I'm one of the people who LOVES this flavor. Black licorice is one of my favorite candies. Also love Absinthe, you name it. But I've also heard that there's some genetic marker that some people have and some don't that determines whether or not you taste it properly. Just a rumor, since this is a "I heard it from some guy on the internet" levels of anecdote, but it seems to make sense since it's such a "Love it or hate it" type of taste, no one I've met was ever ambivalent about licorice.
@@skdjirrrdjdm3926 It may also be an East Asian thing - star anise or (licorice for cheaper mixes) is used in Chinese Five Spice blends. Side note: the similarity in taste to tarragon might be why I found it works surprisingly well in spaghetti sauce.
I was born in Canada to Danish parents. My older sister was born in Denmark. She developed a taste for licorice. I hate it. I can tolerate milder favors such as fennel but I hate the taste of licorice candy. I think it is more of an acquired taste.
Here's one more pointer about how Fennel seeds play a role in different cultures (Indian Food): Adam's introductory line "Fennel has polarizing flavors" really came as a surprise to me since here in India, Fennel seeds play a vital role in food. Not primarily as a flavour compound (although it is present) but as a MOUTH FRESHNER. Yeah, as unusual as it may seem. It is a staple part of every Indian meal to be ended with a pinch of Fennel seeds. (My fellow Indians could agree we all eat more than a pinch tho ;) Fennel seeds in a sugar coating or just eaten as is has a cool mouthfeel, Which positively is necessary considering the heat induced on your tongue by a lot of Indian Dishes. And also, Fennel seeds coated in sugar taste really good.
In my experience the quantity or intensity of the flavor is the big difference here. Black licorice is strong, and even one black jelly bean seems to me to contain a lot more of that flavor than even a big pinch of fennel seeds. This also means it's harder to get used to the flavor, so instead of it growing on you as a kid, you're immediately confronted by this overpowering licorice flavor and you learn that it's disgusting. I've only recently learned that I love the taste in small to moderate quantities.
comment for the algorithm that noone will see : in russia and surrounding influenced countries, theres a drink called tarxun (russian for terragon, a visibly related word) which is made with terragon and colored bright green, its very iconic and really good as long as u like anithol
A huge part of the absinthe scare was thanks to marketing by french wine industry. They had taken a huge hit from a blight and hard liquor like absinthe stepped in to take the place of wine in france. As they rebounded they began a marketing campaign declaring the beneficial health effects of ‘natural’ alcohol like wines over the dangerous and delirious health effects of ‘unnatural’ distilled liquor.
Absinthe was also tinted green using copper in 'low brow' places so that anybody wanting absinthe would be tricked into buying cheap alcohol that was tinted with chemicals. It was fatal.
I grew Fennel Finocchio (the bulb) before I even knew how to cook with it. Then after much confusion I saw Gina’s “Buon-A-Petitti” video using the leaves not the bulb in a Pasta dish & NOW I’m sold on the Licorice tasting Fennel. Still don’t know what else I can use the bulb but I keep looking cause…. It’s a really cool plant. BTW: Gina is an octogenarian from Southern Italy 🇮🇹 who cooks & bakes the truly authentic Italian way…even if you only have a fireplace for cooking..
the clouding of absinthe is called (in non-chemist terms) a "louche" It's also been argued that one reason absinthe was given a reputation for hallucinations is that copper (I can't remember if it was 1 or 2, I'm a biochemist not an inorganic chemist) oxide was used in extremely cheap "bathtub absinthe" to create the green color. The reason it was banned and the myths spread was actually from the french wine industry, which had been under some really bad crop years and was on the brink of collapse - a brilliant smear campaign was created and the drink became wildly unpopular as a result.
Some dude in Sweden murdering his wife and kids after drinking absinthe surely didn't help... nevermind that he was a raging, abusive, alcoholic that drank 14 bottles of whisky throughout the day. it was definitely the absinthes fault.
I think it was more a politicum than a medical problem. The case that lead to the ban of absinthe in most of Europe was a guy in Switzerland who murdered his whole family after drinking it. But he drank also about 4 liters of wine on a normal day so I believe that it was more his mental state than the absinthe. Eastern Europe continued to sell the classic absinthe to this day and nothing bad happened.
also, bc it was much cheaper than wine [as was prev mentioned wine crop fail + made prices higher] there were MANY ppl making absinthe to cash-in on the popularity and make a fast buck. And like 'rot-gut' whiskey in the old west, or even the drug trade now, the alcohol was 'cut' w/cheap + often dangerous ingredients to make the bottlers a larger profit + the user very drunk quickly. it also often made the drinker sick, hence the name. so, it's no wonder if all types of dubious [even deadly?] ingredients were included in the cheap absinthes that some ppl negatively reacted to these impure ingredients. and def there was a smear campaign against it by wineries, as it had become more popular than wine in France among the common class.
Some of people drank their absinthe with laudanum, an opiate. That would definitely enhance one’s experience not necessarily with hallucinations but by bending sensory input. Touch, sight and sound would be warped.
I’m a huge licorice fan, and absinthe is my favorite drink for special occasions. For Little 500, my friends and I didn’t want to spend the week in the basement of a frat house so we bought a bottle of absinthe to try to be classy. To this day, I’ll still order one at my favorite spot in town! Great video as always
I think growing up with pizzeles somehow morphed my tastebuds cause I always felt like I would hate the licorice taste, considering I’m a super picky eater, but I’ve always loved it. Itd be cool if you did a video about how culture and growing up with a flavor can affect someone’s tastebuds!
First time I tasted fennel seeds was in an Indian restaurant as a kid. (They usually have a bowl of fennel seeds instead of mints at Indian restaurants) I liked the flavor ever since, though it is not a part of my culture's foods. Like at all. When I moved to a country where licorice is universally popular, I was surprised! Maybe it's cultural.
That introduction, mainly the "eww, liquorice, but I like fennel" line, does a lot for me. I *hate* liquorice candies and fennel seeds (especially in sausages) but don't mind fennel, find absinth to have a unique kick to it, and absolutely *love* star anise, especially in sweet preparations such as apple sauce. People's tastes are weird and that's the hard truth.
same here. I love all things anise but I hate liquorice :) it has this really unpleasant sweetness to it. Though apparently it is due to completely different compound - glycyrrhizin
Salmiak Licorice is awesome!!! But with this being said, it's not everyone's cup of tea. A Sámi friend of mine introduced me to it and it's now a tradition to have some at every hockey game.
I love all of these anethole flavors, savory and sweet. This was a very interesting video. In my family we have a cookie recipe from my Hungarian grandparents flavored with lemon and anise seeds. Whenever I make them to share I always start sharing a very small batch as people tend to love them or hate them. They’re labor intensive so I don’t want any going to waste! Interestingly, I’ve noticed (small sample size, so not scientific) that people who don’t like the anise cookies tend to dislike bitter flavors such as hops or coffee, and like their desserts sweeter.
It complements so well when used with other ingredients. I’m not a fan on its own but I love using it in sausages outside Italian style. Mexican tarragon is another one that is great at bringing that flavor into dishes.
Thanks, Im a hobbyst perfumer, and Im working in an cardamom+star anise/anetol + vetiver perfume, and you had given me precious information about the heart of my project ...
This is great,. I kept thinking anise, fennel, and licorice had a similar taste but was unsure what it was. I don't like licorice, but it's great healing and antibiotic herb, fennel is great for digestions and as spices I enjoy all of these. But as candy, gross. I prefer strawberry licorice, which of course is not licorice at all.
When I was in Sweden not too long ago many of the shops sold a salted licorice candy. I didn't try it, but it's definitely "a thing" there because it was widely available.
