Liquorice Candy

part of: Liquorice

Liquorice candy is a distinctive sweet made with extract from the root of the liquorice plant, giving it its characteristic deep, anise-like flavour and dark colour. It’s a divisive treat — people tend to love it or avoid it entirely — but it has devoted fans across Australia, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands.

Traditional black liquorice has a complex flavour profile that is simultaneously sweet, slightly bitter, and herbaceous. Australian liquorice tends to be softer and sweeter than the salty Scandinavian varieties. It’s sold as twists, straps, allsorts, bullets, and countless other shapes.

Liquorice allsorts, combining liquorice with fondant and coconut, are a particularly iconic Australian and British confection. The candy also appears in ice cream, chocolate, and baking.

Wild & Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Liquorice root is harvested, dried, and boiled to extract a thick, dark juice. This extract is combined with sugar, glucose syrup, flour or starch, and a binding agent, then heated and mixed into a pliable dough. The mixture is extruded or moulded into the desired shapes — twists, straps, or logs — and allowed to set. Some varieties include additional flavourings such as aniseed oil or salt.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 307kcal
Protein 5.7g
Carbs 70.3g
Fat 0.8g
Fibre 3.5g Sugar 40.6g
Mass Distribution

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈4.3kg
Freshwater ≈657.44L
Land ≈11.16

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

anise-flavored confection

Goes well with
fennel star anise chocolate mint
Classic dishes
  • Liquorice allsorts
  • Dutch drop
  • Liquorice toffee

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

FSANZ

How it was calculated

Analysed

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

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