CAPSULE REPORT: Australians love their liquorice, and they can spell it however they like since they do such a good job of it. The natural flavors and chewy consistency are magnificent. Alas, our American-produced, commercial licorice can’t hope to compete.
Thinking back to the artificially flavored licorice twists and laces we ate as a child, we now realize that we were deprived! It took us all these years to discover Kookaburra Liquorice from Australia and understand what the genre is all about. The individual pieces are lovely: sandwiched squares, colorful rolls, and balls covered in round sprinkles, looking as if artisans labored to put the pieces together just so. They look gem-like in a crystal candy dish, and they taste great too. Each piece combines at least two flavors: liquorice with banana...liquorice with lime...liquorice with orange. Delicious, fun, and beautiful too? A bag of Kookaburra is a great date. The pretty stuff is called Allsorts, which we gather is Australian for “assorted.” Kookaburra also makes regular red and black liquorices—well, hardly “regular.” Open a bag of Red and you are hit with the scent of real fruit. And oh my...it tastes like real strawberry jam. It drives one who drew up on artificial flavors and textures to distraction...and joy. Black liquorice is serious stuff: with a heady amount of liquorice extract, it is manly, not for the faint of heart. Ernest Hemingway would have chewed it. A profound liquorice experience. If you, too, grew up on the fake stuff, it’s time to try the real stuff—made with real cane sugar, real liquorice extract, real molasses, real treacle. You’ll have a really enjoyable time. “Rich, Chewy & Delicious,” exclaims the package. “Best Liquorice in the World.” We don’t dare disagree—the kookaburras would laugh us down.
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