As I understood it, in the US or other non-nordic countries the ratio between licorice lovers to haters is like 20:80 or something like that. However here in sweden it is more 50:50 or 40:60 for whatever reason. Therefore it is much more available, much to the delight of us licorice lovers :)
@@Naeddyr and when your asshole collage brings some back from holiday and tells you its just a kind of sugar... its quite a shock. I did walk right into that one tho
We love licorice in the Nordics. Every grocery store has at least a couple of different types you can get, and there's a ton of handcrafted stuff too. Licorice and raspberry is an unbeatable combo, easily one of the top flavours. Here in Sweden you can get it as hard candy, fudge, chewy candy, ice cream, brownies, chocolate, cookies, lollipops, juice, marmalade, mints, mineral water, protein bars, and even snus. If it exists, we've probably made a licorice and raspberry version.
Licorice root tea is slightly soapy, forming some sparse bubbles when poured in, and excellent for removing mucus aka slime from your respiratory system.
My understanding is that you do not have to add sweetener (sugar) to licorice. Licorice is in the family glycyrrhiza, it contains natural, non sugar, sweeteners, glycyrrhizans (think glycol ). To make traditional licorice; the licorice root is boiled, the roots removed and the remaining liquid boiled until it thickens. The liquid is then poured in shapes onto a waxed surface and allowed to harden. The root naturally contains flavor, sweetener and thickener all in one package.
I'm from Georgia and live in North Carolina. I teach kids farming and work with local farmers. I've never heard it pronounced Anuhs before. I've never heard gyro pronounced with "g" sound either. More curious than ever who these folks are you hang out with, lol. Love the videos.
i thought this video would have mentioned raki, which would be the best way to show the cloudiness effect of anethol. and yes anise is difficult to the taste, almost your tounge gets dizzy, it is a great match with fatty cheeses and oily garlicy spicy stuff. everyone should definitely give it a try!
I hated it when I was a kid, but I love it now. I vaguely remember absinth drinks involving fire. Am I imagining things? Been a while, but I could have sworn the sugar cube was burning.
this flavour is one of my favourites. i could eat black liquorice and anything else that tastes like this all day. plus, no one else really likes it so i get it all to myself
I just want to speak up and say that I LOVE licorice, it's very tasty, and I also love fennel and Tarragon and now you've made me curious about trying absinthe Licorice lovers: you are not alone!
The classic is nice. I break the rules and add some ice, but I'm from the US... Flying Frenchman made with good espresso... Most absinthe drinks are strong, so be wary of a full serving. So not a double shot of expresso -- a single. Then equal parts Kahlúa and absinthe, ice shaker to martini glass.
The licorice flavor in licorice candy rarely comes from licorice because licorice is actually fairly mild and sweet, if you look at the ingredients of licorice candy, if it has any natural ingredients, it will most likely have anise in it because anise has a much stronger flavor. So if you think you don't like licorice what you probably actually don't like is anise, try some licorice some time you just might like it. The best way to try it for the first time, in my opinion, is as a tea.
As a scandinavian, it's always funny to hear other nations talk about liquorice. Here we just see it as one of our basic candies, on the same level as chocolate.
I LOVE the licorice/anise flavor profile. Anybody who doesn't like it has just not been exposed enough. I've seen people eat the most stinkiest of cheese but they stop completely at licorice.
I am the only one in my house who likes black licorice, I have yet to give it to my 18 month old and my other baby is too young to try it. My oldest child hated it with a passion. I remember making Italian cookies with anise in them, it was very hit or miss if people liked them.
There was an anethol candy in Argentina, called "Media hora". I remember spitting a couple of them when I was a kid. I started liking them when I grew up, but they're not made anymore as they were. Now they're like a normal sweet candy just a little more boring.
I really respect that you waited to give your opinion on the flavor until the very end of the video, and even then gave it in comedic fashion! The idea that you might have been biased one way or another never even crossed my mind in the first 9:20, which I guess may speak less to your withholding of opinion and more to your ability to deliver unbiased commentary, but either way it's damn impressive and surely made the entire video a more satisfying, informative experience.
Hi. PhD biochemist specializing in plant metabolites here. Anethole is definitely not a terpenoid. It is a phenylpropanoid. A completely different class of compounds derived from wholely different precursors. Thanks for the video.
Props for deciding to finish off that licorice instead of spitting it out. I make effort to eat the things I specifically dislike, gotten to where I enjoy a few green olives every now and then. Still working on my black olive appreciation though😂
A person can honestly say "I love licorice" only if they were raised on the side of a remote mountain and got an extra helping of goat liver on their birthday.
Fascinating! I love anise flavor, enjoy fennel, dislike licorice, and detest star anise. Sweet Italian Sausage is my go to sausage, so I suspect it is the fennel seeds in it. I just planted 1 fennel plant, which is doing well and starting to flower. I only put in 1 because I know how easily it spreads and takes over!
My ex and I loved the lighting of ouzo at a Greek restaurant that we bought a bottle and continued the party at home. It was the lighting of the drink to warm it then downing it that felt like a constant celebration of…who knows. To the day I can’t stand ouzo lol. But I love anise cookies. Go figure.
I never really got why people hated licorice until we did an experiment in biology class where people try some of the compounds that make some greens like broccoli bitter. I couldn't taste a thing but some kid next to me gagged, and the reaction was so strong, he almost threw up. It really goes to show that taste has a lot of components to it. Not only are other senses like smell involved in flavor, but also, there are actual biological differences in perception that will drastically change how someone perceives what you make. I know it doesn't apply to everything, but when you live most of your life enjoying a flavor like licorice, it's strange to learn later on that someone could literally have a different sense of taste.
For those who like the licorice flavor, you should try the root of the "licorice fern" (polypodium glycyrrhiza). It's not available commercially, but if you ever go to the Pacific Northwest, you may see the fern growing on trunk or branches of a broad leaf maple tree (and it's usually poking out of some fluffy moss that's also on the tree). The root will be under the moss, in the decomposing outer bark of the tree. Just pull out a bit of the root, give it a wash, and then chew on it. I think it's supposed to be dried if you want to use it medicinally, but I've never tried it that way.
I do find it lightly interesting that I hate Licorice, absinth and generally just the Anethol flavor. But I really like (at least in moderate amounts) Both tarragon and Basil. I wonder if the fact that it is similar, but still a slightly different flavor does the trick?
