this post was submitted on 30 Mar 2025
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A better translation would be ‘ammonium chloride’, because that’s what salmiak is.
Sometimes, words mean more than 1 thing...
That is salmiak flavored licorice, it’s not salmiak. Just like a bag of paprika flavoured crisps says ‘paprika’ on the front, doesn’t mean that paprika is another word for crisps.
The only relation between licorice and salmiak is that it’s used to flavour a specific type of licorice.
It’s also used in fertilizer, as flux for soldering or galvanizing metal, in batteries, and lots of other applications.
You can also buy salmiak powder as a form of candy on it’s own.
So...is that the candy is flavored like ammonium chloride?
I doubt many people how ammonium chloride tastes, whereas I think most do know what both salt and licorice taste like.
But it tastes nothing like salt and licorice. It tastes like salmiak (a.k.a. ammonium chloride). Who hasn’t had salmiak at least once in their life?
Salmiak is not popular worldwide. I love salmiak, but almost no one I mention it to is familiar with it.
Isn’t one of the main ingredients licorice root?
No. It is added to certain types of licorice candy to add flavor but salmiak is it’s own thing.
My chemistry teacher once made salmiak as a demonstration. The only experiment we were ever allowed to taste and quite cool to look at too.
I never connected that salmiakk the candy and salmiakk the cleaning liquid is the same thing until now.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salty_liquorice
https://www.jernia.no/praktisk-hjem/rengj%C3%B8ring-og-vaskeutstyr/vaskemiddel/syre--og-basevask/lilleborg-salmiakk-rengj%C3%B8ring-0%2C75l/p/11687821