Salty licorice is very much an acquired taste. It’s common in the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, and northern Germany. Outside of those regions, it’s hard to find people who like it. The salt in this form of licorice is ammonium chloride (“Salmiak salt”), and it gives the licorice a very astringent, almost cough medicine-like flavor. I think you have to grow up with it to really develop a preference for it.
Because the sweet treats in the house have tended to grow feet as of late (two teenagers with a sweet tooth in the house, you see), I ordered a case of these Dutch Zoute Drops to keep around as a sort of child-proof candy. When it arrived, I let the kids try some to see their reactions. Girl child spat hers out within two seconds, so it’s probably safe to say that it isn’t her thing. Boy child said it was kind of weird but not bad.
There goes my plan. Oh well—I guess at least I know which kid stole it if it starts disappearing.
The latest “Irish People Try” on the Try YouTube channel was Danish Snacks, most of which were licorice, and all of which were despised:
https://youtu.be/uUDxIHTxpeU
I love them. Doesn’t help that my father liked them and I dated a girl whose parents emigrated from Holland to Canada in the 50’s. Double zoute! yum!!
I finally got to try some salmiakki (both candy and liqueur) at the Helsinki bid party at the Spokane Worldcon, and fell in love immediately. Been ordering various types off Amazon, and am now getting 2-kilo bins of Fazer Tyrkisk Peber and Pantteri Original shipped in – and yes, almost everyone spits it out. :V (Pantteri, anyway – the other would probably kill ’em once they got to the delicio… uh, extremely powerful, center.)
Ummm… yeah, I suspect that would be an acquired taste that I probably would prefer not acquire. 😀
But man, maybe if we had those in our house right now instead of Peanut Butter Snickers I wouldn’t be so tempted to eat it all before the trick or treaters get to it.