Yeah well, and there is Switzerland. XD Val de Travers made Absinth first after that it got popular in France. And the reason because it was banned here was: There was a Farmer in Switzerland who killed his family because of absinth (that's what was said - but the farmer was a Wine farmer and drank a few bottles of his wine before the absinth) and remembered nothing afterwards. So there was a voting and the Swiss Men (Women weren't allowed to vote back then) voted for a banning of Absinth in 1910. In the 80s there was a Chef who made an Absinth Soufle, when a French Politican came for a friendship visit. The "bundesrat" (like President) where there as well. So the chef got almost arrested, but because there wasn't any Absinth found in his kitchen, he got free, but there was a very very long court case. And in 2005 it got allowed again. So since then it's allowed to produce Absinth and to buy it. And yes, in Val de Travers there were many "moonshiners" and many of them got arrested. But now we have a lot of destileries who have "original" recepies from their families - for them it's like a tomato sauce for the italians. Every Family has its own recepie. And as well there are a lot of new variations. Once I had a "Absinth Whisky" The absinth was in a casket for about 4month and it was so delicious! They even did a "Absinth Champain". It didn't have a strong Absinth flavour, but it was nice and really refreshing. Once a Year there is an "absinth festival", where you can drink/try different absinths and you can vistite the Absinth museum as well in Motiers. Even if you don't speak French (as me) it's really interesting :) Funny thing: In the German and Italian side of Switzerland Absinth isn't well known. You can't get that in every bar. But if you go to Neuchatel or somewhere near Val de Travers you can buy Absinth in every bar and it's really cheap (In Neuchatel it's cheaper than a beer). Really interesting and funny :)
This was so interesting! I have always despised every food that had a trace of the anise-fennel-licorice taste or smell. Unfortunately it's difficult to avoid where I live (Israel) as it is popular in middle-eastern cuisine, but mostly because the most popular alcoholic drink most likely to be found at any gathering or party is Arak, made of anise, which causes me to be sober way more often than I would like
I hate liquorice with a passion, but I love the taste of anise and fennel (my mum's anise cookies are one of my favourite treats around Christmas). So no idea what's going on there 😅
You got me googling how to make my own absinthe because I have some of the plants growing including artemisia absinthium and both the green and bronze fennel. On the internet it says you need to use ever clear, which I do not have, I may try to infuse some in some vodka. Several years ago I ordered what was described as a package of 25 seeds for unique or rare herbs and they sent me that and also Artemisia princeps (Yomogi in Japan and Ssuk in Korean) which has taken over two huge raised beds in my yard, and something they called "Russian Tarragon." I looked that up to see what it was and it said it was called Estragon in Russian which is interesting because of the chemical being called estragole. I want to tell you two things about your bronze fennel. It can cross with the green one which it's done in a few places in my yard but it usually won't, and it's great for both garnishing food and impressing people and also making tea that can help with nausea.
Made own Absinth isn't that hard. I mean you only need strong alcohol (you find that in the farmacy), then you put these herbs in it, you filter it again and you have your Absinth. Yes, I was in a few destileries who made the "original" absinth, before it was banned here in Switzerland (where it is from). I was twice now in Val de Travers and it's very interesting how they make that. Here in Switzerland it was banned from 1910 to 2005. Now it's legal again. But there were many "moonshiners" in Val de Travers and many of them got arrested as well. The Absinth has an interesting story, which is worth to be told :)
@@naitomea14 It's just like making a tincture. It works better with fresh herbs but you can use dried ones. Most people don't have all those plants. I'm pretty sure that most of the plants are sold as live plants at local stores and if not can be found dried at herb stores where I live in California.
@@adriennefloreen Yes, it's really like making a tincture :) Yep, with fresh herbs it's always better. And if you want it green, you have to put "big wormwood" in there ^^ Well it depends. Here in Switzerland the most people will find these herbs wothout problems. And if you don't know where, you ask your friends. There is almost everytime someone who knows someone who has this plant in his garden ^^ But yes, the most destileries have own gardens, where they plant their herbs. As a normal person, you have to work around that. Usually it's not a big deal. For Absinth you don't need to be a genius - it's no rocket sience :P
The french word for 'anise' is actually 'anis' (pronounced "ah-nee" /a.ni/ with a silent s), the word 'anise' is firmly English, being borrowed into the language hundreds of years ago from Old French (back when the s was pronounced) and developing naturally with English sound Changes over the centuries to have pronunciation "AN-iss" /ˈæ.nɪs/. It's fine for words to acquire new pronunciations, but the more traditional pronunciation is very sound and there's no reason to avoid it. Also there's nothing wrong with sounding similar to 'anus'. Extra etymology: the Old French word is from the Latin 'anīsum', borrowed from Ancient Greek 'ἄνῑσον' (ánīson)/'ἄννησον' (ánnēson), that is thought to have in turn been borrowed from an Ancient Egyptian word.
This is funny, because I love fennel, and anise and star anise, but I can't STAND licorice, far too sticky and oily. Don't really like anise flavoured drinks though, unless it's diluted with a lot of lemonade.
Could the aversion to the anise taste be caused by genes? I say this because I have just found out that my total rejection of the taste of cilantro/fresh coriander is due to two genes in my makeup that identify the taste of cilantro as disgusting.
Anyone feels the anethole flavor in parsley? I'm not sure if it's something else but I've always felt this anise/fennel flavor in parsley aswell. Also always hated it but starting to like the smell
@kuyswe In Germany that would be "Bio-Chemie" :D :D :D (Hint: the German word for organic is, yes, organisch, but also biologisch, like in organic food biologisch angebaute Nahrung. Casually called Bio.)
@@FreebirthOne Biochemistry is the term in English too, but it's not the same as organic chemistry. It describes the chemical processes inside living organisms - which a plant extract reacting to cold water while desolved in ethanol is not, obviously. Organic chemistry on the other hand is the study of all organic compounds and their reactions, so exactly what is talked about in this video. So no, this is Organische Chemie, not Biochemie; and the terms are used exactly as in English.
@@Muenni Having studied a few Semester of Biologie I know exactly what is what :) I just took a few liberties here to make a bad joke. Because: the casual 'organic' really is 'biologisch' in German (think Thief of Time, Myria talking about the Hershebian Lawyer Beetle. How...very organic!)
Same, if you ran into my boyfriend's dad he thought it literally indicated you could be a demon, same for if you like spicy food. I like both so to put it mildly he was never a fan of me.
Plant chemist here. Anethole is actually not a terpenoid, but a phenylpropanoid! This is another interesting class of compounds which include cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon), vanillin, eugenol (cloves, nutmeg), and more. Phenylpropanoids are also closely related to lignin, the second most abundant biopolymer next to cellulose, and polyphenols, which include tannin and many antioxidants.
This guy is actually spot on and knows his stuff so the fact that the man made the video doesn't know what he's talking about while trying to educate us I'm never watching another video he makes.. how can you get something like that wrong but you're trying to be an educator?
Do you know why some people like it? I'm wondering if it has a genetic component like cilantro. I love both, but real licorice is so hard to get I just chew anise seeds
@@dianamiller3307 I dont think anything like this has a simple explanation, even preference for coriander leaves. Food preferences are likely due to a combination of biology, psychology, and social context, as everything else.
@@minty9853 the taste of cilantro has a proven genetic component. Some people can taste a compound in it that is unpleasant. Nontasters cannot taste the compound and cilantro doesn't bother them. Then there are peoole like me who may be tasting something nontasters don't, but we like it.
Interesting little side note about absinthe: some also think that the "hallucinations" could have been caused by manufacturers of cheap absinthe adding copper oxide to make it green. This was the 1800s so health and safety weren't a thing yet
This is a tiny tiny theory and has no evidence whatsoever, by far the main understanding is that it was a myth, and based on the fact that there were recorded people talking about it as if it were a thing makes it almost entirely likely
It’s like the theory on the witch trials about the hallucinogen. Completely a theory with no evidence and its most likely just a result of people being shitty, just like in this case, without any substances
Well my Absinthe costs me about $70 USD for a litre bottle and I've never had any hallucinations from it. It will get you pretty drunk though if you're not careful!
Yeah, I'm not sure on this theory but, in a paper I wrote years ago I remember that Thoujone (the psychoactive drug in wormwood) is negated or denatured by alcohol thus, even at high concentrations of wormwood, it's still safe.
I thought the issue was heavy metal poisoning, that wouldn't be an issue in modern times with better equipment and better testing techniques. But, then again, I can't say that I've studied one way or another, but from what I understand, it's not any real risk these days beyond the typical damage of consuming drinks with that much alcohol in them.
Being Scandinavian, it seems absolutely insane to say that most people don't like licorice. It's everywhere here and is immensely popular. Especially when combined with chocolate.
I’m an American but I’m of Swedish descent - no wonder I always liked black licorice when most people I know prefer the red kind which isn’t really licorice at all.
