THE BEST SPICY SALTY LICORICE EVER
When you claim to make the best licorice ever (and, in case it wasn’t clear yet, that’s exactly what we at Klepper & Klepper say), you sometimes must take steps that have never been taken before. You must take risks that no one else has dared to take. You need to come up with ideas no one has thought of and make decisions that might make others think you’ve lost your mind.
You have to be able to handle that. If you claim to make the best licorice ever, you must accept that you won’t always be understood.
SEAWEED IN LICORICE: HAVE THEY LOST THEIR MINDS?
During the creation of The Best Spicy Salty Licorice Ever, Klepper & Klepper decided to take a slightly different approach. Now, you might say, “But there are plenty of spicy salty licorices out there, right?” And you’d be correct. However, none of those licorices are truly spicy salty. That’s because of the ingredient that makes The Best Spicy Salty Licorice Ever truly unique.
Seaweed.
Yes, you read that right. The Best Spicy Salty Licorice Ever gets its spicy saltiness from seaweed. How did that happen? Well, here’s the story…
IN SEARCH OF UMAMI FLAVOR EXPERIENCES
One fine day, Klepper Jr. went to a Japanese restaurant. And, as you may know, the Japanese have a term for the fifth basic taste. It’s a taste that’s not quite sweet and not quite salty – a flavor that’s hard to describe. Fortunately, the Japanese have given it a name: umami.
The word “umami” literally means “delicious taste.” In 1908, Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda proved that, in addition to sweet, sour, salty, and bitter, there is a fifth basic taste. The umami flavor is linked to a substance called glutamate. Umami enhances salivation and intensifies both salty and sweet flavors. It can be found in aged cheese, mushrooms, ketchup, and… seaweed.
So, when Klepper Jr. pitched the idea of making an umami licorice to Klepper Sr. in late 2021, they quickly considered adding seaweed. They thought about it for a while, let the idea rest, revisited it, and let it rest again. Eventually, they realized the idea wouldn’t leave them alone.
THE MIRACLE INGREDIENT CALLED SEAWEED
Licorice with seaweed. It sounds so crazy that it just might work. Moreover, seaweed not only has an umami taste but also a delightful, salty flavor, which umami enhances even further. Klepper Sr. reasoned that if you put that in licorice, it could result in a delicious, spicy, salty licorice.
Besides the delicious umami-spiced flavor, seaweed has other remarkable qualities. It’s a good source of iron and protein and is packed with minerals like phosphorus, calcium, and iodine. Not that you’ll notice any of this when eating a licorice (the amounts are too small), but just knowing it makes you feel healthier.
Seaweed is also good for the environment – provided it is harvested responsibly. Just as trees absorb CO2 from the air, seaweed removes CO2 from the water. When seaweed extracts CO2 from the water, the water can absorb more CO2 from the air, reducing the amount in the atmosphere. By including seaweed in The Best Licorice Ever, we encourage seaweed cultivation and help remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
In short, if we can successfully make truly delicious licorice with seaweed, we’ll have a product that fully earns the title of The Best Licorice Ever.
TIME TO EXPERIMENT WITH LICORICE AND SEAWEED
So Klepper & Klepper went into the lab to do some serious experimentation with seaweed and licorice. As mentioned, Klepper & Klepper wanted to make a spicy salty licorice. This was in fact still missing in the flavor palette. The mild-salty variety has a lot of fans, but there is also a need for something with a little more spice. The kind of licorice that makes you sit up straight when you put it in your mouth.
It wasn’t easy, we can tell you. Seaweed is hard to capture in licorice. But, as often happens when Klepper & Klepper have set their sights on something: eventually it will work. If only you keep looking long enough. And then get tested often enough at the markets where Klepper & Klepper are still on a weekly basis. Be willing to go back to the drawing board every now and then. To fail. To rise from your own ashes. And start again in good spirits.
TIME TO EXPERIMENT WITH LICORICE AND SEAWEED
So, Klepper & Klepper headed to the lab to thoroughly experiment with seaweed and licorice. As mentioned, they wanted to create a spicy salty licorice, as this flavor was missing from their range. The mildly salty variant has many fans, but there was also a demand for something with a bit more kick – a licorice that makes you sit up straight the moment it hits your mouth.
It wasn’t easy, that much we can tell. Seaweed doesn’t integrate into licorice easily. But, If you search long enough, test often at the markets and are willing to return to the drawing board when needed success eventually follows. And so was the case of The Best Spicy Salty Licorice Ever.
You need to be ready to fail, rise from your own ashes, and start over with renewed determination.
FIVE SIDES FOR THE FIFTH TASTE
We can’t say how many versions of The Best Spicy Salty Licorice Ever were tested at the market in Alkmaar. But in the end, Klepper & Klepper succeeded in creating a licorice that exceeded all expectations.
They gave the licorice a five-sided shape to reflect the umami flavor from the seaweed – umami is often referred to as the fifth taste, hence the five sides.
But enough talk. As they say in England, “The proof is in the eating of the licorice.” It’s time to put The Best Spicy Salty Licorice Ever in your mouth.
Close your eyes. Let it rest on your tongue for a moment. Savor it. Tuck it in your cheek. Try to pinpoint what you’re tasting. Identify what makes it so special. And realize: this is that famous fifth taste, hidden within seaweed, hidden within a licorice. Umami, indeed.
PRODUCT INFORMATION
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