Licorice Nation

Do you like licorice （リコリス）? I don't! I've seen them in the US, but I have never had one before until I came here. Licorice is quite popular in Europe and the US, but it is probably almost unknown in Japan, and if they ever get to try it, its taste is very foreign for us. For those who don't know what licorice is, it is kind of a candy flavored with the extract of the roots of the licorice plant, and it's usually black.

Well, licorice is HUGELY popular here in Denmark. Whether you are at a supermarket, Seven-Eleven or even at the food floor of an upscale department store, if you go to the candies section, licorice is the predominant kind of sweets they'll have. There are so many brands and varieties, and they are all licorice!

A lot of licorice here are coated with salt, and ammonium chloride is used for flavoring in the salted licorice (sound yummy??). And because they are everywhere, I had to try them. I wanted to buy a bunch and compare, but I knew I was not going to like it, so I only got one package, sorry. Here I had my little Guinea pig try the fish shaped salted licorice.

It looks like this...

Pop one in my mouth...

Mmm, tastes funny....

Blehhh!! Spit it out!

I had Jonathan who grew up on licorice try this Danish kind, and this is the expression he made.

Mmm, this is a Very good licorice!!

It is definitely an acquiring taste. I have been trying, though. I pop one in my mouth once in a while, and try to appreciate it. Then I found myself reaching for one more, and then one more, just to experience that unfamiliar taste that creates a sensation on my tongue. Am I falling for licorice?? No... (not yet anyway). I've just had four in a row, and I feel a bit sick... I'm going to go brush my teeth now.