Marabou Chocolate and Mint Caramels, a Swedish delight

You can buy Marabou Swedish Chocolate here

Marabou chocolate is a customer favorite. They excel at milk chocolate, it is smooth and creamy with a nice hint of caramel. It is no surprise then that their Carmel varieties are luscious and velvety. The caramel is slightly looser than I assumed, which I really enjoyed as I got the full burst of mint flavor right away instead of having to chew through to it. I chose to eat these slowly enjoying a side of chocolate first rather that popping the whole thing in my mouth at once. I'm glad I did because I got to get all of the caramel out and enjoy that before I went back to the chocolate! It has been about 5 minutes and I can still taste the mint. One of these is all I need as Marabou chocolate is very sweet. It is in my opinion as sweet as chocolate from the UK only much smoother.

I didn't know until recently originally was the same formulation as Freia Norwegian Chocolate. Apparently there was some kind of copyright issue and to sell the chocolate in Sweden they had to rename it! The chocolate recipe must have changed at some point because they don't taste the same, at least to my palate.

History of Salmiakki salty black licorice (also spelled Salmiak and salmiac)

Buy Salmiak Licorice 'here' Buy 'extreme' licorice 'here' this includes the rare triple salt licorice
Salty liquorice or salmiak (salmiakki in Finnish) is a variety of liquorice (confectionery) 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 and Poulsbo, Washington.

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. Haribo Super piratos are in this upper range, We carry both the German Super pirato and the Danish. Surprizingly the German version is has a tad bit more salmiak added. Moreover, the salty taste is typically less masked by a high sugar content compared to regular liquorice.


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. Carbon black is used as a food colouring agent in these candies.

Salty liquorice is popular in the Nordic countries and Northern Germany, as well as the Netherlands. In the Netherlands and the Nordic countries, it is called salty liquorice: salmiakk/saltlakris (Norwegian), zoute drop (Dutch), saltlakrids (Danish), saltlakrits (Swedish) and saltlakkrís (Icelandic), in German it's called Salzlakritze as in the other countries or Salmiaklakritze since pure ammonium chloride is called Salmiaksalz in colloquial language.

The Latin term for ammonium chloride is sal ammoniac. In Finnish, the candies are usually called salmiakki, although this can also refer to other products containing ammonium chloride. The terms salmiakkimakeinen (salmiac candy) or salmiakkilakritsi (salmiac liquorice) are also sometimes used. For pure ammonium chloride, the term raakasalmiakki (raaka = raw) can be used, if necessary.

In Finland Salmiakki was once a trade name of Fazer, but quickly became a genericized trademark not unlike nylon. The canonical shape for Finnish salmiakki candies is a black diamond-shaped lozenge. This shape is so popular that in Finnish, the word "salmiakki" can sometimes refer to this shape, instead of the candy. I love it when the Finnish kids come into the store singing 'salmiakki, salmiakki, I love salmiakki'.

For example, Finnish Defence Forces reserve officer students rank insignia are known as "salmiakki"s for their distinctive shape. However, especially in other countries, different shapes are used.

In Sweden there are salmiak licorice salty swedish fish and salmiak coins, Danish gal jol salmiak, and Norwegian fishermans friend sugar free salmiak cough drops, the candies are sometimes called salmiaklakrits, salmiaklakrids, and salmiakklakris, respectively, where salmiak(k) refers to the ammonium chloride ingredient.

In Dutch, the term salmiakdrop usually refers to salty liquorice with a high concentration of ammonium chloride.

Look o Look makes salmiak lollypops. Also readily available in Holland is a powder-based candy called Salmiak which comes in sweet and salty flavours.

In addition to being used in candy, salmiak is also used to flavour vodka, distilled rye brandy, ice cream, cola drinks, and recently, meat ("Salmiakkipossu" is a brand of salmiak-flavoured pork, probably named as a pun on "Salmiakkikossu", meaning salmiak-flavoured Koskenkorva). Salmiak is also a popular ingredient for home-made dip sauces for potato chips.

