Halloween is coming up, so let’s talk about the flavors available to you in Twizzlers candy. Twizzlers are a licorice candy made by Hershey’s. They were originally made by a licorice company named National Licorice Company – created in 1902. This company eventually merged with Hershey’s, putting Twizzlers out under their name.
Licorice is not everyone’s favorite candy. It has a very distinctive flavor that only appeals to some people. It is very chewy. The black colored Twizzler is the only true licorice flavor, and many would describe it as very bitter tasting, as licorice is an anise-flavored candy.
With all that said, twizzlers flavors include 1.) strawberry 2.) cherry 3.) true black licorice, and 4.)chocolate flavor.
Fennel is an herb with strongly flavored seeds, leaves, and body. Dried fennel seed is a popular spice used in cooking, and has a flavor that is similar to anise flavor, but not as strong – you will find it in the spice rack of your supermarket. Fennel leaves closely resemble dill leaves – they are thin, green, and feathery. The fennel bulb is also used in cooking as a vegetable, particularly in Italian food. Many supermarkets do sell fennel the vegetable – look in the fresh vegetable section for something that slightly resembles celery stalks but has a huge bulb, and leaves that look like dill. When cooked, fennel has a subtle licorice flavor which is surprisingly satisfying, and appealing to those who do not like strongly flavored vegetables. It is a light vegetable, so be sure you have something else to eat that is very filling. You will not eat the stalks, just the bulbs; you can however save the stalks to flavor soups, and the leaves to flavor fish.
Anise cookies are especially good for those people who like the flavor of licorice or licorice flavored pastries since it is made with anise seed or anise extract which both smells and tastes like licorice. (Anise seed is a seed related to caraway, dill, and fennel, and is popular in European cooking, in particular with fish and shellfish cooking to give the food a Mediterranean flavor. Look in the spice section of the supermarket for a bottle.) Anise cookies are a great choice for the holidays because of the sweet licorice flavor..be advised though that the taste is bold, and not subtle. If you’re looking for recipes for how to make anise cookies – here’s a good Anise Cookie Recipe for those looking to use their anise extract or anise seeds in a tasty dish. Here’s another good recipe for Italian Anise Cookies. Finally, here’s another recipe for Sour Cream Anise Cookies. So licorice lovers pull out your anise extract and get cooking!
p.s. For more info on anise, check out my post on Anise Flavored Liquer.
Anise Flavored Liqueur is a type of liqueur which is flavored with anise. Pretty simple, eh? (A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has a sweet-tasting flavor…liqueurs are often used to add that extra flavor to an alcoholic drink). You’ll find the taste sweet, and some people would describe the flavor as tasting licorice-like. The sweet-flavored beverage should be mixed in a cocktail for best tasting results! Different parts of the country call anise-flavored liqueur different things. There are varieties known as anisette, ouzo, and sambuca. Absinthe is one variety made from a narcotic herb (so not widely sold)- wormwood, which a plant whose leaves include absinthine and anabsinthine, and is sometimes used for indegestion. A drier-flavored variety of anise liqueur is anis.
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