Salt to a Sweet Tooth: A Short Essay on Candy

While abroad, I make it a point to eat food that I wouldn’t normally find back home. Sure, a pack of sour patch kids can be a welcome reminder, but while I have the opportunity I wouldn’t dare pass up the chance to try something new.

That being said, I’ve found the Icelandic equivalent for sour patch kids, although they aren’t sour and they appear to be full-grown, so perhaps ‘patch adults’ would be a more fitting name. But I digress.

‘Patch Adults’. Credit for coming up with that moniker goes to Juliana

In my travels, I’ve noticed that Icelanders really love licorice. It’s actually hard not to, taking one look at the candy section anywhere on the island. They especially seem to have a penchant for salted black licorice, putting it in cookies, ice cream, liquor, and even as a salt!

I am not partial to the flavor so I tend to avoid it, but it is not always easy to stick to what you are familiar with. For example…

I bought some old-timey looking hard candy from the gas station the other day. Everything on the package was in Icelandic, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was in the shape of a fish, which seemed innocent enough. I just love hard candy and I wanted to try something new! Popping one in my mouth, I thought to myself, “Oh, tamarind flavor. This is pretty good!”

So, after a few minutes, as we are driving down the road I start to get this funny feeling in my mouth. I look at the package. Doesn’t seem to be expired, but I was skeptical. Time goes by and the feeling gets stronger, like a zing on my tongue. I look at the package again. “Huh”.

I bite down with a crunch, and instantly salty, fish oil brine coats my tongue. My face scrunches, nose wrinkled. It was like the ocean flooded my mouth. “OH!” I was so surprised I almost spit it out!

At my exclamation, the others in the car turn to look at me, asking, “What?? What is it?”. “Here, try this.” I say. I watch as they place it on their tongue. “I don’t get it. It’s not bad at all!”… a minute goes by and I get my reward. Crunch! and the ensuing exclamation. Worth every krona.

As word spread through the group at the campsite, others gradually came to try it themselves, curiosity getting the better of them. Reactions were actually evenly split! Some loved it, others not so much. But the main takeaway for me is this: if you are traveling abroad, make sure to take a gander at the ingredients before making a purchase.

Thus ends the tale of how I (posthumously) learned to recognize Icelandic word for fish, Fiskur. I have been sure to examine any suspiciously shaped candy very carefully ever since.

Varlega,

Owen

Non-SU Program - Wildland Studies-Artic Ecosystems - Iceland - Summer 2022