Looks-wise, this is NOT the most exciting piece of candy I’ve ever come across. I mean, I guess it’s really beautiful in a way that appeals to somber, lonely, graphic designers but for the rest of us, it resembles a piece of coal and is in no way obviously edible.
When I was first presented with this little coal brick, I had to make the cheeky cultural observation that, if communism could be personified as candy, this would be it. Capitalism would never yield a product like this unless it was meant to tap into the niche market that superficially glorifies communist aesthetics.
Looking at this weird licorice treat, I imagined a scene like this:
EXT: Courtyard Winter, depressing communist country…
Man in weather-beaten gray coat approaches child in identical weather-beaten gray coat. He pulls a black brick out of his pocket and says, ‘Hey kid, want some candy.’
FADE OUT…
Of course the child in this film would be thrilled by the unexpected sweet surprise, but to an audience of capitalists, it would be a bleak tear-jerker of a scene.
So, with great trepidation, I approached my black block and gnawed the edge. To my surprised delight, the cube quickly revealed a soft texture and a very pleasant flavor began to form in my mouth. The communist block dissolved into a mild licorice-caramel. Rather than the usual ’stick to your teeth’ chewy texture of caramels, this surprising little sweet was soft and supple, like a nougat. A trip to the kadó website revealed that this treat was known as lakritzfudge (licorice fudge) and that it was a Swedish import. Fudge is a perfect description for the balance of sweet caramelized sugars and rich licorice flavors. The result is not too sweet and not too strong. I must admit, I really liked the crumbly gray center it revealed. Just goes to show….you can’t judge a candy by its appearance.
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