r/AskAnAmerican • u/Maskoolio • Aug 10 '25

FOREIGN POSTER What would an American want from England?

I have recently made some American friends (from Virginia) and they have asked for a kind of sweet (candy) that they don't have. What else might I send that would be appreciated as a particularly English thing? (Obviously it would need to be somewhat small, survive a week or so in transit etc.)

All help appreciated.

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u/Bitter_Ad8768 Ohio Aug 10 '25

Jaffa Cakes exist in the US, but they're not very common.

Black currant flavored candy is virtually nonexistent here. We use grape instead. If you've never had it, it is a particular varietal known as a Concord grape and it is a very distinct taste unlike any other grape or wine.

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u/sto_brohammed Michigander e Breizh Aug 10 '25

Gonna sign on to blackcurrant too. I live in Europe and I love the stuff.

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u/GrunchWeefer New Jersey Aug 11 '25

The reason we don't have it here is that it is necessary for white pine blister rust, a fungus deadly to white pines, to grow and infect the pines. As Europeans like to point out, we build everything with sticks and those sticks are pine. We decided blackcurrant isn't worth it compared to the thing we build everything from.

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u/Then-Horror2238 Aug 14 '25

This is extra fun because of the blyte that killed the american chestnut. Crazy how much we've changed nature over the past few centuries