Haribo Pontefract licorice cakes make awesome sweet black licorice ice cream

Buy Haribo Pontefract licorice cakes here Haribo Pontefract cakes are made using a special recipe. First, the raw liquorice mass is allowed to dry and cool for around a week, after which it is cut up into manageable blocks weighing around seven kilograms each. These are then pulled out into a long strand, which is chopped up into many small rounds of liquorice by a machine. The rounds are then placed in a press where they are flattened in a mould that applies the traditional Pontefract Cake stamp.

This is an old licorice ice cream recipe by Gary Rhodes, currently of Hell's Kitchen fame.

Gary's the king of puddings and this ice-cream was originally paired with black treacle pudding—a winning combination! It is also great with the Aunty's puddings:Golden Syrup, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Spotted Dick Pudding. Single serve & microwavable. Very moist & delicious!

Buy Aunty's Puddings here






Step 1:

200ml double cream;

200 ml milk;

1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out;

4 egg yolks;

120g sugar



Mix the milk and cream and add the vanilla pod with seeds.

Bring to the boil, fish out vanilla pod (I dry it and add it to a jar of caster sugar to impart flavour).

Whisk the yolks and sugar and pour in the hot milk. Cool, stirring to prevent curdling and churn or part-freeze then stir with a fork regularly until thickened.


Step 2:

75g Haribo Pontefract cakes;

100ml water

Melt the Pontefract cakes in the hot water, cool and stir into the ice cream to form ripples while still soft.



Vanilla facts:
Called "the orchid of flavor"
The Aztecs developed the fermentation process of sweating and drying the beans to develop the vanillin. They used vanilla to flavor their cocoa drinks "xocolatl". Vanilla is still used today to flavor chocolate.
Vanilla was once so rare and expensive that only royalty had access to it.
Vanilla was once considered an aphrodisiac.
The word "vanilla" comes from the Spanish word "vainilla" which means little sheath, referring to the pod's long thin shape.
The vanilla bean's flavor, like coffee beans and chocolate pods, is highly dependent on the climate and soil where they are grown.
Three most common types of vanilla pods (beans):
1) Madagascar or Bourbon- Madagascar vanilla pods
2) Mexican vanilla pods
3) Tahitian vanilla pods
Pods (Beans) are graded by appearance:
1) Fine Vanilla - these beans are black, frosted with the vanillin, and very fragrant. Length - 8-12 inches (20-30 cm)
2) Woody Vanilla - the beans will have a dry dull surface with no frost of vanillin on their surface. Length - 5-8 inches (12-20 cm)
3) Vanillon - the partly opened beans are brown and soft, thick and flat, rarely have the frost of vanillin and tend to have a slightly bitter smell. Length - 4-5 inches (10-13 cm)
Note: To make your own vanilla extract, place 1 whole vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise, into 3/4 cup (180 ml) of vodka. Cover tightly and let steep for 6 months before using.
1 whole vanilla bean = 2 - 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

thanks to Joy of Cooking!

Licorice Pudding recipe from www.epicurious.com WOW!

I just ran across this recipe and I had to post it I wonder if you could add chocolate to it as well?

Licorice Pudding Recipe from epicurious.com
Scandinavians simply adore black licorice; the selection available in their grocery stores rivals that of chocolate bars in ours. But you don't have to be crazy about it to enjoy this pudding, which is wonderfully smooth and tantalizingly tinged with molasses and anise. We found that Panda brand black licorice works best in this particular recipe.

(note: I'll bet that the RJs black soft eating licorice would be really good in the recipe. The last weeks' batch was so soft & fresh it melted in your mouth! Yum! )

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 5 hr (includes chilling)
Servings: Makes 6 servings.
Special equipment: an instant-read thermometerAccompaniment: Almond paste filled cakes


Ingredients:
3/4 cup very finely chopped Panda brand black licorice sticks or pieces (3 3/8 oz)
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup plus 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine licorice, salt, 4 cups milk, and 1/3 cup sugar in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan and heat over moderately low heat (do not let boil), stirring frequently, until licorice is dissolved, 18 to 20 minutes. (If licorice is not completely dissolved, let mixture stand off heat, uncovered, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes.)

