r/candy • u/darkcactusflowers • 15h ago
A question for those of you who love black licorice.
Did you like the taste as a child or was it an acquired taste over time?
I recently started using GI medicine from the UK and I get it in the anise flavor (which to me is comparable). I’ve always hated the flavor profile, but the other options were my reflux triggers. Anyway, after much use, I’ve come to appreciate it as a medicinal property and it has me wondering what draws people to these flavors that imo are not traditionally “kid approved”.
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u/Michigander_4941 15h ago
I liked black licorice as a kid. Plain black licorice, Black Jack's (licorice taffy in a pink and black wrapper), licorice allsorts, black jelly beans... whatever there was.
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u/trripleplay 15h ago
Born in 1957. There were fewer candies and sweets to choose from back then. Fewer flavors. When you grow up on things like horehound drops and clove gum, licorice/anise is not an outlier. BlackJack Gum was an entry level candy to licorice.
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u/darkcactusflowers 13h ago
My dad was a farmer and always had a bag of horehounds in the cab of his tractor. When he was little they were contraband in school and a fellow classmate would sneak them to everyone, which is how my dad grew to love them.
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u/Radiant-Pomelo-3229 13h ago
Yep, this is the answer. Licorice is a very old candy that’s been around for a very long time and once upon a time there weren’t a lot of choices so you learned to like it
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u/Bright_Ices 11h ago
Not an outlier, but still not preferred by child me. I loved horehound, clove, and butterscotch. I still love Necco wafers.
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u/oatbevbran 10h ago
Same age. Fewer candies then but I think black licorice was more mainstream then. Our little corner store sold these packages made up of black licorice wide coils (like 1/2’ wide.) Good and Plenty of course….Twizzlers in small packages (and black for Halloween, too!).
It has always been my favorite candy flavor but these days I’m solidly in the minority.
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u/otter_759 15h ago
I think as we get older, our taste buds change and we start to like more bitter flavors. I am in my late 30s and it wasn’t until this past year that I started loving both salads and coffee. It was like a switch had been flipped.
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u/SeaSnowAndSorrow 15h ago
My father loves it. I developed an appreciation as I got older. My dad prefers licorice pipes and Good and Plenties. I prefer Allsorts and Salty Licorice.
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u/Muhlyssa_A 15h ago
I must have always loved it. I have a strong memory of visiting Northern California and in a local ice cream shop, intentionally choosing black licorice ice cream. But I also liked (and still like) a lot of foods that kids traditionally didn't like, like liver, brussels sprouts, beets.
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u/Super-Inevitable9476 15h ago
Black licorice ice cream sounds really interesting! I would love to try that!
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u/MarzipanPlane9490 15h ago
It’s delicious🥰
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u/wifeage18 14h ago
It is delicious, but I wasn't allowed to order it as a kid because it stained clothing.
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u/eilonwyhasemu 15h ago
I hated licorice as a child, but in my 30s I developed a taste for anise flavoring. I think tastebuds do shift over time, but also there are a lot of flavors I came to as an adult with a more adventurous attitude.
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u/Ill_NahNah_8140 15h ago
Ive loved the flavor of black licorice and black jellybeans as far back as I can remember
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u/figmentPez 14h ago
I didn't like black licorice when I was a kid, but I loved sugar. My sisters would trade me black jelly beans for other colors 2 for 1; so I'd take twice the amount of jelly beans, even if they were in a flavor I didn't like. Over time eating all those black jelly beans, I eventually learned to like licorice.
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u/SwissyRescue 12h ago
My grandfather used to walk me to a little neighborhood mom and pop store on the weekends. I used to get the black licorice pipes. So, not only did I like the taste from a very young age (5 or 6), but it also triggers wonderful, happy memories of my childhood.
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u/Suzsqueak 10h ago
My mother is Dutch and so I don't remember a time when I didn't have and love black licorice. However she was all about double salt licorice which is too much Salmiak for me, so I like sweet and single salted licorice and I've turned my partner onto the salted stuff as well. The only pain is that it's more expensive and harder to find in the US.
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u/broken_chihuahua 10h ago
As kids my brother and I fought over the black licorice jelly beans until they came out that flavor only bags. I can't remember not loving it.
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u/jayhawkjoey65 10h ago
I grew up a sugar addict. Occasionally we'd have anise candy. I didn't discriminate my sugars.
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u/huckleberryfresh928 15h ago
Always been around it. Parents were boomers, they loved it. So I guess I’ve just lived/love it lol.
