Salt Liquorice

zoute drop, salmiakki, salt lakris, saltlakrids, salmiaklakritze

Salty liquorice or salmiak (salmiakki in Finnish) is a variety of liquorice candy that contains a relatively large amount of ammonium chloride (NH4Cl, "salmiac") in addition to the liquorice root extract, sugar, and starch or gum arabic that constitute normal liquorice. Salty liquorice is somewhat of an acquired taste and is not generally appreciated outside of Scandinavia, Northern Germany and the Netherlands. Ammonium chloride has a spicy taste that vaguely resembles that of sodium chloride (table salt). However, salty liquorice does not contain any sodium chloride. Although some types of regular liquorice can also contain a small amount of ammonium chloride, salty liquorice can contain up to about 8 percent of ammonium chloride. Moreover, the salty taste is typically less masked by a high sugar content compared to regular liquorice.[1]

Salty liquorice candies are almost always black or very dark brown and can range from very soft to very hard and may be brittle. The other colours used are white and variants of grey. Since pure ammonium chloride is a white powder, the reason why black is the preferred colour for salmiakki is somewhat unclear. It might be partly to provide a "tougher image" for the candies.

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So much for boring scientific bits, it's also the most glorious thing you can put in your mouth. Even the name blesses your tongue.