Liquorice - Dictionary

Salmiak (ammonium chloride) is a rock salt. It is industrially produced for the food industry, a white sour-salty tasting fine granulate. A maximum of 7.99 percent salt is permitted in the recipe, this must be labelled as "Extra strong adult liquorice - not children's liquorice".

The salmiak pastille is the best-known salt lozenge in Germany. The small lozenges combine the smoothness for the throat of natural licorice with the anti-inflammatory effect of salmiak salt.

In northern Europe, people like to eat salty liquorice. Salt (sodium chloride), sea salt or salmiak salt is added to the liquorice. A maximum of 7.99 per cent salt is allowed in the recipe, this must be labelled as "Extra strong adult liquorice - no children's liquorice".

Shellac is a resin secreted by the scale insect after it has fed on the sap of certain trees (poplar fig, jujube) in India and Thailand. The resin that has become solid is cut off the bark.

Starch is a carbohydrate and complex sugar that occurs naturally in grains and potatoes.
Modified starches are chemically altered starches. They are obtained from starchy plants such as corn, potatoes or wheat. Unlike conventional starch, they are more stable in heat and cold, swell significantly better and distribute well in food. This makes them popular for industrial food production, including in the manufacture of liquorice.

In sugar-free liquorice recipes, sugar is replaced by sugar substitutes that taste sweet but are excreted by the body without being metabolised.