Going Dutch
May is such a busy month! Everyone seems to be out taking advantage of all this city has to offer. If you haven't seen the tulips at the various Tulip Festival sites around town, you've got one weekend left to take it all in. They truly are a fantastic sight and a lovely reminder of
the story of Princess Margriet from the Netherlands.
To really "go Dutch" and celebrate while traipsing through the tulips, we recommend Dutch licorice. We have a selection in store of nearly twenty varieties and can offer advice and samples on the types and tastes. Dutch licorice, unlike its North American counterpart, really focuses on the licorice root and does not partake in excess sweeteners. In fact, a common name for Dutch licorice is salty licorice, but don't be fooled: not all of the licorice on offer is salty!
Dutch licorice types are defined by their taste and their texture. Sweet, single salted, double salted and menthol are a few of the taste categories. While soft, semi-soft, semi-hard, hard and stiff are texture categories. For the newly indoctrinated licorice taster, start with something that is more familiar: honing, a honey-sweetened licorice or skoolkrijt, a candy-coated minty flavoured licorice. Both of these have tastes and textures that are common in North American licorice, without being too sweet and offer a great starting point for moving up to the advanced salted licorice!
What is advanced licorice you ask? Well, if you ask some of our regular Dutch licorice lovers, they'll tell you nothing is too salty, but for those who have not acquired the taste (and trust us, you will - this stuff is uniquely addictive!), moving up to munten drop, a sweet but stiff licorice might be a good step. Advanced licorice lovers skip the baby steps and go right to the source: D.Z. Rond, a double salted and hard little drop or zwart & witjes, a salted hard licorice with a menthol taste (excellent for sore throats).
For the more adventurous, try really taking advantage of the large selection found at The Candy Store and choose from each jar! Our licorice is sold by weight and is all the same price, so pick up a bag and tongs and make your own little mix - you just might find that yourself going Dutch more often!
Labels: licorice
Sweet Mother's Day Treats
In honour of Mother's Day this Sunday, we'd like to pay tribute to our own mothers and just maybe help you think of a treat for yours! It's no surprise that the staff at The Candy Store love all things candy and chocolate, but did you know that so do our mothers? We each asked our mother to reveal their favourite indulgence from The Candy Store (which, in hindsight, was ill-timed as now all our mothers are all on high-alert, expecting those treats on Sunday. Good thing we're happy to oblige!).
Diane: You’d think the mother of the owner of The Candy Store would have a hard time picking just one favourite! But she knows what she likes. Her number one candy choice is Les Anis des Flavigny. She loves to hear (and tell!) the story behind them—how each little candy takes 14 whole days to make, using old-fashioned techniques. Each one lasts much longer than other mints, and has flavour throughout! She’s always dropping by the store to pick up a tin of them for her purse.
Katie: My mother's favourite is "those malty things - the ones you gave me, remember?" What she was trying to tell me was that she loves the Ultimate Malt Balls. And who could blame her? Four layers of chocolate surrounding a malt center - yes please! Who knows, maybe a package will make it to the post with some of "those malty things" in them for my mother ;)
April: My mother basically raised me on chocolate, so it was no surprise when I asked her what her favourite candy was, she replied: “Anything chocolate!” and after further interrogation, her response turned into “Anything chocolate with coffee or nuts!” That’s why she enjoys it so much when I bring home a sweet little bag of our dark and milk chocolate covered almonds, or the NYC Espresso Mix! Roasted almonds and crunchy espresso beans drenched in creamy milk or rich dark chocolate? That’s definitely her idea of a good snack!
Evie: When I asked my mother what her favourite candy was she replied without hesitation “barley toys!” They are her favourite childhood candy, and anytime she sees them now, she is reminded of the days when she would get barley toys in the toe of her stocking at every Christmas! These succulent sugar candies are a classic seasonal candy from Truro, Nova Scotia, and though my mom is a native Ottawa resident, they still bring back sweet memories for her!
Britt: Every time my Mom comes into the Candy Store, she just has to pick up a few of our malt balls. They are definitely her favourite. She always gets an assortment of whatever flavors we have in stock but I make sure she doubles up on the mint cookie ones. Not only does she like them, but so do I! A bag of these brightly coloured malted milk balls is my Mom’s idea of a perfect hostess gift. I’m so happy my Mom can share my love for these delicious Candy Store treats.
Tessa: When I first asked my mom what her favourite candy was, she responded, “I can’t believe you’re making me choose.” However, after a couple minutes of some hard thinking, she had come to a decision: the licorice all-sorts. She prefers the soft texture, the unique taste, and of course, the fun colours. When snacking on this treat, my mom reflects upon some fond memories of her childhood, a time of penny candies. (Now I know what I’m getting her for mother’s day!)
Andrea: Last August, it was my Mom's birthday. For her gift, I got some of the delicious Belgium Galler chocolate bars that I had sampled once before on a school trip in Europe. A perfect blend of a chocolate shell with a delicious filling… I don’t remember which particular flavours I purchased for her, but I'll never forget the first thing she said right after eating a piece from the first bar, "For Christmas, Easter, my birthday next year, any occasion, please get me more of these. I don't want anything else. Just these!" She came to visit me in Ottawa last year in the fall, and left with at least 2 of the rich bars. And she doesn’t have to worry; she will see many more in future!
Now that we've shared our mother's favourites, what's your mother's weakness? Not sure? Let us help - we have an incredible selection to choose from and can please candy and chocolate lovers alike! We can also help you cover all your bases by putting together a gift that includes something of everything to let your mother indulge in all her sweet whims on her special day. For the moms who have everything and ask for nothing, show them how sweet they are with a gourmet candy selection. It sure beats the plant your brother showed up with (sorry bro!).
Labels: barley toys, chocolate, france, galler, licorice, malt balls, mother's day
Let's talk licorice!
There's an entire world of licorice that many of us in North America know nothing about, but ask a Dane, Fin, German or Swede and they'll smile knowingly and relate childhood stories intertwined with this international treat. Salmiak or salted licorice is higher in ammonium chloride (not sodium chloride, which is table salt) than normal licorice, resulting in a uniquely spicy taste and bears little resemblance to the red stuff most people consider to be licorice. Unlike the red version, which actually contains no licorice extract, the salted stuff is chock full of licorice extract and comes in a variety of shapes, textures and flavours.
At The Candy Store you'll find 14 different varieties of salted licorice and 7 types of North American style licorice. 21 different licorice options in a single store - you've got to see and taste them for yourself!
Munten drop, schoolkrijt, duiten, boerderij drop, schuintjes, dubblezoute, katjes and honing are just a few of the favourites found in the licorice section at The Candy Store. Varying from sweet to minty to oh-so-salty, there's a variety for everyone. Treat someone who remembers or challenge an adventurous foodie's taste buds this holiday season with a traditional cone-shaped bag filled with fresh, salty licorice.
Labels: licorice
