Denmark has a particular love affair with everything liquorice. You’ll find it in many different products here, including liquorice beer, ice-cream, chocolate, fudge, mints and of course candy. The Danes can also chew their way through tons of salty liquorice which is something of a speciality here.
The liquorice plant is a perennial herb and a member of the pea family. Native to southern Europe, Asia, and the Mediterranean, it is extensively cultivated in Russia, Spain, Iran, and India. The plant is prized for its roots, which contain glycyrrhizic acid. This acid, which is extracted from the roots, is fifty times sweeter than sugar. Liquorice extract is used as flavouring in food, tobacco, alcohol, cosmetics, and, of course, in liquorice candy.
Liquorice root is one of the most popular herbs in the world. Its botanical name comes for the Greek words meaning “sweet root.”
Denmark produces some of the strongest liquorices to eat in the world. Salty liquorice is a speciality in Denmark and contains a large amount of ammonium chloride (salmiac). Ga-Jol is Denmark's top-selling liquorices pastille, with the Danes consuming over 600 million each year.