@@Glovvox To someone from the Netherlands all licorice is black (because it's concentrated licorice root extract which is a dark brown before concentration by evaporation), but there are dozens of variations all seasoned differently with ingredients ranging from honey and herbal extracts to sal ammoniac salt.
Black licorice beats the artificial strawberry flavored rubber most people call licorice ten times out of nine. Both Twizzlers and Red Vines have absolutely nothing on a bag of licorice allsorts.
Your balance of food science and traditional cooking content is so cool. Also a bit of a blessing for your channel because it's harder to run out of ideas lol
Yeah. It'd be interesting with an introduction to the next level: Ammonium chloride. Or “salmiakki” in Finnish. That's the salt in “salty liquorice. It's taste is indescribable. Slightly sweet, slightly salty. Not widely available south of the Netherlands. It's used for other culinary purposes than flavour, but it'd be interesting to know who first began eating it. When I lived in France, I'd bring it from Denmark. Big plastic bags with white powder. Was never stopped.
In The Netherlands we have bread topping called "muisjes", litterally translated "little mice". They are anise seeds where the bulbous part of the seed is covered by a coating of sugar and optionally a little coloring (usually blue or pink and sometimes orange or other colors), the tail of the seed sticks out of the sugar bulb hence it's name of "little mice". This bread topping is traditionally served on rusks when a child is born (pink and white when it's a girl or blue and white when it's a boy), in dutch this is known as "beschuit met muisjes" (rusks with little mice). the orange and white option is usually sold around festivities that have to do with our royal family (the house of orange). They are also pretty tasty on just regular bread with a little layer of butter.
you also have gestampte muisjes. It literally translates to "crushed mice". Enjoy. it's basically anise powder with sugar. My favorite bread topping next to marmite
Fun fact: Aniseed in Arabic is called "Yansoon" .. which is a homonym for the phrase "They Forget" .. This leads to some HYLARIOUS labeling mishaps on Aniseed packaging sometimes. Even Google Translate returns "They forget" as the translation to Yansoon.
Very interesting, as a Dutch person who loves liquorice it always surprises me how many people hate it’s flavour. As a fun little fact, in the Netherlands it’s customary to eat ‘beschuit met muisjes’ when a child is born, muisjes meaning little mouse’s, which are anise seed covered in a sugar layer. They get there name because of the shape and the little ‘tail’ from the seed sticking out
@@bonenintomatensaus haha well that would be something. No it’s the shape of the covered seed (kind off teardrop shaped ) and the little piece that connected the seed to the plant that stick out as a ‘tail’
@@timvankeulen7462 Just for future information, the plural of mouse is mice. Also, Of and Off are two different words. Off is used for lights not being on, to remove something from the top of a table etc. This one could easily be a typo, but I see this error a lot and prefer to assume it's a mistake caused by lack of familiarity with English. It's to be expected though, as errors are normal. If it's a typo and you know that, then this part of the comment should just be disregarded. Also, though this one is colloquially correct, "kind of" is grammatically incorrect. I use it all the time however, as do most other native English speakers. I wouldn't use it on a job application, or in some other important official setting though. My intention is to help, not to insult. I do hope you will keep that in mind and will not feel insulted, but you are certainly entitled to feel insulted. Your feelings are your own.
Something that surprised me over the years is how I began to realize that my dislike of this anathol flavor is centered entirely on the context of it being in candy. The moment you take it out of that context and put it into a savory dish, I actually love it. I also really enjoy absinthe as long as it isn't too sugary. There's something about that combination of anise and sugar that's just very off-putting to me.
Wow, this is the exact opposite of another comment I read on this video. Where they can't handle it in savory dishes because they're used to tasting it in sweets
I kinda agree, I feel like it has a cloying quality like it's almost sweet already, and adding a lot of sugar intensifies that. Also I think that in savory foods the flavor tends to be more multifaceted, so that the anethol is not as dominant.
I'm exactly the same. Really dislike liquorice sweets and sambuca, but use anise and fennel often in cooking, and don't mind a bit of ouzo or absinthe from time to time.
@@bananawitchcraft I think it works as a very minor component of a sweet spice blend for similar reasons. A hint among a lot of other, stronger flavors is good, but it's too much by itself.
I'm one of the people who LOVES this flavor. Black licorice is one of my favorite candies. Also love Absinthe, you name it. But I've also heard that there's some genetic marker that some people have and some don't that determines whether or not you taste it properly. Just a rumor, since this is a "I heard it from some guy on the internet" levels of anecdote, but it seems to make sense since it's such a "Love it or hate it" type of taste, no one I've met was ever ambivalent about licorice.
I read the same thing about it being genetic although I dont remember where, some science journal. Apparently its a Scandinavian genetic thing.
@@skdjirrrdjdm3926 It may also be an East Asian thing - star anise or (licorice for cheaper mixes) is used in Chinese Five Spice blends.
Side note: the similarity in taste to tarragon might be why I found it works surprisingly well in spaghetti sauce.
I like black licorice, but I'd choose a salty (and crunchy) food over a candy in general
You wouldn't love Absinthe if you got it from France. They still use a real amount of wormwood.
I was born in Canada to Danish parents. My older sister was born in Denmark. She developed a taste for licorice. I hate it. I can tolerate milder favors such as fennel but I hate the taste of licorice candy. I think it is more of an acquired taste.
Here's one more pointer about how Fennel seeds play a role in different cultures (Indian Food):
Adam's introductory line "Fennel has polarizing flavors" really came as a surprise to me since here in India, Fennel seeds play a vital role in food. Not primarily as a flavour compound (although it is present) but as a MOUTH FRESHNER.
Yeah, as unusual as it may seem. It is a staple part of every Indian meal to be ended with a pinch of Fennel seeds. (My fellow Indians could agree we all eat more than a pinch tho ;)
Fennel seeds in a sugar coating or just eaten as is has a cool mouthfeel, Which positively is necessary considering the heat induced on your tongue by a lot of Indian Dishes. And also, Fennel seeds coated in sugar taste really good.
Last time I was at an indian restaurant, I was offered fennel candy at the end of the meal. It was amazing!
I eat that stuff on its own merit.
In my experience the quantity or intensity of the flavor is the big difference here. Black licorice is strong, and even one black jelly bean seems to me to contain a lot more of that flavor than even a big pinch of fennel seeds.
This also means it's harder to get used to the flavor, so instead of it growing on you as a kid, you're immediately confronted by this overpowering licorice flavor and you learn that it's disgusting. I've only recently learned that I love the taste in small to moderate quantities.
I always have to fight the urge to over indulge in the fennel candies on my way out of the Indian restaurant.
I hate the taste of black licorice so much that it makes me avoid the weaker versions , too :D
comment for the algorithm that noone will see : in russia and surrounding influenced countries, theres a drink called tarxun (russian for terragon, a visibly related word) which is made with terragon and colored bright green, its very iconic and really good as long as u like anithol
Yeah I saw it.
A huge part of the absinthe scare was thanks to marketing by french wine industry.
They had taken a huge hit from a blight and hard liquor like absinthe stepped in to take the place of wine in france. As they rebounded they began a marketing campaign declaring the beneficial health effects of ‘natural’ alcohol like wines over the dangerous and delirious health effects of ‘unnatural’ distilled liquor.
Also it was really popular with communist
@@ryanrobot7975 that’s a grammatically sentence alright
spend enough money and be at a high enough social position and you can convince people even 200 years later that something is poison
@@superdark336 I'm just glad that potatoes aren't still considered as poison...I think I'm fine sans absinthe (but that's just me)
Absinthe was also tinted green using copper in 'low brow' places so that anybody wanting absinthe would be tricked into buying cheap alcohol that was tinted with chemicals. It was fatal.