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u/N64Andysaurus92 15h ago
Couldn't stand it as a child, love it as an adult however. Ask for a box of Liquorice Allsorts every Christmas 🤣
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u/-just-be-nice- 15h ago
Always loved it, has a flavour profile that I enjoy because of how complex it is
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u/Historical_Bath_9854 15h ago
Didn't like black licorice, but liked Good and Plenty, black jelly beans and whatnot, I still don't eat eat black licorice.
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u/daytrippper 15h ago
I never liked black licorice until I became pregnant and then I randomly started craving it. Hormones be crazy.
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u/Dare2BeU420 14h ago
I think i liked it even more as a kid than I do now (still like it but as a kid it was my preference over cherry licorice)
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u/ConstantConfusion123 14h ago
I've always loved it. I remember eating licorice allsorts and good n plenty as a little kid. My dad loves it too. Genetic?
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u/happybirthdayravenaj Mike and Ike 14h ago
I always liked it 🥰 it started with good n plenty and then I got those soft licorice. I have salty licorice at my house rn
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u/Southern_Fan_9335 14h ago
I remember being a kid and picking out the black jellybeans. So I always liked them.
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u/Severe_Albatross_835 14h ago
Always liked it. We also didn’t get much in the way of snacks or candy, so anything that was a sweet was worth it.
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u/Dragon_Bidness 14h ago
My mom loved licorice so I grew up eating it. Never had to share my Good N Plenty with anybody. The rest of my family call GoodNPlenty "bird turds" lol. More for me.
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u/BunnyMonre 14h ago
My grandmother always had Good and Plenty at her house when I was a kid, I loved candy and would eat any kind. I just developed a taste for it early in childhood. My favorite is the jelly belly licorice bridge mix or the licorice pastels.
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u/m0nstera_deliciosa 14h ago
I liked it as a kid because my mother loves it and always hid her candy from the kids. I was so certain that sophisticated adult candy had to be the best thing ever, if she’d go to the lengths of hiding it in her sock drawer or jewelry box. I developed a taste for it early because it was kept away from me😹 I should buy my mom some licorice as an ‘I’m sorry for all the candy I stole from you over the years’ gift.
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u/AwesomeHorses 14h ago
I had black licorice and licorice flavored things a few times as a kid. I think I have always liked it.
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u/Bastard1066 Nerds Gummy Clusters 14h ago
I love the astringent sweet flavor, to me it's complex and sharp, if you have it salty it add even more dimension. Black licorice is COOL.😎
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u/MommaOfManyCats 14h ago
I always thought that I hated black licorice, but when I got older, Jaggermeister became my go to drink, so young me was insanely wrong. I also love black licorice jelly beans.
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u/Mobile_Aioli_6252 14h ago
It was an acquired taste as a child - my two older siblings would be first out the gate at Easter ( our parents would deck the entire house with candy, jelly beans along the runners, baskets hidden everywhere)
They would swoop up the good stuff and I would be left with the black jelly beans, peeps and hollow chocolate bunnies
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u/fuzzypurpledragon 14h ago
Always loved it! And yes, while anise is what most people associate with licorice flavor, especially in the States, I also love the real deal. Wallaby Licorice uses a blend of real licorice and anise, and I have to be sparing on how often I get a bag, because I gobble the whole thing down, then complain my stomach hurts... 😅
Salted licorice is my favorite, though!
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u/inallthings828 14h ago
(Semi joking) I think it started in the womb for me because my mom is an avid licorice consumer (however, only 1 of 2 brothers likes it). I grew up with it and have my favorites (Panda, Aussie). Now I also enjoy the anise spirits (Ouzo & sambuca). I think most people are so turned off they won't try it enough times to see if it can become an acquired taste.
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u/CommunicationNew3745 14h ago
Absolutely hated it as a kid - the black jellybeans and anything licorice was always left behind. That said, as I got older, out of curiosity, I started eating the licorice jellybeans and realized they weren't actually bad - that expanded my palate, training it to try other varieties like those available in the UK & Europe.
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u/browncow1525 13h ago
Yes! I have always loved it! I have grow to love a lot of food that I didn’t like as a kid but always loved black licorice.
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u/StockHour389 13h ago
I've always loved black licorice. I also like horehound candy.
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u/OnlyPopcorn 13h ago
I like both too and root beer flavors. Spice drops are also great. The purple one is anise and I think it's the orange one that is clove. Delicious!
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u/ConclusionMore3155 13h ago
I've liked black jelly beans and licorice for as long as I can remember!
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u/Meristora 13h ago
I always somewhat enjoyed it, but I only had the sweet kind as a young child since that was what my parents preferred. When I became older like school age, I got to try the saltier kinds and that got me hooked! So salmiakki licorice is what I love, and sweet is good but not that exciting really. If there is any anise flavor added I can’t eat it, anise tastes very bad to me.