Increase heat to moderate and bring milk mixture to a bare simmer. Stir together cornstarch and remaining 1/2 cup milk in a small bowl.

Whisk cornstarch mixture into licorice mixture and simmer, whisking, 2 minutes to thicken.

Whisk together egg yolks and remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl until combined well, then add hot milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking.

Return to saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until thermometer registers 170°F.

Immediately pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl and stir in butter until incorporated.

Chill pudding, its surface covered with a round of wax paper, until very cold, about 4 hours. Just before serving, gently whisk pudding, then divide among 6 glasses or bowls.Serve with almond cakes.

Cooks' note: Pudding can be chilled in bowl, its surface covered with wax paper and bowl covered with plastic wrap after 4 hours, up to 3 days.

What is salmiak licorice? Also a new Chocolate covered salmiakki licorice discovered!

Ammonium chloride or Sal Ammoniac (chemically ammonium chloride (NH4Cl); also zalmiak, sal armagnac) is, in its pure form, a clear white crystalline salt. Historically it was considered one of the four alchemical "spirits". In modern times it found use as an electrolyte for batteries, and as cough medicine. Its expectorant action is caused by irritative action on the bronchial mucosa. This causes the production of excess respiratory tract fluid which presumably is easier to cough up. (There is little evidence that expectorants actually work.) The main commercial use for ammonium chloride is as a fertilizer for use when growing rice. Other uses include a feed supplement for cattle, in hair shampoo, in the glue that bonds plywood, and as an ingredient in nutritive media for yeast. It is also used in cleaning products.
Sal Ammoniac was named after it was observed in the Temple of Zeus-Ammon in Egypt; its name means "salt of Ammon". It was the white crystalline substance that remained on the ceiling and walls after camel dung was burned. Ugh! And I love it, what can that mean??


The modern name "ammonium" comes from Sal Ammoniac.An industrial byproduct, in several countries sal ammoniac is used to spice up liquorice-type dark candies, and as a flavoring for vodkas. It is sold in blocks at hardware stores for use in cleaning the tip of a soldering iron and can also be included in solder as flux.

This is what Seattle travel guru Rick Steves has to say about licorice in Finland:
Turns Your Stomach, Then Fixes It When in Finland, be sure to try the salmiakki! This salty licorice is a favorite of Finns. I couldn’t stand the stuff, but my host family got a huge kick out of my facial expressions each time I tried it! It was explained to me that this salty licorice became popular as a candy during WW II when sugar was unavailable. Salmiakki also has a very good use other than as a sweet: the salmiak salts in it make a good mild antacid. Try popping a small amount into your mouth and letting it dissolve after sampling too much of your other foreign delights! Click here to see an awesome Finnish Tyrkisk Peber tv commercial!

I'm very happy today because some Finnish boaters came into the store yesterday and were telling me that I had the largest and most comprehensive selection of Scandinavian food they had seen! Yea! But more happiness will be mine when they bring me the samples of the new Fazer Salmiakki that is chocolate covered they were telling me about. My eyes glazed over at the thought of it! I will update after I taste it.

Norwegian Tyttebaer or Lingonberry Jam and Norwegian ripe Strawberry Jam Rock!

Jordbær is Norwegian for strawberry. Norwegian strawberries are the sweetest I have ever tried. The wild strawberry jam made in Norway is very true to the taste of this highly prized fruit. Most of the fruit for export is sent to Japan and to select restaurants in France.
Why all the fuss? One of the reasons is the fruit is treated with respect and integrity. It is picked when riped and rushed to the jam factory within hours so that the delicate fruit is at it's peak when it is minimally processed into jam. You can buy Norwegian wild strawberry jam here.


Tyttebaer is Norwegian for lingonberry. This jam is use as a condiment with (primarily) wild meats like reindeer which is popular in Norway and Scandinavia in general. I previously wrote a post about this on April 8, 2008 called Deer in the Hood .


