin, I was more open-minded to the possibility that these might actually be good to eat. So I tried them myself.

There seem to be four flavors, of the yellow, light-green, orange and red varieties. They are fruit flavors, in a vague way. I found the red kind of nasty and the orange dull, when orange is usually my favorite fake-fruit flavor. The other two are innocuous.

The texture is pretty soft, only a little chew to it. And they’re only vague rat-shaped. Basically these are tolerable, but they’re no gummy tummy penguins.

I was also intrigued by Godis Gula Snören because, well, they are called Godis Gula Snören. I guess this is real Swedish, you couldn’t make this stuff up, right? Also, toffee flavor laces seemed exotic, if not necessarily a good idea. But I was willing to give it a try.

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I have a terror of shopping at Ikea. The stores are so huge and there is only the one exit and pretty much only one route to get there. I always get about halfway through and wonder if I will ever make it out of the store.

Of course, if you did have to spend the rest of your life there, at least they have everything you need. There are beds to sleep in, and food to eat. You could even raise a family – the cafeteria sells jars of baby food and provides a bottle warmer.

So when I saw these chocolate bars, only my second thought was that they were nicely packaged and cheap. My first thought was “at least if I can’t get out, I won’t have to live the rest of my life without chocolate.”

But what would that life be like, for someone as devoted to chocolate as I am?

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My favorite part of going to Ikea is not the miles and miles of love seats, desks, beds and kitchen stuff, but their little food store. In addition to spreading Swedish culture through furniture items, Ikea’s food store is also sharing Swedish delicacies with the world – from those ubiquitous meatballs to crispbreads and more kinds of preserved fish than you can shake a stick at.

Just like there’s more to Swedish cuisine than meatballs, there’s also more to Swedish candy than the famous Swedish Fish, and Ikea’s food store has a fine selection to choose from. We’ve previously reviewed raspberry boats and daim from the big blue giant, but since Ikea has a rotating candy section, I figured it was time to give them another shot. I picked up two items: Godis Nuts and Bolts Mix and Aroma Konfektyrer Raspberry Drops.

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Due to a recent relocation of my place of residence I had the opportunity to go furniture shopping at IKEA. It had been a good amount of time since I had been there and I was thrilled to find candy waiting for me at their small food shop past the registers. There were lots of different things to choose from, but I finally decided on a package of red licorice Raspberry Boats and some Daim.

Raspberry Boats: These candies are a very bright pink/red color that matches the package they come in. I don’t quite understand why they’re called boats, since their shape doesn’t resemble boats at all. They’re more like strange polygons or deformed bananas. The “boats” have a smooth feel to them in your hand and their texture in the mouth is just perfect – not too hard, not too soft. Flavorwise, I have been lied to though. They do not taste of raspberry! The flavor instead is a “strange plant/perfumey pink taste”, if that makes any sense. Yuck. Next time, I’ll pass. I could barely finish the package’s recommended serving size.

Daim: With its bright red package and bold lettering, I had high hopes for this one. “Crunchy Caramel” is the description written proudly on the package exterior. When I bit into my first piece I wasn’t expecting my crunchy caramel to be toffee! Yup, that’s what it is. Granted, it’s a wonderfully smooth, slightly smoky, and delicious toffee. Still, I was expecting caramel! Upon closer inspection there’s also almond slivers in the toffee, which partly explains why it’s so extra flavorful. The milk chocolate covering is pleasant and provides a nice foundation for the toffee, which is clearly the star. Daim is perfect if you’ve ever had a craving for baby Skor Bars.

I’m not sure when I’ll be going back to IKEA myself, but I hope I have armed you with a little information so you can make wise candy choices there. Avoid the red licorice, head for the Daim and (of course) the Swedish Fish!

• Food at IKEA webpage

Buy Daim online:

• at Sweden’s Best.com

Sweden