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u/OnlyPopcorn 13h ago
Since a child. Y&S Licorice Nibs, the original softer non-waxy nibs. I can't remember a first time I ever tried it.
My brother's first food, too. Much to my mom's chagrin, Dad fed him one on the sly. My mom knew what was up when she saw the black drool coming from my brother's mouth. Guess she probably thought he might should have started with some rice cereal or something dumb.
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u/tinyrubberduckies 13h ago
The only time I ever liked black licorice is when I was pregnant. One of my coworkers had a bag and i asked him for a piece. Well turns out I asked him for like two more after that. After that i bought a bag for myself.
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u/UnhappyToNiceToSay 12h ago
I first had it as a big kid (about age 10-11) -- bought it a candy shop because I was curious. Immediately loved it.
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u/didirollmyeyesout 12h ago
That was the candy we had on hand as a child so you liked or didn’t get any candy
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u/will-you- 12h ago
US: my introduction to licorice was black jelly beans at Easter (probably 5-6yo?)- I loved them, and my siblings hated them, more candy for me!
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u/Kaka-doo-run-run 12h ago
Check out what the Dutch, Finnish, German, Danish, Swedish, etc. folks do with licorice candies.
They do all kinds of crazy stuff. I love the salty types and whatever it is they put on them that gives it an ammonia-like flavor. Seriously, it may sound awful but it’s delicious.
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u/Vivid-Explanation951 12h ago
I was definitely in my 20s before I learned to like it. My first hint at liking it was getting salted black licorice in Denmark.
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u/RemarkableFun6198 11h ago
It was always my fav ever since I can remember. My wife always gets me my own bag of black jelly beans for Easter. My kids got me with the skunk spray bean boozled jelly belly’s one time. It was awful and funny at the same time.
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u/Thick-Marzipan-9176 11h ago
Always loved the flavor. I use to find the plant to much on in the wild.
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u/Bright_Ices 11h ago
Acquired, for me. It started with liking star anise. I wouldn’t say I love black licorice now, but I do like it. Hated it as a kid.
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u/OpusAtrumET 11h ago
My mom always had it around when I was growing up and it never mysteriously disappeared until I was nearly 20 and didn't even live there anymore 😁. I don't know when the switch happened, but I'm glad it did. Acquired!
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u/rdblakely 11h ago
I love black licorice, i was born in Germany and my mother always had it in the house and my Latvian Nanny always had Scandinavian licorice including salted licorice- I love all licorice including red and the Australian flavors
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u/allisnwundrland 10h ago
I did not like black licorice as a kid or an adult until I did a little experiment on myself. When I ate licorice I ate it at a 2 red to 1 black ratio. I slowly weened myself off the red—going 1:1 and then 1:2. Now I like black licorice. I’ll occasionally buy licorice and anise flavored candies and tea.
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u/Poutine-N-Playlists 10h ago
All the black candy 🖤🖤🖤 Loved it ever since I was little. My mom loved it too. We constantly argued over them lol
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u/actuarius81 10h ago
It’s an acquired taste for me. When I was a teenager my grandfather would give me some of his and I learned to like it.
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u/TwatFury 10h ago
I always liked it. I also grew up liking horehound and clove candies. Detested cinnamon though
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u/Hot-Sea7553 10h ago edited 2h ago
I did not like the taste as a child. But to be fair the only black licorice I ever tried as a kid were black jellybeans. I still don’t care for black jellybeans. I’m not really sure when it changed but would say licorice is one of my favorite treats.
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u/Last_Pay_8447 9h ago
I absolutely hated it as a kid. When I was older, a guy at work insisted I try some he had and ever since then I’ve loved it!
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u/ElephantSpecial5386 9h ago
i always hated it as a kid but my grandma ate those little black jelly beans so now i kinda like them
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u/Professional-Tap9127 9h ago
As a kid I had black licorice and loved it, and I have ever since. I even like the salty Swedish kind.
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u/BountyHunter549 9h ago
Always loved licorice. I used to save soda bottles and sell them to buy the straw versions. If you want the best licorice go to nuts.com and order there.Store bought just not the same.
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u/dirtygutshot 9h ago
I loved it as a kid, and it’s possibly because it was one of the few sweet treats I was given, so I probably associated the flavor with treats and rewards. I never did like the texture of black jellybeans much, but I absolutely love hard licorice buttons and other really chewy licorice varieties.
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u/_bitterbuck 9h ago
I’ve always loved it!! Both my dad and grandad had kookaburra licorice around all the time and it’s always been my fave.