Lingonberry jam is easy to make at home all you need is a stand mixer. Put the lingonberries in the mixing bowl with sugar to taste and turn it on and let it go until it is jam like in consistency and you are done! You can buy frozen lingonberries here.



I remember while growing up in a Native American household, that my Grandmother Katherine used to make cornballs which was basically an egg shaped ball of cornmeal, lard, and dried huckleberry. I loved them and it was a special treat when my stepfather came back from North Dakota with a few in his pocket for me. I think they would have been even better with lingonberry. To buy the jam to the right which is a lite (lett) lingonberry jam that contains 40% less sugar that the regular recipe chick here.


Lingonberry is a low laying shrub that is ideal for using as a ground cover. It is supposed to grow very well in areas like mine but I can never find it at the nursery. The berries themselves are quite small (less than green pea sized) and firm.

Although the flavor is most often compared to cranberry, that can be deceiving. Because lingonberries are picked ripe they don't have the pucker sour of the cranberry that most of us in the US are familiar with.

Scandinavians love herring, Canned herring and Pickled herring are equally enjoyed.

Nothing says Norway like Herring on a flatbread style cracker. We have over 30 types of tinned herring you can buy here. We also have over 30 types of pickled herring from brands like Abba, Richter, Larsen, PK, Delikat, King Oscar, Neptun, Brase & Soner Ice Land AB, Lykkeberg and Norden. Buy Here.

For example this is perfect for a light lunch. The fish has the perfect firmness.
Hawesta canned Herring in Ketchup Sauce comes with a yummy crunchy Nordic salad.
What's in the salad you ask? Leek, cucumbers, dill weed and both red and yellow bell peppers.




You will need a good cracker to make a this into a meal rather than a snack. A saltine would do but a nice cracker add an element of actually stopping and eating rather than just grabbing a can on the go.
Kavli is a great brand from Norway and comes in 5 different varieties: thick, thin, 5 grain, golden rye and pesto. Another brand I like is is Finn Crisp which come in multi-grain, original, caraway. I like both of these because they are long and thin. If you can imagine each cracker is the size of a standard checkbook check folded in half the long way. This is the perfect size for a messy ingredient like herring because there is enough room on the cracker for a nice sized topping and because it's narrow if fits just right in your mouth. The crackers are firm enough so they snap off and don't crumble.



They also are convenient because there are 3 sleeves of crackers in each box so they stay fresh until you open them


And for an after lunch snack another Norwegian favorite licorice by Nidar, Skipper boats. This is a really nice sweet licorice boat. These licorice are soft and full of flavor. I like to molasses edge to it, they smell really good too! They are nothing like the icky licorice boats IKEA has. Sorry Sweden!

Nidar Skipper licorice has been around since 1985 and it typically Nidar's bestselling sweet bagged licorice according to their website. But that was written in Norwegian.

IFA Salty Black Licorice from Nider Norway

Buy IFA HERE

lFA are pastilles with real liquorice launched in 1930, originally endorsed by the well known Norwegian opera singer Ivar F. Andresen. Ivar Frithiof Andresen was a Norwegian opera singer.
By some called "the voice of the century", Andresen was the first Norwegian to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. A bass, he was considered one of the best Wagner-interpreters of his time.

In Norway he is today probably best known for adorning the box of the cough drop brand "IFA", produced by Nidar. Since the 1930s Andresen's face has been seen on the package, along with a quote recommending the product to "singers, public speakers, smokers and athletes." Wiki

IFA (pronounced as a word I-FA) is a very popular black licorice pastille. It does come in a variety of flavors such as the sugar free licorice and strawberry and the sugar free licorice and chili pepper.

http://www.nidar.no/

Dutch Stroopwafel dipped in Freia milk chocolate (Freia Melkesjokolade)

Buy Dutch Syrup Waffels or Stroopwafels here

Buy Freia melkesjokolade here

For a fantastic Mother's Day treat and to throw any notion of calories or carbs out the window I urge you to melt a Freia milk chocolate (Freia melkesjokolade)bar and dip a stroopwafel into it. Let it dry for a bit on waxed paper then eat it with a great cup of coffee.

