14 May 2010

Katjes - Salty Herrings [Sweets] [Salzige Heringe] (Germany)


When I think about sweets in the UK, I think about traditional sugary delights such as delicious sounding Rosy Apples and Rhubarb N Custards. Salty Herrings don’t sound sweet, and don’t sound appetising either. Whatever 'sweetness' was within the pack, the salt didn’t feel like a natural accompaniment.
When I took them out of the bag I was relieved to discover these strange black jellies were in actual fact liquorice. Liquorice and salt though? I tentatively licked the granular coating, and found it to be sugary, with a very gentle saltiness to it. There was part of me that was worried and was expecting it to be pure salt, which would have been rather sickly!
The sweets themselves are soft like a firm jelly flavoured with liquorice. The subtle salt does enhance the taste, and does work well together.
I liked them more than I expected too and thought they made a fun bag of sweets. However liquorice purists may prefer a proper liquorice product, without the salt. Worth a try for those with curious taste buds.

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