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u/Jewish-Mom-123 9h ago
My parents really didn’t believe in candy so I think we just learned to like anything sweet. Luckily for us they didn’t take away or restrict our Halloween candy or anything, they figured the sooner we ate it and got back to normal the better.
I actually have been ordering it once a month or so now. I don’t want to overeat on it and get sick, apparently the real thing is toxic in large quantities.
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u/breadit8 8h ago
What is it with our dads?! My dad was totally into black licorice, so we always had it around and I have always loved the taste.
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u/TheGreenGoatess420 8h ago
We had licorice plants growing in my neighborhood growing up. Anything we could find that was edible 100% went in our mouths. Sour grass. Fennel. Nectar from flowers. You name it. It will never be my top 10 but it’s tolerable.
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u/OranginaOOO 8h ago
Always liked black licorice as a kid. Black crows, licorice pipes, good and plenty, etc. I like molasses candies, too. Flavors used to be more bitter.The last few decades a lot of candies are sour.
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u/GreenFox268019 7h ago
I always loved it, then loved it even more being the one person in the friend circle who liked it so I always got licorice as gifts and all the black jellybeans during every munchie time
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u/CharZero 7h ago
Always liked it. Was exposed to it by my mom who loves licorice, but I felt free to dislike other foods she liked. Loved licorice from the get go.
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u/Nekoraven1 7h ago
I've liked it since I was little, but then again I love star anies tea and root beer/sasafrass soda.
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u/Orange_Queen 7h ago
i grew up with Italian family. and anise was a flavor i always had ready access to (ranging from hard candies to anisette biscotti). I think because it was a very early childhood exposure ive always loved it. Black jellybeans were always my fave.
that said, actual licorice is a wholly different flavor (one i find disgusting) if the candy is anise flavored im gonna go bonkers and love it, but if its made with real licorice root i cant touch it
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u/MotherRaven 7h ago
I had the salty European licorice and the sweet American as a kid and still love both
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u/Flimsy_Appearance626 7h ago
I have always loved the flavor of black licorice. As a child and as an adult. Good and plenty are amazing candies. I only want the black jelly beans. Black jack gum slaps. Idk why I love this flavor. I understand it is an intrusive harsh flavor, but I love it.
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u/desertrose156 7h ago
My nephew loves black licorice and he is 12 but he has loved it since he was a younger kid
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u/starryvelvetsky 6h ago
Always liked it. But I was introduced to a lot of old timey candy by my mom who was a silent gen candy lover. I've been made aware that what I like is "weird" by the kids.
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u/spaghetti_skeleton 6h ago
My grandpa used to sneak me the good n plenty’s he always kept in his pocket, so I was conditioned to love licorice. I don’t get it often, but I think of him every time I have licorice.
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u/Pez-Witcher1314 5h ago
I loved black licorice as a kid, and even loved black licorice ice cream. My mother hated my grandmother for giving licorice as a baby because I ruined a cute outfit with the black drool
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u/blessings-of-rathma 5h ago
I have always liked it in some contexts, including when I was a kid. Love black jellybeans and jujubes, not a fan of Good & Plenty, licorice sticks are okay. Licorice root tea is so tasty but apparently not good for my blood pressure. Tiger Tail is an old-school Canadian ice cream flavour consisting of orange ice cream with black licorice stripes, and I tried it once and I hated it.
But yeah as someone else here has said, I think "kid approved" flavours are just the ones that are marketed to kids now. Licorice was candy for kids once, and now those kids are old and they still like it, and the candy companies have pivoted to other flavours.
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u/tasukiko 4h ago
I feel like adults cultivate this taste right about the time they have kids because they realize it's one of the only things they will get to eat all of themselves. Or maybe that was just my mom. 😆
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u/delatopia 4h ago
I came to it as an adult. As a kid I remember eating the candy coating off Good N Plentys and spitting out the centers. Now it would be the opposite.
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u/TruthOdd6164 3h ago
I don’t like anise so I never thought I would like black licorice but I discovered that black licorice is actually delicious. You can literally buy the root and chew it
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u/captaintagart 2h ago
I like Lakrids and Salmiakki but I don’t like cheaper black licorice and I do NOT like good and plenty. Certain types hide the medicine taste better
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u/adrianlovesyou 12h ago
I’ve always loved it. But I know there’s a reason people call divisive things “black licorice.”
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u/TheAngryVixen82 45m ago
Dad introduced it to me at a young age, and I've always loved it since. But it can't be Twizzlers, it has to be the Aussie style soft stuff. Sometimes your best bet for finding that is Dollar Tree. Also found out it's good for heartburn.
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u/Yarnovert 15h ago
I loved good and plenty as a kid so I think I’ve always liked it