Salty, Spicy, and Sweet
One of my favorite things to do growing up in America was to introduce my American friends to Danish black licorice candy. I loved to offer them a taste and then watch their faces pucker up in horror as they realized what they thought was going to be sugary sweet was actually salty and sometimes even spicy. My family would come back from our summer trip to Denmark, our suitcases bursting with various Danish goods, but in all honesty, they were mostly variations on black licorice. Simply put – we Scandinavians just have an obsession with these salty and sweet treats that get our blood pumping and even sometimes burn the roof of our mouths. You may be wondering – why? Why in the world would this type of candy even exist? Well, today’s blog post will hopefully answer that question for you.
![Scandinavians & Salty Black Licorice, A Love Story - Skandibaking (1) Scandinavians & Salty Black Licorice, A Love Story - Skandibaking (1)](https://i0.wp.com/i0.wp.com/skandibaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/licorice-5422160.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1)
What is Licorice?
Licorice is a candy that is flavored and colored with extract from the roots of a plant called Glycyrrhiza glabra. Historically, both ancient Chinese and ancient Egyptian societies used licorice for medicine. The taste is very similar to another plant, called anise, and some companies actually make licorice candies with anise oil instead of extract from the licorice plant. Licorice has some negative side effects, as it contains the natural sweetener glycyrrhizin, which can increase blood pressure and decrease potassium levels in the body. However, it is safe to consume in reasonable amounts, so don’t let this sway you from enjoying the candy.
Glycyrrhizin is also very sweet, even sweeter than sugar, so a lot of licorice candy contains ammonium chloride. This makes the candy salty, and the higher the concentration of ammonium chloride in the candy, the saltier it is. Most Scandinavian candy contains this, as it balances out the sweetness of the glycyrrhizin. Scandinavian licorice is, of course, an acquired taste, one many would describe as a “love it or hate it” taste.
![Scandinavians & Salty Black Licorice, A Love Story - Skandibaking (2) Scandinavians & Salty Black Licorice, A Love Story - Skandibaking (2)](https://i0.wp.com/i0.wp.com/skandibaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/background-3360190.jpg?resize=1024%2C661&ssl=1)
Strong Flavors, Cold Winters
So – given this entire explanation of what licorice actually is – why do Scandinavians love it so much? Well, the simple answer is that it is a strong flavor, and in general, Scandinavians like strong and salty flavors. For example, we love foods like pickled herring and fermented fish. The balance between salty and sweet is something that appeals to the Scandinavian palate, and salty licorice certainly achieves that balance. Another simple answer is that it keeps us warm and keeps our blood flowing during the cold and dark winters. This is definitely not an answer that anyone can scientifically prove, but perhaps there is still some merit to it. Most likely, the reason we love licorice so much is just that we grew up eating it, and so our palates are used to it and, in some ways, addicted to it.
Our Favorite Licorice Sweets
Even if there is no clear answer for why we love licorice so much, there is no doubt that we do. A trip to Scandinavia will easily prove this to you! You can find licorice in everything and anything: ice cream, chocolate, vodka, co*cktails, gum, etc. For example, one of my favorite ice creams in the world is Kungfu ice cream: a popsicle with a lemonade and licorice flavor.
Finally, we wanted to end this post by listing a few of our favorite Scandinavian licorice candies that you can try if you’re feeling brave!
![Scandinavians & Salty Black Licorice, A Love Story - Skandibaking (3) Scandinavians & Salty Black Licorice, A Love Story - Skandibaking (3)](https://i0.wp.com/i0.wp.com/skandibaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/tyrkisk-peber.jpg?w=1920&ssl=1)
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Tyrkisk Peber (Finland)
By far our favorite, these are hard candies filled with an ammonium chloride powder. They are super, super salty, but we absolutely love them. Don’t eat too many or you will burn the roof of your mouth!
![Scandinavians & Salty Black Licorice, A Love Story - Skandibaking (4) Scandinavians & Salty Black Licorice, A Love Story - Skandibaking (4)](https://i0.wp.com/i0.wp.com/skandibaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/djungelvral.jpg?w=1920&ssl=1)
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Djungelvrål (Sweden)
These are also one of the best salty licorice candies out there. They are small and chewy candies, covered with salt. They start off salty but the chewy candy is very sweet, so the balance is just perfect. But beware – these will get stuck in your teeth!
Lakrids by Bülow (Denmark)
This is one of Copenhagen and Denmark’s most popular gourmet licorice companies. They make amazing sweets, usually consisting of licorice covered in chocolate, but they have plenty of different flavors and varieties. These are far more sweet than salty, so great to try if you don’t like salty licorice!
![Scandinavians & Salty Black Licorice, A Love Story - Skandibaking (6) Scandinavians & Salty Black Licorice, A Love Story - Skandibaking (6)](https://i0.wp.com/i0.wp.com/skandibaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/haribo-piratos.jpg?w=1920&ssl=1)
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Piratos (Denmark)
These are very chewy, salty, and hard medallions produced by Haribo. You can also get Super Piratos, which are even saltier! If you like these, then you can say that you are a true lover of salty black licorice.
![Scandinavians & Salty Black Licorice, A Love Story - Skandibaking (7) Scandinavians & Salty Black Licorice, A Love Story - Skandibaking (7)](https://i0.wp.com/i0.wp.com/skandibaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/gajol.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1)
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Gajol (Denmark) and Läkerol (Sweden)
We love these little packs of licorice pastilles. They are smaller and sometimes milder than some of the other candies. There are many different flavors, so you have options!
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