Salty liquorice or hard liquorice, is a variety of liquorice flavoured with ammonium chloride, common in the Nordic countries, Benelux, and northern Germany. Ammonium chloride gives salty liquorice an astringent, salty taste (hence the name), which has been described as "tongue-numbing" and "almost-stinging". Salty liquorice is an acquired taste and people not familiar with ammonium chloride might find it physically intense and distasteful.
Salty liquorice candies are almost always black or very dark brown and can range from very soft to very hard, and sometimes brittle. The other colours used are white and variants of grey. Salty liquorice is also used as a flavouring in other products, such as ice creams and alcoholic beverages.
Video Salty liquorice
History
Ammonium chloride has a history of being used as a cough medicine, as it works as an expectorant. Finnish author Jukka Annala speculates that salty liquorice has its origins at drug stores that manufactured their own cough medicine. Where and when ammonium chloride and liquorice were first combined to produce salty liquorice is unclear, but by the 1930s it was produced in the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark as a candy.
Maps Salty liquorice
Types
Different languages often refer to salty liquorice as either "salmiac liquorice" (Swedish: salmiaklakrits; Danish: salmiaklakrids), or simply "salty liquorice" (Swedish: saltlakrits Danish: saltlakrids). The Dutch refer to it as "Zoute Drop" or even a variety called "Dubbel Zoute Drop" (double salted liquorice). In addition to ammonium chloride, salty liquorice candies are sometimes flavoured with other strong flavours like table salt. A common shape for salty liquorice candies is a black diamond-shaped lozenge. In Finnish it's known as salmiakki.
The strength of the confectionery depends on the amount of ammonium chloride used, which varies by country and what's considered a safe amount. In Sweden for example, the most popular types of salty liquorice contain an average of 7% of ammonium chloride. In 2012 there was a European Union proposal to limit the amount to 0.3%, which was met with wide opposition. Although the European Union now regulate the use of ammonium chloride to 0.3% in most foodstuffs, there is no specific restriction for it in liquorice or ice cream.
Other uses
In addition to being used in candy, salmiak is also used to flavour vodka, chocolate, distilled rye brandy, ice cream, cola drinks, snus, and meat.
See also
- Apteekin Salmiakki, a Finnish brand of salty liquorice candy
- Lakrisal, a salty salmiak candy
- Pantteri/Katten, a Finnish gummy salmiak candy
- Salmiakki Koskenkorva, a Finnish salmiak-flavoured vodka brand
- Tyrkisk Peber (Turkish pepper), a popular brand of salmiak candy
References
Books
- Annala, Jukka (2001). Salmiakki. ISBN 952-5180-27-1.
External links
- The Finnish Salmiakki Association (in Finnish)
- Descriptions and reviews of many Danish liquorice products (in Danish)
- Mark Bosworth (4 October 2013). "Salty liquorice: The not-so-sweet sweet". BBC News. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
Source of article : Wikipedia
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