Tag: Licorice history

With a staggering annual consumption of nearly two kilograms per person, the Netherlands leads the world in eating black licorice, known locally as 'drop'. This extraordinary national passion for the famously polarizing candy, from sweet honey to intense salmiak, is a uniquely Dutch cultural phenomenon.

In many Nordic countries, the love for salty and sweet combinations dates back centuries to preserving food with salt, such as cured fish. This tradition provides a flavorful context for understanding why is Swedish candy so salty, a unique taste profile that surprises many international travelers.