Lakrisal is a Malaco brand of

salty liquorice Salty liquorice, also known as salmiak liquorice, salmiac liquorice or (in Finland) , is a variety of liquorice (confectionery), liquorice flavoured with salmiak salt (sal ammoniac; ammonium chloride#Food, ammonium chloride), and is a common co ...

(

liquorice Liquorice ( Commonwealth English) or licorice (American English; see spelling differences; ) is the common name of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'', a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring is ...

and

ammonium chloride Ammonium chloride is an inorganic chemical compound with the chemical formula , also written as . It is an ammonium salt of hydrogen chloride. It consists of ammonium cations and chloride anions . It is a white crystalline salt (chemistry), sal ...

flavored

candy Candy, alternatively called sweets or lollies, is a Confectionery, confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum ...

) sold in the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Unlike most salty liquorice candies, Lakrisal does not contain any

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...

gum arabic Gum arabic (gum acacia, gum sudani, Senegal gum and by other names) () is a tree gum exuded by two species of '' Acacia sensu lato:'' '' Senegalia senegal,'' and '' Vachellia seyal.'' However, the term "gum arabic" does not indicate a partic ...

(E414). Instead, it is made almost entirely of

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

, liquorice, and ammonium chloride. Because of this, Lakrisal drops are powdery, and have been pressed to stay in one piece like tablets. Persons suffering from

hypertension Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a Chronic condition, long-term Disease, medical condition in which the blood pressure in the artery, arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms i ...

should avoid excessive intake of Lakrisal. Lakrisal is also unlike most salty liquorice candies by not being black. Instead, it is a very light brownish gray colour. Lakrisal drops are disk-shaped, about 18 mm in diameter and about 4 mm thick. They are sold in tubes of about 20 drops each.

History

Lakrisal is a direct continuation of a similar product Bronzol, launched as a throat tablet, which was advertised under the slogan "Hälsan för halsen - Bronzol!" ("Health for the throat - Bronzol!", sung to the melody of

Shave and a Haircut "Shave and a Haircut" and the associated response "two bits" is a seven-note musical call-and-response couplet, riff or fanfare popularly used at the end of a musical performance, usually for comedic effect. It is used melodically or rhythmical ...

). Liquorice or salmiak throat tablets have been produced and sold in the Nordic countries since the 1950s. Even the cough medicine brand Quiller-syrup uses the same flavors.

Production

Lakrisal is produced by

Cloetta Cloetta is a Swedish confectionery company. The company manufactures and sells local confectionery brands on its main markets Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany and the UK. History In 1862, Christoph Cloëtta (1836–1897) ...

; formerly by

Leaf International Leaf International BV was a confectionery company founded in the 1940s. Leaf had sales of approximately €527m (2010) and 2,400 employees. It had 11 factories in seven countries. Leaf was owned by CVC Capital Partners, Nordic Capital, and ma ...

Varieties

In the 1980s, a new

lemon The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

-flavoured variety of Lakrisal was introduced. It proved quite unpopular and was soon discontinued. Another flavour was the "hot" Lakrisal that included chili pepper powder and pepper oil.

References

{{Reflist Brand name confectionery Liquorice (confectionery) Dutch confectionery Swedish confectionery Throat lozenges