Salmiakki
Encyclopedia
Salty liquorice, also known as salmiak or salmiakki is a variety of liquorice flavoured with ammonium chloride
, common in Netherlands
, Nordic Countries
, Baltic States
and Northern Germany. Ammonium chloride gives salty liquorice an astringent, salty taste (hence the name), which has been described as "tongue-numbing" and "almost-stinging". Salty liquorice is an acquired taste
and people not familiar with ammonium chloride might find the taste physically overwhelming and unlikeable. 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 also used as a flavoring in other products, such as ice creams and alcoholic beverages.
, meaning "salt of Ammon". "Ammon" in turn refers to the temple of Ammon
at Siwa Oasis
, where ancient Greeks found ammonium chloride. The word ammonia
has the same origin. Ammonium chloride has a history of being used as a cough medicine as it works as an expectorant. Finnish author Jukka Annala speculates that salty liquorice has its origins at drug stores which manufactured their own cough medicine. Where and when ammonium chloride and liquorice were first combined to produce salty liquorice is unclear, but by the 1930's it was produced in Finland and Norway as a candy.
), or simply "salty 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 often used as a food colouring agent in these candies. In addition to ammonium chloride, salty liquorice candies are sometimes flavoured with other strong flavours like table salt and pepper, as in the case of Tyrkisk Peber candies. In Germany
there is a variety available that is silvered by a metal powder that, as a side effect, makes it electrically conductive. A Common shape for salty liquorice candies is a black diamond-shaped lozenge
. This diamond shape is so typical that in Finnish, the word "salmiakki" can sometimes refer to this shape instead of the candy.
, chocolate
, distilled rye
brandy
, ice cream, cola drinks, snus
, and recently, meat
.
Ammonium chloride
Ammonium chloride NH4Cl is an inorganic compound with the formula NH4Cl. It is a white crystalline salt that is highly soluble in water. Solutions of ammonium chloride are mildly acidic. Sal ammoniac is a name of natural, mineralogical form of ammonium chloride...
, common in Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Nordic Countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
, Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
and Northern Germany. Ammonium chloride gives salty liquorice an astringent, salty taste (hence the name), which has been described as "tongue-numbing" and "almost-stinging". Salty liquorice is an acquired taste
Acquired taste
An acquired taste often refers to an appreciation for a food or beverage that is unlikely to be enjoyed by a person who has not had substantial exposure to it, usually because of some unfamiliar aspect of the food or beverage, including a strong or strange odor An acquired taste often refers to an...
and people not familiar with ammonium chloride might find the taste physically overwhelming and unlikeable. 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 also used as a flavoring in other products, such as ice creams and alcoholic beverages.
History
The words salmiak and salmiakki are derived from an archaic Latin name for ammonium chloride, sal ammoniacusSal ammoniac
Sal ammoniac is a rare mineral composed of ammonium chloride, NH4Cl. It forms colorless to white to yellow-brown crystals in the isometric-hexoctahedral class. It has very poor cleavage and a brittle to conchoidal fracture. It is quite soft, with a Mohs hardness of 1.5 to 2, and has a low specific...
, meaning "salt of Ammon". "Ammon" in turn refers to the temple of Ammon
Amun
Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
at Siwa Oasis
Siwa Oasis
The Siwa Oasis is an oasis in Egypt, located between the Qattara Depression and the Egyptian Sand Sea in the Libyan Desert, nearly 50 km east of the Libyan border, and 560 km from Cairo....
, where ancient Greeks found ammonium chloride. The word ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
has the same origin. Ammonium chloride has a history of being used as a cough medicine as it works as an expectorant. Finnish author Jukka Annala speculates that salty liquorice has its origins at drug stores which manufactured their own cough medicine. Where and when ammonium chloride and liquorice were first combined to produce salty liquorice is unclear, but by the 1930's it was produced in Finland and Norway as a candy.
Types
Different languages often refers salty liquorice either "salmiac liquorice" (such as salmiaklakrits in SwedishSwedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
), or simply "salty 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 often used as a food colouring agent in these candies. In addition to ammonium chloride, salty liquorice candies are sometimes flavoured with other strong flavours like table salt and pepper, as in the case of Tyrkisk Peber candies. In Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
there is a variety available that is silvered by a metal powder that, as a side effect, makes it electrically conductive. A Common shape for salty liquorice candies is a black diamond-shaped lozenge
Lozenge
A lozenge , often referred to as a diamond, is a form of rhombus. The definition of lozenge is not strictly fixed, and it is sometimes used simply as a synonym for rhombus. Most often, though, lozenge refers to a thin rhombus—a rhombus with acute angles of 45°...
. This diamond shape is so typical that in Finnish, the word "salmiakki" can sometimes refer to this shape instead of the candy.
Other uses
In addition to being used in candy, salmiak is also used to flavour vodkaVodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
, chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
, distilled rye
Rye
Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
, ice cream, cola drinks, snus
Snus
Snus , or Swedish snuff, is a moist powder tobacco product originated from a variant of dry snuff in the early 19th century in Sweden, consumed by placing it under the lip for extended periods of time. The precursor of snus, the dry form of snuff inhaled through the nose, was introduced in Europe...
, and recently, meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
.
See also
- Apteekin salmiakkiApteekin salmiakkiApteekin salmiakki is a hard, diamond-shaped candy made by the Finnish company Haganol. It was first sold as a cough medicine in pharmacies, a practice which continues to the present day. It has been manufactured with the same recipe since 1951....
, the "pharmacy salmiak" - Salmiakki KoskenkorvaSalmiakki KoskenkorvaSalmiakki Koskenkorva, is a pre-mixed liqueur which caused a minor revolution in drinking culture in Finland during the 1990s. Canonically salmiakkikossu consists of Koskenkorva Viina vodka and ground up Turkish Pepper brand salty liquorice...
, a salmiak-flavoured vodka beverage - Salmiakkikola, a salmiak-flavoured cola drink
- Tyrkisk Peber (Turkish pepper), a popular brand of salmiak candy
- PantteriPantteriPantteri , , is a brand of Finnish salmiakki candy, made by Fazer....
, a gummy salmiak candy - Nogger Black, a salmiak-flavoured ice cream bar
- LakrisalLakrisalLakrisal is a Malaco brand of salty liquorice sold in the Nordic countries and the Netherlands....
, a very salty salmiak candy