This is a blending of foods (yes, IMO these are foods!) from two of my favorite countries Holland and Norway. For more on stroopwafels see the post from Monday, April 28, 2008.

I'm off to enjoy more chocolate covered stroopwafel!

Nero black licorice bar Chocolate covered Norwegian Goodness from the Licorice Shrine

Buy Nidar Nero Bar Here

The Nidar Nero licorice bar is a licorice unlike any other! The licorice is a licorice jelly, so the consistency is kind of like a stiff gumdrop in bar form. The jelly has a triple licorice complexity because it has not only licorice extract but also aniseed oil and fennel oil. I think it is the addition of the fennel oil to the licorice that gives it such an interesting tang to the bar. Think piney sweet licorice. It is covered with Nidar 45% dark chocolate

Buy Nidar Troika Bars HERE

Nidar's Troika bar is a confectionery chocolate with layers of truffle, marzipan and jelly. The chocolate bar for when you want to treat yourself with something special. The jelly in this bar is also stiff like in the Nero bar. I don't really know why its called a jelly because you do have to really bite down on it to get through it.

The marzipan is nice and soft and I usually eat that and leave the rest of the bar alone. It's the not liking fruit thing again I guess. The chocolate truffle part is good too though I prefer the more moose like truffle filling in a Freia Monolit bar. This is a monolit cake, added so you can see how the layers look.

Buy Laban Seig Boys and Girls here

Laban is the name of Nidar's jelly men, women and babies. Yes the girl's do have "girl's"!


Nidar offers a wide range of sweets, such as chocolate bars, boxed chocolate, caramels, jelly men, liquourice, marsipan and lozenges. Many of our products were developed before the Second World War. Brands such as Stratos, Gullbrød, Smørbukk and IFA are among the oldest in Norway.

Scandinavian Flatbread (Flatbrød)

Buy Flatbread here Flatbrød (literally "flat-bread") is a traditional Norwegian unleavened bread which is currently usually eaten with fish, salted meats and soups. Originally it was the staple food of Norwegian shepherds and peasants. The basic ingredients are barley flour, salt, and water, though many varieties exist which incorporate other staples.

A flatbread is a simple bread made from flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened—made without yeast or sourdough culture. They can range from one millimeter to a few centimeters thick. Flatbread was already known in Ancient Egypt and Sumer.

The term unleavened breads can also refer to breads which are not prepared with leavening agents. These flatbreads holds special religious significance to adherents of Judaism and Christianity. Jews consume unleavened breads such as Matzo during Passover. They are also used in the Western Christan liturgy when Christians celebrate the Eucharist.

In 2000 Edward de Bono advised a U.K Foreign Office committee that the Arab-Israeli conflict might be due, in part, to low levels of zinc found in people who eat unleavened bread, a known side-effect of which is aggression. He suggested shipping out jars of Marmite to compensate.

Buy Mors Flatbread Here

Licorice is good for your health and Licorice facts

Buy From the largest selection of Licorice Here
I ran across this incredible exhibit ALL ABOUT LICORICE! Who knew there was an online food museum?? The picture of the plant is the actual licorice plant. I wonder what the blossoms smell like? How cool would that be to have an arrangement of licorice flowers in the house!

Here are cleaned licorice roots and pieces of yummy licorice. Below this is a brief explanation of how the transformation takes place.

The licorice roots are cleaned, grinded and then boiled. The curdled very strong tasting extract is dried again. This is again dissolved in water and founded in moulds. The taste is obtained by adding natural flavours. The licorice was thickened. The plant where licorice is obtained from is mainly found in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean sea. Robust plants with feathered leaves, which can grow to one and a half meters. Well known in Holland and Belgium is the cultivated violet papilion flower, of which the dried roots are known as a goodie. It is also used as an element in the preparation of medicines against pain in the throat and as an ingredient for cough mixtures. Licorice is a benefit for your throat!

