Licorice

[gfron1]

At my store Kookaburra has always been one of out top selling items. So, gradually I've added more and more licorice. Yesterday I went to the extreme and added 10 new types because it seems that whatever I put on the shelf flies away in mere days. So, after watching Ling's chocolate night thread, I've wondered if there could be such a thing as a licorice tasting. I know our licorice fans are pretty hardcore, so its possible.

Here are some of the licorice that I just added:

Potters Linea Lozenges

Klene Honey Licorice

Klene Authentic Laurier Licorice

Dutch Cup Double Salt

Dutch Cup Cats

Finnska Licorice Bites

Old Timers Licorice Blue Salt

Salt v Unsalted

Hard v. Soft

Honey?

All Sorts?

The options are endless!

[therese]

I love licorice and anise flavored candies. Some of my favorites are Lakrits (like plain M&M's, but with licorice in the shell), Allsorts, and Grisettes (a hard candy from Montpellier). Recently tried another anise flavored hard candy, Anis de l'Abbaye de Flavigny and really liked it.

[JasmineL]

I would attend a licorice tasting in a second! Mmmmmmmmmmm!

You could also have different types of Ouzo for sampling.

[petite tête de chou]

I've always loved black licorice. Baskin and Robbins used to have a licorice ice-cream that was almost a true black but apparently it's been replaced with something called Licorice Voo-Doo which has vanilla swirls. The original flavor used to turn my mouth a ghastly, brain-eating zombie grey, I loved it!

[Beanie]

Kookaburra is a best seller at my shop too and I've been thinking of adding to the selection. How many types do you offer? So far, I've stayed with the old fashioned types: licorice pipes; laces, and pastels (much better than Good and Plenty.)

A licorice tasting is a great idea.

[lynsval]

I love licorice. Due to dental work, I have to stay away from any of the "filling lifters," I'm always on the lookout for the softest, creamiest licorice I can find. When I find a good batch, I run to share with my Dad who loves it as much as I do. Is the Kookaburra a soft-type of licorice? I know that some of the softest ones are Australian. This topic has my mouth watering...

I'm in for a good old-fashioned tasting!!!

[srhcb]

The Dutch love licorice. They have stores that sell nothing else!

www.hollandsedrop.com

I like the Beehives, with honey for a sweet, soft taste.

SB (recommends caution with the "double-salted" varieties)

[gfron1]

I love licorice. Due to dental work, I have to stay away from any of the "filling lifters," I'm always on the lookout for the softest, creamiest licorice I can find.  When I find a good batch, I run to share with my Dad who loves it as much as I do.  Is the Kookaburra a soft-type of licorice?  I know that some of the softest ones are Australian. This topic has my mouth watering...

I'm in for a good old-fashioned tasting!!!

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Kookaburra is pretty soft (I'm eating a peice right now). Obviously the fresher, the softer. It is also a sweet not salty.

[akebono]

finska tubes are black lic perfection...

don't like the salted stuff

the ammonia reaction i guess is an aquired taste.

it may not be a popular opinion,

but fresh red twizzlers

are on par with kookabura(sp?) red.

licorice:

see jerry garcia

"Our audience is like people who like licorice. Not everyone likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice."

[jsolomon]

My current residence, Lincoln, Nebraska houses Licorice International. They have a great selection.

Personally, I like the double salted, ammonia whiffing stuff... it give me chills of delight.

[pedie]

Another licorice lover checking in...

I like the Panda licorce carried at my local Trader Joe's. It is soft, chewy and very flavorful. The box says it is manufactured by OY Panda AB in Finland from all natural ingredients! It also references the fact that "throughout history, the licorice root has been used for relaxing the body and reducing stress." I knew there was reason why I liked it.

Also, I remember as a child, going to an Italian restaurant that had a big bowl of after-dinner mints that were licorice flavored. I have never been able to find them since but they were wonderful.

[JasmineL]

Also, I remember as a child, going to an Italian restaurant that had a big bowl of after-dinner mints that were licorice flavored.  I have never been able to find them since but they were wonderful.

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Were they Ouzo Candies? clicky

I really love salted licorice and I attribute it to the fact my mom ate it while I was in the womb.

[Mike Hunt]

Just before you stuff your face, read on !!

Liquorice is good for you in moderation, however, the active ingredient in liquorice is glycyrrhizic acid.

It can relieve constipation, cold, flu and allergy symptoms and may even help people with chronic fatigue or ulcers.

