Down Another "Rabbit Hole"

I have such a tendency to be sucked into rabbit holes. I have always loved learning new things, and have an insatiable curiosity. That makes it difficult for me to do a "quick" bit of research. Allow me to illustrate the https://steemitimages.com/DQmR1eyv69P1heDp9NwBGXFbjJzsy3kCC5d5GoPVvKvTujP/insanity.png that is me...

A few hours ago, @shadowspub posted another of her wonderful SteemitRamble curation posts, where she highlights some of the good content she has read recently. One of the articles was a report from @enginewitty, who described a package he received from Cap't @dreemsteem as winnings from a Treasure Hunt contest. Among the items in the box was a package of "Swedish Fish" candy! Yum! 😋

I've had that candy and enjoyed it, long ago. It is a soft, chewy candy with a somewhat cherry-tasting flavor. Even though I've eaten them previously, I could not remember the reason they're called "Swedish" fish.

— Is the candy imported from Sweden? — Or did the recipe originate in Sweden? — Is that a candy that the Swedish people typically enjoy?

So, off I went to get answers to my questions...

As it turns out, the candy was, indeed, developed in Sweden! The shape of the fish was chosen because fishing is a huge part of the economy of Sweden, so a fish-shaped candy was fitting. The target market was the U.S., though, not Sweden, although the candy is sold in Sweden, too. The candies consumed in North America are manufactured in a factory in Ontario, Canada.

The only Swedish Fish I have seen are the red, cherry-flavored candies. However, I read online that the parent company of the candies, Malaco, also makes a black-and-white colored, salmiak-flavored variety, supposedly for distribution only in Sweden. I've never heard of "salmiak" and had to look that up, too. As it turns out, "salmiak" is the Swedish word for "salty liquorice," which is a variant of liquorice flavoring used in Nordic countries. So, then, I had to learn more about this "salty liquorice." I learned that "salty liquorice" is sometimes used to flavor "snus" as well as candy, but what-the-heck is snus...???

Before I realized it, I had read at least part, if not all, of the following articles:

Swedish Fish    ● Salmiak       ♦ SaltyLiquorice          • Snus             ٠ Snuff    ● NordicCountries       ♦ Scandinavia          • GermanicPeoples             ٠ Swedes             ٠ Norwegians             ٠ Danes          • Finno-UgricPeoples             ٠ Sami             ٠ Kvens             ٠ Finns    ● Invert Sugar       ♦ Sucrose          • Sugarloaf             ٠ Jaggery                – Bagasse             ٠ Panela             ٠ SugarNips       ♦ BoneChar          • Pareve          • Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease             ٠ Prion                – PRNP (PRioN Protein)    ● Modified Corn Starch       ♦ Disintegrant       ♦ Excipient       ♦ Retrogradation in starches