I grew Fennel Finocchio (the bulb) before I even knew how to cook with it. Then after much confusion I saw Gina’s “Buon-A-Petitti” video using the leaves not the bulb in a Pasta dish & NOW I’m sold on the Licorice tasting Fennel. Still don’t know what else I can use the bulb but I keep looking cause…. It’s a really cool plant. BTW: Gina is an octogenarian from Southern Italy 🇮🇹 who cooks & bakes the truly authentic Italian way…even if you only have a fireplace for cooking..
the clouding of absinthe is called (in non-chemist terms) a "louche"
It's also been argued that one reason absinthe was given a reputation for hallucinations is that copper (I can't remember if it was 1 or 2, I'm a biochemist not an inorganic chemist) oxide was used in extremely cheap "bathtub absinthe" to create the green color. The reason it was banned and the myths spread was actually from the french wine industry, which had been under some really bad crop years and was on the brink of collapse - a brilliant smear campaign was created and the drink became wildly unpopular as a result.
Some dude in Sweden murdering his wife and kids after drinking absinthe surely didn't help... nevermind that he was a raging, abusive, alcoholic that drank 14 bottles of whisky throughout the day.
it was definitely the absinthes fault.
I think it was more a politicum than a medical problem.
The case that lead to the ban of absinthe in most of Europe was a guy in Switzerland who murdered his whole family after drinking it. But he drank also about 4 liters of wine on a normal day so I believe that it was more his mental state than the absinthe.
Eastern Europe continued to sell the classic absinthe to this day and nothing bad happened.
also, bc it was much cheaper than wine [as was prev mentioned wine crop fail + made prices higher] there were MANY ppl making absinthe to cash-in on the popularity and make a fast buck. And like 'rot-gut' whiskey in the old west, or even the drug trade now, the alcohol was 'cut' w/cheap + often dangerous ingredients to make the bottlers a larger profit + the user very drunk quickly. it also often made the drinker sick, hence the name. so, it's no wonder if all types of dubious [even deadly?] ingredients were included in the cheap absinthes that some ppl negatively reacted to these impure ingredients. and def there was a smear campaign against it by wineries, as it had become more popular than wine in France among the common class.
Ive enjoyed homemade Absinthe from the Jura... I can confirm.. it IS a different experience...
Some of people drank their absinthe with laudanum, an opiate. That would definitely enhance one’s experience not necessarily with hallucinations but by bending sensory input. Touch, sight and sound would be warped.
I’m a huge licorice fan, and absinthe is my favorite drink for special occasions. For Little 500, my friends and I didn’t want to spend the week in the basement of a frat house so we bought a bottle of absinthe to try to be classy. To this day, I’ll still order one at my favorite spot in town! Great video as always
I think growing up with pizzeles somehow morphed my tastebuds cause I always felt like I would hate the licorice taste, considering I’m a super picky eater, but I’ve always loved it. Itd be cool if you did a video about how culture and growing up with a flavor can affect someone’s tastebuds!
First time I tasted fennel seeds was in an Indian restaurant as a kid. (They usually have a bowl of fennel seeds instead of mints at Indian restaurants)
I liked the flavor ever since, though it is not a part of my culture's foods. Like at all. When I moved to a country where licorice is universally popular, I was surprised! Maybe it's cultural.
That introduction, mainly the "eww, liquorice, but I like fennel" line, does a lot for me. I *hate* liquorice candies and fennel seeds (especially in sausages) but don't mind fennel, find absinth to have a unique kick to it, and absolutely *love* star anise, especially in sweet preparations such as apple sauce.
People's tastes are weird and that's the hard truth.
same here. I love all things anise but I hate liquorice :) it has this really unpleasant sweetness to it. Though apparently it is due to completely different compound - glycyrrhizin
My Nordic German heritage definitely loves that strong yet smoother licorice flavor, especially with salmiak salt.
Salmiak Licorice is awesome!!! But with this being said, it's not everyone's cup of tea. A Sámi friend of mine introduced me to it and it's now a tradition to have some at every hockey game.
I'm fascinated....I love liqourice and you've explained this complex relationship so well...
I love all of these anethole flavors, savory and sweet. This was a very interesting video.
In my family we have a cookie recipe from my Hungarian grandparents flavored with lemon and anise seeds. Whenever I make them to share I always start sharing a very small batch as people tend to love them or hate them. They’re labor intensive so I don’t want any going to waste!
Interestingly, I’ve noticed (small sample size, so not scientific) that people who don’t like the anise cookies tend to dislike bitter flavors such as hops or coffee, and like their desserts sweeter.
It complements so well when used with other ingredients. I’m not a fan on its own but I love using it in sausages outside Italian style. Mexican tarragon is another one that is great at bringing that flavor into dishes.
Thanks, Im a hobbyst perfumer, and Im working in an cardamom+star anise/anetol + vetiver perfume, and you had given me precious information about the heart of my project ...
This is great,. I kept thinking anise, fennel, and licorice had a similar taste but was unsure what it was. I don't like licorice, but it's great healing and antibiotic herb, fennel is great for digestions and as spices I enjoy all of these. But as candy, gross. I prefer strawberry licorice, which of course is not licorice at all.
Just be careful. Genuine licorice has glycerrhizin, which will screw with your electrolytes (in extreme cases, outright killing you)
And is gross.
Yeah I hate it. Except I will put star anise in rice. But that's it.
That’s so interesting - as I love black licorice and absinthe, but I really don’t like fennel or anise.
When I was in Sweden not too long ago many of the shops sold a salted licorice candy. I didn't try it, but it's definitely "a thing" there because it was widely available.
As I understood it, in the US or other non-nordic countries the ratio between licorice lovers to haters is like 20:80 or something like that. However here in sweden it is more 50:50 or 40:60 for whatever reason. Therefore it is much more available, much to the delight of us licorice lovers :)
That's not just any salt, that's sal ammoniac, ammonium chloride.
@@Naeddyr and when your asshole collage brings some back from holiday and tells you its just a kind of sugar... its quite a shock. I did walk right into that one tho
We love licorice in the Nordics. Every grocery store has at least a couple of different types you can get, and there's a ton of handcrafted stuff too. Licorice and raspberry is an unbeatable combo, easily one of the top flavours. Here in Sweden you can get it as hard candy, fudge, chewy candy, ice cream, brownies, chocolate, cookies, lollipops, juice, marmalade, mints, mineral water, protein bars, and even snus. If it exists, we've probably made a licorice and raspberry version.
@@Naeddyr Very interesting. I just read up on this and you're absolutely right. I learned something today. Thank you.
I love the flavour of liquorice. Liquorice sweets are some of my favourites.
Licorice root tea is slightly soapy, forming some sparse bubbles when poured in, and excellent for removing mucus aka slime from your respiratory system.
I love licorice. The way it smells and tastes. I think it's a satisficing flavor. Also good for you in very, very moderated quantities.
Proper licorice candy is coated not in wax, but in salt. If you haven't had traditional finnish licorice, you haven't lived ;)
Delicious stuff!
Salmiak is sooo good
My understanding is that you do not have to add sweetener (sugar) to licorice. Licorice is in the family glycyrrhiza, it contains natural, non sugar, sweeteners, glycyrrhizans (think glycol ). To make traditional licorice; the licorice root is boiled, the roots removed and the remaining liquid boiled until it thickens. The liquid is then poured in shapes onto a waxed surface and allowed to harden. The root naturally contains flavor, sweetener and thickener all in one package.
Fennel is fun to grow for the butterflies that eat it.
I have so much absinthe, frenet, and sambuka.
Someone heard I kinda liked the sambuka so everyone got me anise liquor for my 27th birthday
I love anise flavoured everything! Only me and my grandmother in our family.
