Category: Nordic culture

In Northern Europe, a confectionery specialty known as salty licorice, or salmiakki, is flavored not with table salt but with ammonium chloride. This unique ingredient is the surprising reason why salted licorice tastes like ammonia, a flavor profile that is either passionately loved or intensely disliked.

Over 80% of Swedish land is covered by forest, providing a vast natural habitat for wild berries. It is within these expansive woodlands that the famed Nordic blueberries grow, which are actually a different species known as bilberries. Unlike cultivated blueberries, these wild fruits are smaller, with a vibrant dark flesh, and are harvested from pristine northern forests.