Marabou Black Saltlakrits

You have to be seriously committed to ruin something as delightful as chocolate. The world has certainly been trying to with unholy mixtures like chocolate-covered ants, chili-pepper chocolate, and chocolate-infused hotdogs, but thus far chocolate has been able to withstand the assaults. It’s even been able to withstand the ultimate in unpalatableness: the Finns and their salmiac.

At least, thus far. Perhaps Marabou’s BLACK will finally ruin chocolate.

What was especially exciting about the Marabou was the texture of the liquorice pieces. They weren’t soft or chewy as I had expected, but were crunchy – almost like little pieces of hard candy. But unlike some candy-infused chocolate, these pieces didn’t stick or linger around much after the chocolate. That, in and of itself, is a rare treat.

The initial saltiness of the salmiac offered a pleasant balance to the sweet chocolate. It reminded me of something that’s actually good, like a chocolate covered pretzel. But boy-oh-boy does that salt creep back. Perhaps this is a consequence of eating nearly half of the bar in one sitting, but even as I type this review with a glass of water in hand – a solid thirty minutes or so after indulging in the “treat” – I still feel parched. And a little ill from eating so much chocolate.

It’s because of this that I must rate the Marabou as almost-enjoyable. Perhaps in small doses it’d be enjoyable, but “small doses” and “chocolate” make as much sense as, say, “salmiac” and “chocolate”.

Fazer Salmiakkitäytesuklaa

When I received the giant box of Salmiak on that one fateful day, the first candy I tried was the Salmiakkitäytesuklaa. According to box, which actually has some English writing on it, that's apparently Finlandese for "milk chocolate with salmiac filling".

My initial tasting was done weeks before I decided to start chronicling this pungent journey, and thus I feel qualified in saying that this was one of the few candies that has changed in character since first receiving it.

Mostly, the salmiac filling has dried out bit and has gone from a gooey filling to something more consistent with nougat. However, I do prefer the candy in this state, as the mixed textures of semi-soft (chocolate) and gooey (salmiac) was a bit unpleasant.

But no matter. Like all things covered in chocolate (including chocolate-covered ants), the Salmiakkitäytesuklaa was not bad. The chocolate muted the liquorice flavor while the sweetness and saltiness battled it out for dominance. Although sweet prevailed at first, the saltiness was able to hold out and eventually win the fight.

All in all, it was a very slight and gradual transition to the unpleasant sensation of having sucked on some saltlick. But since chocolate was involved, it wasn't that awful of an experience.

Congratulations, Salmiakkitäytesuklaa. You have not only surpassed the edible mark, but made it all the way to almost enjoyable.