This Iconic Candy Is Beloved In Sweden, But Divisive In The US

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We're enjoying a Swedish candy boom here in the United States. Sweden's sugary imports have exploded in recent years — in fact, according to United Nations COMTRADE data (via Trading Economics), Sweden imported over $10 million of candy to the U.S. in 2024. What makes Swedish candy different from American candy is that it uses fewer artificial ingredients. So, not only are the typically squishy-yet-fluffy gummies bursting with real fruit flavors, but a more natural approach makes Swedish treats feel somewhat less harmful to our health. To help start your journey, we've ranked 21 popular Swedish candies. But there's an entire subcategory of Swedish candy we need to discuss, as it's not as easy of a sell to American candy consumers: lakrits.

"Lakrits" means "licorice," but we're not talking about Twizzlers and Red Vines, here. This isn't berry-flavored licorice, it's black licorice, and it's more intensely flavored than our black licorice here in the States, which is already a polarizing sweet. Lakrits are gelatin candies that come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and with various fillings and twists, but the common factor is they're flavored with extracts from dried licorice root for a powerful anise, fennel-like pop. A step further on the love-it-or-hate-it spectrum is salmiak, which is salted lakrits. You bite through a coating of salt to a chewy center, somehow both powerfully bitter and sweet at once. Swedes adore it, but this doesn't come naturally to Americans, who are used to a more fully sweet character to their candy.

Licorice root is originally from Asia and the Middle East; trade routes brought it to Europe in the Middle Ages. It was used medicinally until the end of the 18th century, when some producers began using it in candy. Scandinavians preferred theirs with a salty twist. That's truer than ever today — in Sweden, you'll find entire stores selling all things black licorice, including candies with varying levels of salt; with chocolate; with fillings and flavors such as different fruits, caramel, mint, or whiskey; and even licorice ice cream. 

Annually, Swedish people eat on average 2 kilograms, or about 4½ pounds, of licorice per person. But even Americans who love other treats from Sweden aren't so sure lakrits are the one Swedish candy everyone needs to try, however. When Instacart analyzed its purchase data to find the most polarizing foods among American shoppers in 2023, licorice ranked second, just behind anchovies, with nearly half of consumers hating the stuff. 

Scroll through a Reddit board asking whether users around the world like licorice, and you'll find a bevy of answers ranging from adoring praise to total disgust. Sweden is at least self-aware: At its own Disgusting Food Museum, where visitors can try polarizing delicacies from all different countries, strong-flavored salmiak is placed at the museum's "final level" of yuckiest eats, which also includes Iceland's fermented shark. But that just means more for all the lakrits lovers out there. If you're ready to try it, you can order Malaco's Gott & Blandat Salt Licorice Mix on Amazon.