I'm from Georgia and live in North Carolina. I teach kids farming and work with local farmers. I've never heard it pronounced Anuhs before. I've never heard gyro pronounced with "g" sound either. More curious than ever who these folks are you hang out with, lol. Love the videos.
the "ouzo effect" is most commonly know in France as " l'eau dans mon Ricard" and i think that's beautiful
i thought this video would have mentioned raki, which would be the best way to show the cloudiness effect of anethol.
and yes anise is difficult to the taste, almost your tounge gets dizzy, it is a great match with fatty cheeses and oily garlicy spicy stuff. everyone should definitely give it a try!
This video came as a surprise to me because I HATE fennel but LOVE black licorice
I hated it when I was a kid, but I love it now. I vaguely remember absinth drinks involving fire. Am I imagining things? Been a while, but I could have sworn the sugar cube was burning.
this flavour is one of my favourites. i could eat black liquorice and anything else that tastes like this all day. plus, no one else really likes it so i get it all to myself
I just want to speak up and say that I LOVE licorice, it's very tasty, and I also love fennel and Tarragon and now you've made me curious about trying absinthe
Licorice lovers: you are not alone!
The classic is nice. I break the rules and add some ice, but I'm from the US... Flying Frenchman made with good espresso... Most absinthe drinks are strong, so be wary of a full serving. So not a double shot of expresso -- a single. Then equal parts Kahlúa and absinthe, ice shaker to martini glass.
The licorice flavor in licorice candy rarely comes from licorice because licorice is actually fairly mild and sweet, if you look at the ingredients of licorice candy, if it has any natural ingredients, it will most likely have anise in it because anise has a much stronger flavor.
So if you think you don't like licorice what you probably actually don't like is anise, try some licorice some time you just might like it. The best way to try it for the first time, in my opinion, is as a tea.
There’s this ice cream parlor in my town called olsons and they have black licorice ice cream and it’s probably my favorite flavor
As a scandinavian, it's always funny to hear other nations talk about liquorice. Here we just see it as one of our basic candies, on the same level as chocolate.
I LOVE the licorice/anise flavor profile. Anybody who doesn't like it has just not been exposed enough. I've seen people eat the most stinkiest of cheese but they stop completely at licorice.
You could have mentioned the Spain spanish version of Absynthe, which is literally called Anis!
just found out today that italian sausage is made with fennel, no wonder it smells and taste like liquorice, also basil.
I feel like the reason why you don't get the cloudy effect with warm water is that warm liquids are better at dissolving things across the board.
I am the only one in my house who likes black licorice, I have yet to give it to my 18 month old and my other baby is too young to try it. My oldest child hated it with a passion. I remember making Italian cookies with anise in them, it was very hit or miss if people liked them.
There was an anethol candy in Argentina, called "Media hora". I remember spitting a couple of them when I was a kid.
I started liking them when I grew up, but they're not made anymore as they were. Now they're like a normal sweet candy just a little more boring.
Sometimes I wish his sponsors were available in my country
I really respect that you waited to give your opinion on the flavor until the very end of the video, and even then gave it in comedic fashion! The idea that you might have been biased one way or another never even crossed my mind in the first 9:20, which I guess may speak less to your withholding of opinion and more to your ability to deliver unbiased commentary, but either way it's damn impressive and surely made the entire video a more satisfying, informative experience.
I love licorice too! Unfortunately, you cannot find it where I live. But I never met a licorice candy I didn’t like!
Hi. PhD biochemist specializing in plant metabolites here. Anethole is definitely not a terpenoid. It is a phenylpropanoid. A completely different class of compounds derived from wholely different precursors. Thanks for the video.
If you don't like licorice, try Ammonium chloride, salty licorice or also called salmiac.
The Italians reduce licorice root to small bits of pure licorice extract to suck on. Its just as potent as you might imagine.
As a Dutchman, I'm selectively bred to love licorice
Props for deciding to finish off that licorice instead of spitting it out. I make effort to eat the things I specifically dislike, gotten to where I enjoy a few green olives every now and then. Still working on my black olive appreciation though😂
Adam has become my favorite internet chef. If he says it, I'm on it...
A person can honestly say "I love licorice" only if they were raised on the side of a remote mountain and got an extra helping of goat liver on their birthday.
I've sold liquor for seven years and this is the most sexiest way of selling green fairy and ouzo aniseed drink I've seen.
Doesn't like black licorice, eats it on cam anyway. I love you, Adam. Coming back to this video, to show a few friends.
Fascinating! I love anise flavor, enjoy fennel, dislike licorice, and detest star anise. Sweet Italian Sausage is my go to sausage, so I suspect it is the fennel seeds in it. I just planted 1 fennel plant, which is doing well and starting to flower. I only put in 1 because I know how easily it spreads and takes over!
My ex and I loved the lighting of ouzo at a Greek restaurant that we bought a bottle and continued the party at home. It was the lighting of the drink to warm it then downing it that felt like a constant celebration of…who knows. To the day I can’t stand ouzo lol. But I love anise cookies. Go figure.
I never really got why people hated licorice until we did an experiment in biology class where people try some of the compounds that make some greens like broccoli bitter. I couldn't taste a thing but some kid next to me gagged, and the reaction was so strong, he almost threw up. It really goes to show that taste has a lot of components to it. Not only are other senses like smell involved in flavor, but also, there are actual biological differences in perception that will drastically change how someone perceives what you make. I know it doesn't apply to everything, but when you live most of your life enjoying a flavor like licorice, it's strange to learn later on that someone could literally have a different sense of taste.
Licorice, anisette,fennel, Galliano, Good and Plenty? All delicious.
For those who like the licorice flavor, you should try the root of the "licorice fern" (polypodium glycyrrhiza).
It's not available commercially, but if you ever go to the Pacific Northwest, you may see the fern growing on trunk or branches of a broad leaf maple tree (and it's usually poking out of some fluffy moss that's also on the tree). The root will be under the moss, in the decomposing outer bark of the tree. Just pull out a bit of the root, give it a wash, and then chew on it. I think it's supposed to be dried if you want to use it medicinally, but I've never tried it that way.
I haven't really eaten this flavor outside of maybe those candied fennel seeds you get in Indian restaurants for digestion.
This compound stuff makes good content
I do find it lightly interesting that I hate Licorice, absinth and generally just the Anethol flavor.
But I really like (at least in moderate amounts) Both tarragon and Basil. I wonder if the fact that it is similar, but still a slightly different flavor does the trick?
Yeah well, and there is Switzerland. XD
Val de Travers made Absinth first after that it got popular in France.
And the reason because it was banned here was: There was a Farmer in Switzerland who killed his family because of absinth (that's what was said - but the farmer was a Wine farmer and drank a few bottles of his wine before the absinth) and remembered nothing afterwards. So there was a voting and the Swiss Men (Women weren't allowed to vote back then) voted for a banning of Absinth in 1910.
In the 80s there was a Chef who made an Absinth Soufle, when a French Politican came for a friendship visit. The "bundesrat" (like President) where there as well. So the chef got almost arrested, but because there wasn't any Absinth found in his kitchen, he got free, but there was a very very long court case. And in 2005 it got allowed again. So since then it's allowed to produce Absinth and to buy it. And yes, in Val de Travers there were many "moonshiners" and many of them got arrested. But now we have a lot of destileries who have "original" recepies from their families - for them it's like a tomato sauce for the italians. Every Family has its own recepie. And as well there are a lot of new variations. Once I had a "Absinth Whisky" The absinth was in a casket for about 4month and it was so delicious! They even did a "Absinth Champain". It didn't have a strong Absinth flavour, but it was nice and really refreshing.
