No matter how rare they may be now, the love for the classics will never die. This applies to music, books and film, and of course, food.

Malaysians have some classic snacks that they occasionally remember from their childhood, and sometimes develop an insatiable craving for snacks that were popular and ubiquitous many moons ago.

Though these snacks may be hard to find in modern days, all that one can do is just hope that they will be able to try that particular candy one last time.

Thankfully though, old is gold nowadays and some classic Malaysian snacks are reappearing on the streets.

Hopefully, they will stay around for longer this time and not disappear into the annals of food history.

Let’s go down memory lane and explore the goodies and snacks that older Malaysians miss dearly:

1. Ice ball

Probably one of the greatest treats ever created by a Malaysian, the ice ball is also known as “ais kepal”.

It is an extremely simple snack, featuring a ball of shaved ice that is flavoured by sugary-sweet syrup.

Malaysians of the golden generation might remember how ice ball sellers would flavour their products with gula melaka syrup or soft drinks like Sarsi.

Interestingly, ice balls have since made something of a return to the dessert scene, with newer and fancier flavours such as asam boi, mango and grape.

Stalls selling these frozen treats are mostly concentrated in the tourist hotspots of George Town and Ipoh, which gives hungry Malaysians all the more reason to visit!

2. Bottled soft drinks

Before the proliferation of aluminium cans, soft drinks were actually stored and sold in glass bottles.

Kids of the 1950s and 1960s will probably recall saving up a few sen to buy themselves a treat of Coca-Cola in a glass bottle.

There was always something better about drinking these sugary beverages from a cold glass bottle rather than the sterile plastic today.

Many flavours of soft drinks from that time still remain to this day, with Coke, Kickapoo and F&N Ice Cream Soda being good examples.

One flavour seems to have gone extinct in Malaysia though, that of the Green Spot Orange Soda, which is said to be the best of the orange-flavoured sodas.

3. Ice cream sandwiches

Yet another cold treat that Malaysians used to enjoy on scorching hot afternoons, ice cream sandwiches were a treat that even kids could afford.

They could only be bought from ice cream men who would often ride around neighbourhoods on their bicycles, ringing a bell to announce their presence.

There was something so undeniably special about seeing a scoop of cold ice cream being wedged between two buns or wafers, before being sprinkled with ground nuts.

Ice cream brands have tried to put their own spin on ice cream sandwiches, but it’s hard to say whether the original was better or not.

4. White Rabbit candy

It was always a magical experience to be able to suck on candy without even taking off the wrapper.

But that truly was the experience people had of enjoying White Rabbit candy during their childhood.

The milk-based candy was unique due to the fact that people could eat the entire candy right after removing just the thin outer wrapper.

As the sheet covering the sweet was actually made of edible rice paper, it was safe to eat as it dissolved easily in one’s mouth.

There was no doubt that kids got a bit of a thrill from eating paper and not getting scolded by their parents for doing so!

5. Ice lollies

After a long day in school, children with a sweet tooth always had this cold snack to satiate their appetite and quench their thirst with.

Even though this form of icy treat was essentially flavoured ice packed in plastic tubes, it never stopped throngs of children from lining up at the ice cream man’s bicycle to get their fix.

Not to mention, in the days when 50 sen could get you a comfortably good meal, these frozen tubes were often sold for the cheap price of 30 sen.

While these cold treats can still be found, it is growing harder and harder to find vendors who actually stock them instead of the more conventional tubs of ice cream.

In any case, getting one’s hands on this treasure is still a delight, especially when you break the piece of ice into two, with the loud satisfying snap pleasing one’s ears.