Here are a some fun licorice factoids:

Recently a sample of historic Liquorice from 756 A.D. was analysed and found to still have active principles. Licorice provides longevity!

Native Americans used it to alleviate pain in difficult childbirth. Licorice heals!

Liquorice has been a mainstay of traditional Chinese Medicine for over 3,000 years. Licorice cures all!

In Buddhist religion an infusion of the Liquorice root is used to ceremonially bath the statue of the Buddha on the morning of his birthday, the eight day of the eight-month. Buddha is a Leo!!!

Liquorice is 50 times sweeter than sugar, but only contains 100 calories, per ounce and is widely used in the food industry. Licorice is a diet food!

Licorice for President~!





In Pontefract there is a licorice festival that looks allot like Mardi Gras.

Weisswurst, Bockwurst or German White Sausage

Weisswurst (German Weißwurst literally white sausage) is a traditional Bavarian sausage made from very finely minced veal and fresh pork bacon. It is usually flavoured with parsley, also known as "beiderl", lemon, mace, onions, ginger and cardamom, though there are some variations. The mixture is then stuffed into fresh, clean pork casings and separated into individual sausages about four to five inches in length and a bit less than an inch in thickness.

As it is very perishable, weisswurst is traditionally manufactured early in the morning and prepared and eaten as a snack between breakfast and lunch — there is a saying that the sausages should not be allowed to hear the church bells' noon chime. The sausages are heated in water, broth, or white wine just short of boiling, for about ten minutes, which will turn them greyish-white because no color-preserving nitrite is used in Weisswurst preparation.

Weisswurst is brought to table in a big bowl together with the water used for preparation (so it doesn't cool down too much), then eaten without the skin. Ways of eating weisswurst include the traditional way, called "Zuzeln", in which each end of the sausage is cut open, then the meat is sucked out from the skin. Alternatively, the more popular and more discreet ways of consuming it are by cutting the sausage in half in the long direction so that the lower part of the skin remains intact, and then "rolling out" the meat from the skin with a fork, or just ripping the sausage apart and consuming the filling.
Weisswurst is commonly served with a special Bavarian sweet mustard ("Weisswurstsenf") and accompanied by Brezen and Weißbier; according to tradition, Weißwurst may only be served until midday due to the fact that the meat is not smoked and hence the sausage is made fresh every day. Before modern refrigeration technologies, in summertime the sausages would go bad before nightfall. Still today, most bavarians eat their Weisswurst before noon.
It should be noted that Weisswurst is rarely eaten in parts of Germany besides Bavaria (although it is available at well-assorted grocery stores and butcheries almost throughout the country)—a fact that helped coin the term Weißwurstäquator.

Bockwurst We have two kinds of bockwurst in the store, Bavarian meats of Seattle and Saag's meat company which is another American brand. Uli from Uli's famous sausage does not make them, at least for the present time.

Bockwurst is a kind of German sausage. It was invented in 1889 by restaurant owner R. Scholtz of Berlin . It is one of the most popular varieties within Germany, and can also sometimes be found abroad. The sausage is traditionally made from ground veal and pork (tending more towards veal, unlike bratwurst). In modern Germany, however, it is made from different types of ground meat, such as pork, lamb, turkey, chicken and in rare cases even from horse meat. In Northern Germany there is also a version of bockwurst which is made from fish. Bockwurst is flavored with salt, white pepper and paprika. Other spices, such as chives and parsley, are often also added and in Germany itself bockwurst is often smoked as well. Bockwurst was originally eaten with bock beer and it is usually served with mustard. A natural casing sausage, it is usually cooked by simmering although it may also be grilled. When thoroughly cooked, its casing usually splits open. Ideally, one stops cooking just before that occurs because the split casing may look unappetizing and the sausage may then lose flavour to the cooking water.

Another awesome video this one shows how to cook the sausage and shows two ways to eat it. Hint- never use a fork!

German mustard's are necessary to eat this type of sausages. You can find our German Mustard here.