What it is
Small hard sugar shells in pastel colours, each with a piece of liquorice inside. The shell cracks, then the liquorice arrives, which surprises people who were not expecting it. Sold loose in every traditional sweet shop.
Taste
Where it comes from
Comfit making is one of the oldest confectionery techniques there is, coating a seed, nut or spice in layers of sugar in a rotating pan, practised in Europe since the Middle Ages. Liquorice comfits are the British version, associated particularly with Pontefract in Yorkshire, where liquorice was grown and processed for centuries. They are sometimes called torpedoes because of the shape.
What it's made of
A piece of liquorice paste, made with wheat flour, treacle and liquorice extract, is tumbled in a revolving pan while sugar syrup is added slowly, building a shell layer by layer, then polished with carnauba wax. It is the same process used to make sugared almonds.
Ingredients and allergens
Ingredients
<strong>Wheat</strong> Flour (<strong>Wheat</strong> Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Sugar, Treacle, Dextrose, Glucose Syrup, Modified Tapioca Starch, Colours (Anthocyanins, Carotenes, Curcumin), Sunflower Oil, Liquorice Extract, Plant Concentrates (Safflower, Spirulina), Glazing Agents (Carnauba Wax), Aniseed Oil.
Choking Warning: Not suitable for children under 36 months
Allergens
Contains: Gluten
