Pulparindo: History, Flavors & Ingredients

Snack History Nostalgia Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Pulparindo is a really unique offering that is very popular in Mexico. This spicy and sweet tamarind-flavored candy is surprisingly different and unique to those who are not used to this kind of flavor profile in their sweets. You can choose between the regular candy and a version that has extra Picante for some added spice in your life. 

Tamarind is a really popular flavoring in Mexico, and you will see it in many different products. It’s a bit like strawberry or cherry flavoring in the US. This treat also comes in mango and watermelon flavors, but they are also balanced with the spice of chili peppers. 

The company which makes Pulparindo is De La Rosa. This brand makes a variety of different candies, some of which are fruity like this one and some which are marzipan-based or more like candy bars. This brand has been around for seventy years in Mexico, and it is one of the more recognizable candy companies to Mexicans. 

The company got its start selling Marzapan peanut candies on the street corner, and they still offer this lovely, classic candy in their lineup of products. The Pulparindo has overshadowed the original marzapan snack, however, and is the most recognized of the company’s offerings. The original products always showed the lovely rose logo associated with the brand, but the Pulparindo wrapper is more likely to have a little cartoon version of the candy featured on the front of the bags. The wrappers themselves are colorful and unique and indicate what the flavor of the candy is.

This is a surprising snack in that you might have expected a hard candy or something more like a gumdrop. The product is instead, a bit like a thick and short fruit leather design. The pulpy nature of the tamarind that is included in the candy is really evident as soon as you unwrap this little treat. Since it is made with real fruit, perhaps it is not so surprising that the Pulparindo comes in this style.

There have been some difficulties with sales of this candy treat outside of Mexico due to the California Department of Public Health announcing that they found trace amounts of lead in the candies that were being sold in the state of California. Mexico has different food safety standards than the US and Europe, and this was not a factor that was disclosed by the company when the products were sent to the US for sale.

The product has since been retested, and the levels of lead were much lower. You might be able to find Pulaprindo on the shelves of Mexican specialty stores or Asian food stores again in your area now that the product has been found to be safe to eat per US guidelines.

Logo

Flavors:

• Mango
• Watermelon
• Tamarind
• Extra Picante

All of the varieties are sold in the same design, which is small, rectangular, and slightly thicker than most fruit snacks of this style.

Ingredients:

From an online seller:

• Sugar
• tamarind pulp
• corn syrup
• salt
• citric acid
• ground chili
• sodium benzoate

This is a really simple product, and there is not much variety between the different flavors other than some flavoring inclusions for the mango and watermelon versions of the snack. The company warns that this product needs to be kept in a cool and dry place out of the sunlight. It will melt when it gets hot and turn into a gooey mess in the bottom of the bag.

Nutrition

Serving Size:	2 ct/pza (28g)	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories	100
Total Fat	0g	0%
Sodium	240mg	10%
Total Carbohydrates	26g	9%
Dietary Fiber	2g	8%
Sugars	20g
Added Sugars	20g	40%
Protein	0g
Vitamin D	0mcg	0%
Calcium	0mg	0%
Iron	0mg	0%

• The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Pictures

Videos:

A taste test:

Another candy review: