It can cause dangerously low potassium and imbalances in other minerals called electrolytes.Д®ating as little as 2 ounces of black licorice a day for two weeks could cause a heart rhythm problem, especially for folks over 40, the U.S. The problem is glycyrrhizic acid, found in black licorice and in many other foods and dietary supplements containing licorice root extract. Neel Butala, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who described the case in the New England Journal of Medicine. If the broadest definition of candy is that it can revive lost memories and transport us back to the innocent, less complicated days of childhood, then for the people who grew up eating it, Zoute Drop fits the bill - even though itвЂ™s more salt and spice than вЂњeverything nice.'Even a small amount of licorice you eat can increase your blood pressure a little bit,' said Dr. I felt fascination and pride when I discovered his candy preferences made our family special, and that memory comes back with renewed force every time I eat Zoute Drop. I remember being giddy with excitement when we entered the candy store after our walks in the park, and the neon candied oranges in my plastic bag.

The moment the Zoute Drop coin hit my tongue, memories of my dad and I sitting his Ford Explorer on the waterfront, eating candy, came flooding back to me. Zoute Drop doesnвЂ™t resemble candy Americans are accustomed to in any way except one: ItвЂ™s strongest flavor is nostalgia.

Yet I found it appealing for another reason. The savory licorice isnвЂ™t as cloying as sugary candy, but itвЂ™s just as satisfying - less harsh on the stomach and therefore easier to indulge throughout the day. The more Zoute Drop I snack on, the more I understand its appeal. Once the initial shock of salt wears off, Dubbel Zout becomes just a regular piece of Dutch licorice - yet most non-Dutch people donвЂ™t get past that first minute or two without a serious struggle. A salty firework bursts on your tongue, lingering only a few moments. The hallmark of Dubbel Zout is that it makes your mouth pucker and turn to sandpaper. But itвЂ™s Dubbel Zout (double salt) rounds stamped with the capital DZ initials that are the most infamous variety. There are many varieties: The diamond-shaped Zoute Drop and the coin design my father favored are mildly, though still palpably, salty. The flavor is, no matter how you describe it, pungent it lingers on your tongue and the back of your teeth. ThereвЂ™s sourness, too, somewhere in there - not a citrus sour, but pickled cabbage. Zoute Drop is bitter-like cough syrup from the ammonium chloride, chased with the spice of black pepper. ItвЂ™s not just salty, although thatвЂ™s the sharpest flavor. Zoute Drop looks so utterly unremarkable, so ordinary, that its intense flavor comes as a complete shock. There is some mischievous trickery at work here. ItвЂ™s easier to think of Zoute Drop as a treat closer to a savory biscuit rather than a candy a midday snack that you might find accompanying a cup of coffee or tea. And thatвЂ™s to say nothing of its odd flavor, which seems to flummox the taste buds of foreigners. Zoute Drop contradicts all of that, from how physically taxing it is to consume to its gloomy color. We use it to relieve stress, to conjure up child-like joy, to escape reality and enter a paradise of cotton candy clouds and gum drop rainbows. вЂњI never met anyone who wasnвЂ™t Dutch who liked salty licorice.вЂќДЄmericans think of candy as the apex of pleasure. I remember being tailed by some of my companions who expected to be given several pieces of the licorice I bought,вЂќ Benjamin recalls. This was in Leiden, a university city where my late uncle taught art history. вЂњWhen I was a young boy, I would always buy a couple of rolls and share them with my friends after school was dismissed. This is undoubtedly where he picked up his love of salty licorice. After immigrating from Jakarta, my dad, Benjamin, spent part of his childhood in Leiden, a town in Holland known for its tulip fields.

Black licorice candy