Salmiakki and the secret of the sixth Nordic country
2005.09.21
Forget the rumours about that terribly tasting black stuff you find in Finland and other Nordic countries. Salmiakki is black, good and even unhealthy. Perfect stuff.
(Summary from absoluteastronomy.com:)
“Salmiakki
Salmiakki is a salty treat (like candy but salty) that many people in Finland love. Many agree that it is an acquired taste.
Salmiakki candies are almost always black. The only other colors used are white and variants of grey. Since pure ammonium chloride is a white powder, the reason why black is the preferred colour for salmiakki is somewhat unclear. It might be partly to provide a “tougher image” for the candies, and partly because of the liquorice used to vary and soften the salty flavor.
The canonical shape for salmiakki candies is a four-cornered lozenge. This shape is so popular that in Finnish, the word “salmiakki” can sometimes refer to the lozenge shape, instead of the candy or the salt it is produced with. This is particularly common in computer science when discussing the Unified Modeling Language. Round salmiakki candies are also very common, either disc-shaped or complete spheres.
In addition to being used in candy, salmiakki is also used to flavor vodka and distilled rye brandy.
Salmiakki is extremely popular in all five of the Nordic countries, but is lesser known elsewhere in the world. Most non-Nordic Europeans have heard of salmiakki, and sometimes tried it, but are generally not especially fond of it. A notable exception is the Netherlands, where salmiak (salmiakki) is very popular. Because of this, the Netherlands have been called “the sixth Nordic country”.”
(read the whole article)
More info in Finnish:
The Finnish Salmiakki Association
The Salmiakki Club (with a unique top ten salmiakki list!)
If that’s not enough, learn some Finnish and get “Salmiakki”, the ultimate book about all different kinds of salmiakki (by Jukka Annala) from Nemo Kustannus.
