When the aroma of liquorice hovers over the streets of Porvoo, you know that Brunberg’s factory is cooking a batch of soft, fresh, black, and rich liquorice.
Liquorice is one of the most popular sweets in Finland. Brunberg included liquorice in their selection in 1932 but the roots of the black and sweet delicacy go back to at least 3000BC.
In Finland, as well as the rest of the world, liquorice was initially known as a medicine. 5000 years ago, liquorice was used for problems of the heart, the pancreas, and the skin. It was also used as seasoning and is still China’s most frequently used condiment after ginseng.
In ancient Mesopotamia around 2,500 years BC, the physicians kept liquorice in their medical bags to ward off evil spirits and to be used as a medicine and stimulant. A love potion was also prepared to freshen the lover’s breath and intensify their love life.
You may have heard of the curse of Tutankhamun? But perhaps you have not heard of his passion for liquorice. When the archaeologists opened his tomb (he died 1327 BC) they found, along with the mummy, a root of liquorice. The intention had been to enable him to enjoy a cup of his beloved Mai Sus potion upon arrival in the afterlife.
Nero, the Emperor of Rome, and his legionnaires had a strong belief in liquorice. The legionnaires chewed roots of liquorice to ease hunger and thirst.
Many great men have fought with the help of liquorice, such as Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte who chewed the root to calm his nerves before battle.
Like many other success stories, the liquorice we eat today started by mistake.
In the small town of Pontefract in England liquorice was grown in the garden of a Spanish monastery. The monks made small round Pontefract cakes for medicinal purposes.
One day in 1760 the pharmacist George Dunhill, from Pontefract was baking cakes and added by mistake wheat flour and sugar. Thus, a sweet was born which rapidly became famous the world over.
In Finland, liquorice has been a pharmacy product since the 19th century as a medicine and to ease hunger. Apart from pharmacists, pastry cooks also willingly used liquorice.
The Finns learned to love the black delicacy early on. In the 1900’s many Finnish sweet factories were started up and they included liquorice in their selections.
The predecessor of Brunberg, Oy Brunberg Lindfors Ab, started making liquorice in 1932.
Until 2022, Brunberg liquorice was produced in the traditional way and with almost the same recipe. The idea to expand the liquorice assortment was born when the previous liquorice production line had reached the end of its life cycle.
So Brunberg decided to upgrade the equipment so that it could also be used to make filled liquorice. Flavour options for the filling were explored and in the end three flavours were chosen: orange, raspberry-chilli and chocolate.
The liquorice paste is carefully cooked in a container, where it matures for just the right amount of time. After cooking, the paste is transferred to a dispenser, which presses liquorice strips evenly onto a conveyor band. These strips are then sent to the chiller and then cut into pieces and bagged into finished products.
The secret behind the smooth flavour is the low content of glycyrrhizin, which gives Brunberg liquorice its rounded and smooth taste.
Over the years Brunberg’s selection has included among others, liquorice pipes, liquorice rolls and during World War II, carrot liquorice. The factory met the craving for sweets for the Finnish people with the raw materials that were available at the time.
Today, the craving for liquorice is bigger than ever. It is used in baking, but it is also excellent for the seasoning of salty dishes. Liquorice even has its own festivals!
The Brunberg selection of today includes the traditional Brunberg liquorice, Brunberg Oat Liquorice, Brunberg Salmiak Liquorice, Brunberg Tar-flavoured Liquorice and Filled Liquorice in three tastes: raspberry-chili, orange and chocolate.
There is also liquorice in the following sweets: Alku Toffee Liquorice, Alku Toffee Lemon Liquorice and Brunberg Liquorice Toffee.
With the renewal of the liquorice production line, Brunberg developed filled liquorice to accompany the classic liquorice, to the delight of all liquorice fans.
Brunberg’s oven-fresh filled liquorice has a thick, genuine liquorice crust and three charming flavours: fresh orange, mildly spicy raspberry-chili and sweet chocolate.
When launching the filled liquorice, Brunberg decided to renew the design of all liquorice products at the same time. The new packaging design is colourful and modern with a playful jungle pattern.
All Brunberg liquorice products are lactose free, milk free and soy free. The traditional liquorice and oat liquorice are also vegan.
As liquorice is one of Finland’s favourite sweets, we can say that Brunberg’s liquorice is a delicious everyday snack as well as a festive treat.
Sources:
Mari Leppänen (2004). Lakua! Kustannusyhtiö Nemo emoambridge
https://historianet.fi/kulttuuri/herkkujen-historiaa-mista-suosikkimakeisten-juuret-juontavat
Brunbergin tuotekehityspäällikkö Mauri Niemelän haastattelu
Veckjärventie 6
06150 Porvoo
(019) 548 42 00
mon-fri 9–15
[email protected]
(019) 548 42 24
[email protected]
