Thanks goodness Ikea’s proclivity for sassy names does not extend to their treats at the food section. I have enough trouble buying candy shaped like rats that looks like the felt pulled out from a highlighter pen that I don’t need it to be further called Bjarf, Puke or Funkis.
Name: Licorice Boats
Brand: Aroma
Place Purchased: Ikea (Burbank, CA)
Price: $1.69
Size: 5.2 oz
Calories per ounce: 94
Type: Licorice
I gave these to Russ to try the other night and he agreed that, “The licorice in my licorice boat had already set sail.” These are definitely sweet - you just open the bag and the sugary smell permeates the air. But there’s no there there. The jelly center has a bit of a licorice perfume to it, but no bite. I think I’ve come to expect molasses with my licorice as it’s a good anchor for the flavor.
Name: Jelly Rats
Brand: Aroma
Place Purchased: Ikea (Burbank, CA)
Price: $1.69
Size: 5.2 oz
Calories per ounce: 94
Type: Jelly
They’re rather scary looking, and I’m telling you that’s the actual color - some sort of slightly translucent-neon hazard color. They also have a strong sweet smell infused with violet which didn’t thrill me, but biting into them I found a nice, tart and fruity jelly candy. The flavors aren’t complex or strong, but just nice. If I am planning on having a Swedish jelly candy though, I really want some Swedish fish.
Name: Marabou Milk Chocolate with Nuts
Brand: Marabou (a Kraft Foods division)
Place Purchased: Ikea
Price: $.99
Size: 2.4 oz
Calories per ounce: 128
Type: Chocolate/Nuts
This was the positive find in the whole experience. They’re little chunks of milk chocolate with crushed hazelnuts. Really creamy, very sweet with good nuts. The chocolate is smooth and the toasty taste of the nuts infuses it well.
It’s simple and satisfying. The roll is easy to share and I might make a point to pick these up at the start of my shopping experience at Ikea as a little boost. I ate them all before I finished typing this review.
Ratings: Licorice Boats - 4 out of 10
Jelly Rats - 5 out of 10
Marabou Milk Chocolate and Nuts - 7 out of 10
Those Jelly Rats are hilarious. I wonder what the marketing people were thinking making them rats… they could have made them anything else but rats probably: cats, bats, etc. Maybe rats don’t have as much of a stigma across the sea as they do over here.
I guess we eat all manner of candy animals and parts - bears, kitten tongues, hands, worms, fish, babies, octopods, frogs, penguins, snails, wax lips & teeth, chicken feet, pigs, dinosaurs, spiders, puppies and of course the epitome of candy animals - the chocolate rabbit. (I had to look all this up.)
I did wonder if there was some Swedish version of the Pied Piper of Hamlin though, but I didn’t find anything in a quick web search.
wer can i buy Salty Seals from? they r liquorice n they make my mouth water jst finkin of em
marabou is swedens most popular chocolate-brand.
i guess the best sort is just ‘milkchocolate’, without the nuts. but, it should be in a normal ‘cake’ (not meaning baking now).
these ‘little things’ are not the ‘top thing’. try the cake…
Firslty I must say I love this blog, just wish more of the things you try out was available to me here in Swden.
Secondly, it?s great fun reading yout thoughts about swedish candya nd especially about liqourish as that is something not alot of people outside the nordic countries seem to like very well.
If you ever want to try some more swedish candy and chocolates, give me a holler and I?m sure we can work something out
malin
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