It is also found in smaller quantities in confectionery, toothpaste and some herbal teas.

Cigarette and drugs manufacturers sometimes use it to improve the taste of their products.

People should not consume any more than 100mg of glycyrrhizic acid a day.

It can increase blood pressure or cause muscle weakness and chronic fatigue. Other problems include headaches or swelling.

Other research suggests it can also lower testosterone levels in men, affecting their mood and sex drive.

[andiesenji]

I am also a big licorice fan. There is an American cultivar but my great-grandmother who was an amateur herbalist, brought seeds with her from England and gave strict instructions on how to plant, cultivate and harvest it, then process the roots for the extract which was used for medicinal purposes, as well as for candies. We had hard candies and a sort of taffy that was flavored with the home made extract.

I have never met a licorice candy I didn't like. Every time I see one that is new to me, I have to buy some. It is wonderful stuff.

I remember that ice cream too. Does anyone remember a licorice soda that was made for a brief time in the 60s. How about the chewing gum?

[Rebecca263]

Black Jack! That gum is still available. Yum. How about SenSen? I adore that stuff. I eat a lot of licorice, and I chew on sticks of the root when I'm at the hospital. It gives me something to focus on without eating sugar or salt. Does anyone remember the soft Callard & Bowser licorice? That and their hard butterscotch, oh, I dream of them!

[Chufi]

I met someone at a dinner party the other night who makes his own licorice (drop).

I'm thinking of doing a report about one of his sessions (for the Dutch Cooking thread), I'll let all you licorice fans know when it's up

Edited March 29, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Country Cook]

Gay Lea from Australia is my favorite licorice. Good strong taste and nice chewy texture. I was raised on Panda Brand and being a Finnlander it is hard to believe Aussie licorice is better, but it is!

[Mike Hunt]

Gay Lea from Australia  is my favorite licorice.  Good strong taste and nice chewy texture.  I was raised on Panda Brand and being a Finnlander it is hard to believe Aussie licorice is better, but it is!

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Austrailian licorice is a bit of a hit in the UK as well, mainly due to the low fat content.

Has anyone tried Pontefract Cakes. small discs of strong licorice made, spookily enough, in Pontefract, UK ?

[JasmineL]

Austrailian licorice is a bit of a hit in the UK as well, mainly due to the low fat content.

Has anyone tried Pontefract Cakes. small discs of strong licorice made, spookily enough, in Pontefract, UK ?

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Yes, I have!

I prefer hard licorice to the soft kind. It slows down my consumption.

[avocado]

I love allsorts. So much that now I have a serious craving and anticipate an allsorts hunt this weekend.

[JasmineL]

When I was a kid, I would often spend afternoons at my grandparent's house. The whole afternoon was spent waiting for the moment my grandfather would bring the glass jar of Allsorts out of his room and offer me a small handful. Very fond memory!

[gfron1]

Its odd though, the All Sorts of my childhood is not the All Sorts I'm getting from Kookaburra or others today. I haven't been able to put my finger on the difference, but the modern stuff doesn't seem as strong, and the texture is too smooth (as best as my memory can recall).

[JasmineL]

Its odd though, the All Sorts of my childhood is not the All Sorts I'm getting from Kookaburra or others today.  I haven't been able to put my finger on the difference, but the modern stuff doesn't seem as strong, and the texture is too smooth (as best as my memory can recall).

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I'm used to the Bassett's or Wilkinson brands. I prefer them on the stale side...so they aren't so soft.

[judiu]

My current residence, Lincoln, Nebraska houses Licorice International.  They have a great selection.

Personally, I like the double salted, ammonia whiffing stuff... it give me chills of delight.

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Wow! Sugar free licorice, and a darn good price. THANKS! As a (fairly new) diabetic, I have a hard time finding "goodies" that are "legal", and I do love me some real licorice. Oddly enough, though, I dispise the yucky flavor thet goes into the blue nonpariel coated round of chewy candy that comes in all-sorts.

[gfron1]

To add a new twist (pun intended) to this thread. For the first time that I can recall, the other day I bit a kookaburra black in half (v. popping it all in my mouth), and when I looked at it, the inside appeared green.

Was it really green? Was it an optical illusion? Was it releasing its poisonous vapors inserted by alien life forms to intoxicate us into complacancy while they ran amuck around our planet whisking our healthiest young children away to their planet? Just curious...why was it green? Or are black licorice not really black at all...These are deep ponderous questions!