Best Licorice Types in the World
This traditional Finnish licorice gets its unusual flavor from the ammonium chloride salt. Believed to have originated as a cough medicine, today it is traditionally enjoyed as a salty, sharp-flavored candy that is usually black in color and comes in different flavor combinations and various shapes.
Even though it requires an acquired taste, it is a popular treat in many Nordic countries and is often used as a flavoring in sweets, chocolates, and spirits.
Pontefract cakes are a symbol of Yorkshire – licorice cakes that are shaped into treacle-colored coins. A local legend says that they're among the oldest in the world. The first mention of both Pontefract and licorice was in the 1500s, and in 1750, there were 47 licorice growers in Pontefract, where the rich loamy soil and deep topsoil make perfect conditions for growing licorice.
The Dunhill family rented a piece of land in the Pontefract Castle to grow licorice, and George Dunhill, a chemist, claims that he made the first licorice confectionery in 1760 by adding sugar. By the 1920s, Pontefract had at least 10 licorice-producing factories, and in 2004, there was even a Licorice Festival with a live fashion show where all the clothes were made from licorice.
Terva leijona (lit. tar lion) is a traditional candy originating from Finland. This licorice candy is flavored with an unusual ingredient – pine tree tar, and it was invented by Y. W. Jalander, a Finnish pharmacist. The pastilles were first sold in 1933, and nowadays, this bitter-sweet vegan product is especially beloved by older Finns.
Terva leijona is also produced in versions with no sugar and added salmiak salt.
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