As the World Happiness Report places Sweden among the happiest nations on earth, it's hard not to wonder if their weekly tradition of 'lördagsgodis' or 'Saturday candy' has anything to do with this. This custom sees both adults and children spending a portion of their Saturdays savoring their preferred candies, fostering an atmosphere of anticipation, pleasure, and moderation.

Contrary to expectations, the candies Swedes enjoy on these days are not large chocolate bars or king-size packets of Skittles. Instead, local grocery stores come alive with lively assortments of smaller candies: chocolates, caramels, licorice, gummies, and unique flavored marshmallows. These delicious concoctions are purchased by weight in an all-inclusive "pick and mix" system, allowing customers to create their own medley of sweets.

This Swedish tradition may be unfamiliar to us here in the States, but there are several stores where one can experience the richness of Swedish sweets. These stores offer an abundance of Swedish sweets, opening up opportunities for starting personal 'Saturday candy' customs.

kolsvart.com is a Swedish company noted for making minimalist bags of licorice and gummy fish in natural flavors like elderflower and black currant. Based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, sweetishcandy.com not only offers an array of Scandinavian candies but other Nordic products as well. Bonbonnyc.com, a candy shop in New York with three physical locations, packs single or mixed candy varieties into attractive light-pink bags. Los Angeles houses a candy shop, sockerbit.com, with walls lined with varied gummy, licorice, and marshmallow offerings that can also be ordered online.

These candies, from cola-flavored gummy bottles, and smiley-faced marshmallow flowers to fruity, chewy candies, which include an introduction to black licorice squares and vegan kitten-shaped raspberry and apple gummies, are unique to the Swedish palate. Foamy marshmallow banana-flavored candies offer a taste more subtle than usual, while floral Swedish fish and fruity gummy yolk candies exude refinement. Herbal flavoured black licorice, paired with a fruity raspberry chewy gummy skulls, linger pleasantly, while very sour gummies in pacifier shapes are anything but child's play.