Once a Year there is an "absinth festival", where you can drink/try different absinths and you can vistite the Absinth museum as well in Motiers. Even if you don't speak French (as me) it's really interesting :)
Funny thing: In the German and Italian side of Switzerland Absinth isn't well known. You can't get that in every bar. But if you go to Neuchatel or somewhere near Val de Travers you can buy Absinth in every bar and it's really cheap (In Neuchatel it's cheaper than a beer). Really interesting and funny :)
Hated?? I love black licorice/anise flavor. 😋 The only hot tea I can stand has anise in it and it's delicious.
Annisette is good in Italian coffee.
This was so interesting! I have always despised every food that had a trace of the anise-fennel-licorice taste or smell. Unfortunately it's difficult to avoid where I live (Israel) as it is popular in middle-eastern cuisine, but mostly because the most popular alcoholic drink most likely to be found at any gathering or party is Arak, made of anise, which causes me to be sober way more often than I would like
love black licorice
Growing up in Scandivia you can't avoid licorice, and we have really tasty licorice, but also quite horrendous tasting kind.
I hate liquorice with a passion, but I love the taste of anise and fennel (my mum's anise cookies are one of my favourite treats around Christmas). So no idea what's going on there 😅
Mmmmm....black licorice. My favs
How eerily timely: my partner and I were talking about this over a piece of fennel (she likes to snack on it raw; I can't stand it)
I'm pretty sure that salty liquorice is made from ammoniak, or something similar.
Licorice jellybeans and twirlers are my favorite tho
I am in agreement with your opinion on licorice vs fennel, sweet Italian sausage is great, but licorice tastes like poop.
I think the "absinthe makes you crazy" crowd were on to something, first (and last) time i tried absinthe i called my ex at 3 a.m.
Licorice is such a nice taste, yall have taste pallets of toddlers 😂
Star anise doesn't help the anise name at all.
The guy who ran the first marathon died at the end.
I love licorice.
So that’s why i think Thai basil smells like liquorice
It is probably a protective chemical, like nicotine or caffeine.
Idk I love all things anethole. Especially fennel sausage and anise pizzelle
You got me googling how to make my own absinthe because I have some of the plants growing including artemisia absinthium and both the green and bronze fennel. On the internet it says you need to use ever clear, which I do not have, I may try to infuse some in some vodka. Several years ago I ordered what was described as a package of 25 seeds for unique or rare herbs and they sent me that and also Artemisia princeps (Yomogi in Japan and Ssuk in Korean) which has taken over two huge raised beds in my yard, and something they called "Russian Tarragon." I looked that up to see what it was and it said it was called Estragon in Russian which is interesting because of the chemical being called estragole. I want to tell you two things about your bronze fennel. It can cross with the green one which it's done in a few places in my yard but it usually won't, and it's great for both garnishing food and impressing people and also making tea that can help with nausea.
Made own Absinth isn't that hard. I mean you only need strong alcohol (you find that in the farmacy), then you put these herbs in it, you filter it again and you have your Absinth. Yes, I was in a few destileries who made the "original" absinth, before it was banned here in Switzerland (where it is from). I was twice now in Val de Travers and it's very interesting how they make that.
Here in Switzerland it was banned from 1910 to 2005. Now it's legal again. But there were many "moonshiners" in Val de Travers and many of them got arrested as well.
The Absinth has an interesting story, which is worth to be told :)
@@naitomea14 It's just like making a tincture. It works better with fresh herbs but you can use dried ones. Most people don't have all those plants. I'm pretty sure that most of the plants are sold as live plants at local stores and if not can be found dried at herb stores where I live in California.
@@adriennefloreen Yes, it's really like making a tincture :)
Yep, with fresh herbs it's always better. And if you want it green, you have to put "big wormwood" in there ^^
Well it depends. Here in Switzerland the most people will find these herbs wothout problems. And if you don't know where, you ask your friends. There is almost everytime someone who knows someone who has this plant in his garden ^^ But yes, the most destileries have own gardens, where they plant their herbs. As a normal person, you have to work around that. Usually it's not a big deal. For Absinth you don't need to be a genius - it's no rocket sience :P
I love this flavor!!!!! 🥰
I love licorice!!
The french word for 'anise' is actually 'anis' (pronounced "ah-nee" /a.ni/ with a silent s), the word 'anise' is firmly English, being borrowed into the language hundreds of years ago from Old French (back when the s was pronounced) and developing naturally with English sound Changes over the centuries to have pronunciation "AN-iss" /ˈæ.nɪs/. It's fine for words to acquire new pronunciations, but the more traditional pronunciation is very sound and there's no reason to avoid it.
Also there's nothing wrong with sounding similar to 'anus'.
Extra etymology: the Old French word is from the Latin 'anīsum', borrowed from Ancient Greek 'ἄνῑσον' (ánīson)/'ἄννησον' (ánnēson), that is thought to have in turn been borrowed from an Ancient Egyptian word.
This is funny, because I love fennel, and anise and star anise, but I can't STAND licorice, far too sticky and oily. Don't really like anise flavoured drinks though, unless it's diluted with a lot of lemonade.
sweet cicely has it too
Could the aversion to the anise taste be caused by genes? I say this because I have just found out that my total rejection of the taste of cilantro/fresh coriander is due to two genes in my makeup that identify the taste of cilantro as disgusting.
Anyone feels the anethole flavor in parsley? I'm not sure if it's something else but I've always felt this anise/fennel flavor in parsley aswell. Also always hated it but starting to like the smell
You crack me up!
I'm really enjoying this "plant chemistry" kick you've been on lately, more please!
@kuyswe In Germany that would be "Bio-Chemie" :D :D :D (Hint: the German word for organic is, yes, organisch, but also biologisch, like in organic food biologisch angebaute Nahrung. Casually called Bio.)
I'm wondering why he hasn't done a video on weed.
@kuyswe it can be
@@FreebirthOne Biochemistry is the term in English too, but it's not the same as organic chemistry. It describes the chemical processes inside living organisms - which a plant extract reacting to cold water while desolved in ethanol is not, obviously. Organic chemistry on the other hand is the study of all organic compounds and their reactions, so exactly what is talked about in this video.
So no, this is Organische Chemie, not Biochemie; and the terms are used exactly as in English.
@@Muenni Having studied a few Semester of Biologie I know exactly what is what :) I just took a few liberties here to make a bad joke. Because: the casual 'organic' really is 'biologisch' in German (think Thief of Time, Myria talking about the Hershebian Lawyer Beetle. How...very organic!)
I love licorice to an obsessive degree, and since noone ever likes it other than me i never have to share it!
Licorice and Coffee addicts.
Huzzah, man of quality!
You should try Ouzo, a Greek liquor flavored heavily with anise. Sold at most liquor stores, I’m sure you’d love it!
Dont come to the netherlands we will take all your Licorice for ourselves
Same, if you ran into my boyfriend's dad he thought it literally indicated you could be a demon, same for if you like spicy food. I like both so to put it mildly he was never a fan of me.
I feel that. I also enjoy not having to share my Sambuca with anyone lol
Fun Fact. Oyster mushrooms also contain Anethol, the scent of Anise is one of the main factors in identifying them in the wild.
oyster mushrooms rule
This is fascinating to learn, a few months ago I grew some blue Oysters at home and could've sworn the colonised substrate gave off an aniseed smell
Interesting - thanks :)
That's what that weird sweet note is, wow 😲
Damn and i love those.
Plant chemist here. Anethole is actually not a terpenoid, but a phenylpropanoid! This is another interesting class of compounds which include cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon), vanillin, eugenol (cloves, nutmeg), and more. Phenylpropanoids are also closely related to lignin, the second most abundant biopolymer next to cellulose, and polyphenols, which include tannin and many antioxidants.
This guy is actually spot on and knows his stuff so the fact that the man made the video doesn't know what he's talking about while trying to educate us I'm never watching another video he makes.. how can you get something like that wrong but you're trying to be an educator?
@@brianthomason5022 I mean, I still watch Adams videos! I think they're great! Chemistry is hard, it's difficult to get everything right.
Do you know why some people like it? I'm wondering if it has a genetic component like cilantro. I love both, but real licorice is so hard to get I just chew anise seeds
@@dianamiller3307 I dont think anything like this has a simple explanation, even preference for coriander leaves. Food preferences are likely due to a combination of biology, psychology, and social context, as everything else.
@@minty9853 the taste of cilantro has a proven genetic component. Some people can taste a compound in it that is unpleasant. Nontasters cannot taste the compound and cilantro doesn't bother them. Then there are peoole like me who may be tasting something nontasters don't, but we like it.
Interesting little side note about absinthe: some also think that the "hallucinations" could have been caused by manufacturers of cheap absinthe adding copper oxide to make it green. This was the 1800s so health and safety weren't a thing yet
This is a tiny tiny theory and has no evidence whatsoever, by far the main understanding is that it was a myth, and based on the fact that there were recorded people talking about it as if it were a thing makes it almost entirely likely
It’s like the theory on the witch trials about the hallucinogen. Completely a theory with no evidence and its most likely just a result of people being shitty, just like in this case, without any substances
Well my Absinthe costs me about $70 USD for a litre bottle and I've never had any hallucinations from it. It will get you pretty drunk though if you're not careful!
Yeah, I'm not sure on this theory but, in a paper I wrote years ago I remember that Thoujone (the psychoactive drug in wormwood) is negated or denatured by alcohol thus, even at high concentrations of wormwood, it's still safe.
I thought the issue was heavy metal poisoning, that wouldn't be an issue in modern times with better equipment and better testing techniques. But, then again, I can't say that I've studied one way or another, but from what I understand, it's not any real risk these days beyond the typical damage of consuming drinks with that much alcohol in them.
Being Scandinavian, it seems absolutely insane to say that most people don't like licorice. It's everywhere here and is immensely popular. Especially when combined with chocolate.
Same as a Dutchy, I was so suprised that people in other country really don't like it
Im a swede and most people i know hate licorice. I feel like im the odd one out
I’m an American but I’m of Swedish descent - no wonder I always liked black licorice when most people I know prefer the red kind which isn’t really licorice at all.
American, but 100% turkish genes. I love black licorice, as do my parents. No clue how it works, but black licorice is awesome
@@Glovvox To someone from the Netherlands all licorice is black (because it's concentrated licorice root extract which is a dark brown before concentration by evaporation), but there are dozens of variations all seasoned differently with ingredients ranging from honey and herbal extracts to sal ammoniac salt.
As a licorice superfan, this video was made for me thank you Adam
Black licorice beats the artificial strawberry flavored rubber most people call licorice ten times out of nine. Both Twizzlers and Red Vines have absolutely nothing on a bag of licorice allsorts.
Same.
Black licorice needs Ammonium chloride/salmiak
Imho that's more important than the anathol.
@@tjenadonn6158 Same, I never particularly cared for that shitty bland "strawberry" flavored licorice.
Never tried that, but would want to.
Your balance of food science and traditional cooking content is so cool. Also a bit of a blessing for your channel because it's harder to run out of ideas lol
Yeah. It'd be interesting with an introduction to the next level: Ammonium chloride. Or “salmiakki” in Finnish. That's the salt in “salty liquorice. It's taste is indescribable. Slightly sweet, slightly salty. Not widely available south of the Netherlands. It's used for other culinary purposes than flavour, but it'd be interesting to know who first began eating it.
When I lived in France, I'd bring it from Denmark. Big plastic bags with white powder. Was never stopped.
it's why I almost never skip videos. It doesn't get old. whereas other cooking channels certainly do.
In The Netherlands we have bread topping called "muisjes", litterally translated "little mice". They are anise seeds where the bulbous part of the seed is covered by a coating of sugar and optionally a little coloring (usually blue or pink and sometimes orange or other colors), the tail of the seed sticks out of the sugar bulb hence it's name of "little mice". This bread topping is traditionally served on rusks when a child is born (pink and white when it's a girl or blue and white when it's a boy), in dutch this is known as "beschuit met muisjes" (rusks with little mice). the orange and white option is usually sold around festivities that have to do with our royal family (the house of orange). They are also pretty tasty on just regular bread with a little layer of butter.
you also have gestampte muisjes.
It literally translates to "crushed mice". Enjoy.
it's basically anise powder with sugar.
My favorite bread topping next to marmite
They have the same thing in India!
I once bought something similar in a Asian foodmarket. Fennelseeds covered in sugar as a candy.
I imagine anis seeds even tastier.
Fun fact: Aniseed in Arabic is called "Yansoon" .. which is a homonym for the phrase "They Forget" .. This leads to some HYLARIOUS labeling mishaps on Aniseed packaging sometimes. Even Google Translate returns "They forget" as the translation to Yansoon.
So it's like the opposite of forget-me-not?
Very interesting, as a Dutch person who loves liquorice it always surprises me how many people hate it’s flavour.
As a fun little fact, in the Netherlands it’s customary to eat ‘beschuit met muisjes’ when a child is born, muisjes meaning little mouse’s, which are anise seed covered in a sugar layer. They get there name because of the shape and the little ‘tail’ from the seed sticking out
Oh, I thought it was supposed to be mouse droppings...
@@bonenintomatensaus haha well that would be something. No it’s the shape of the covered seed (kind off teardrop shaped ) and the little piece that connected the seed to the plant that stick out as a ‘tail’
@@timvankeulen7462 Just for future information, the plural of mouse is mice. Also, Of and Off are two different words. Off is used for lights not being on, to remove something from the top of a table etc. This one could easily be a typo, but I see this error a lot and prefer to assume it's a mistake caused by lack of familiarity with English. It's to be expected though, as errors are normal. If it's a typo and you know that, then this part of the comment should just be disregarded.
Also, though this one is colloquially correct, "kind of" is grammatically incorrect. I use it all the time however, as do most other native English speakers. I wouldn't use it on a job application, or in some other important official setting though.
My intention is to help, not to insult. I do hope you will keep that in mind and will not feel insulted, but you are certainly entitled to feel insulted. Your feelings are your own.
@@flamerollerx01 Holy fucking shit man you must be super fun at parties.
Liquorice tastes like garbage. Salmiakki is the real shit. I eat it almost every day
Something that surprised me over the years is how I began to realize that my dislike of this anathol flavor is centered entirely on the context of it being in candy. The moment you take it out of that context and put it into a savory dish, I actually love it. I also really enjoy absinthe as long as it isn't too sugary. There's something about that combination of anise and sugar that's just very off-putting to me.
Wow, this is the exact opposite of another comment I read on this video. Where they can't handle it in savory dishes because they're used to tasting it in sweets
I kinda agree, I feel like it has a cloying quality like it's almost sweet already, and adding a lot of sugar intensifies that. Also I think that in savory foods the flavor tends to be more multifaceted, so that the anethol is not as dominant.
I'm exactly the same. Really dislike liquorice sweets and sambuca, but use anise and fennel often in cooking, and don't mind a bit of ouzo or absinthe from time to time.
same!
@@bananawitchcraft I think it works as a very minor component of a sweet spice blend for similar reasons.
A hint among a lot of other, stronger flavors is good, but it's too much by itself.