Whatsit Wednesday: Licorice (“Drop”)

Every Tuesday I visit our sister from the church who is homebound and terminal. We talk about family, church family and God. We pray together. And I take her list to the grocery store down the street so that she has enough food in the house. I have come to know her writing and her list quite well. But the other day she had a new one on the list, since she has been getting some visits from people: “drop”. 

Some of you who know us and are not from the Netherlands or Belgium might have heard of and even tasted “drop”. This is something that Dutch ex-pats miss immensely when living outside the Netherlands. Our friends who recently visited fro Muscatine also came ready to buy things to take back to the US. “Drop” is one of those things. It is certainly something one will never forget once one has tried it. 

“Drop” is black licorice. I don’t know that I would call it candy, but it is something for eating between meals. Whereas some in the US might recognize the word “licorice”, they would not recognize “drop” if they tried it. Dutch “drop” comes in at least 4 types: salt, extra salt, double salt, and sweet. Most would recognize the sweet “drop” as licorice. It can come in various colors, is chewy and is sweet. But that is not what the Dutchman is typically looking for. 

The real “drop” is salty. It is black and comes in various shapes, although most often in the shape of a coin. Some are shaped like little cars. There are specific brands that people would swear by, and there are store brands for those who are just looking for a hit, needing to be able to put some “candy” on the table for the visitors. Some people can eat 3 or 4 pieces. Some people know that they have to have someone put the sack away before they eat the whole thing. 

Most non-Dutch people are quite surprised by “drop” the first time they try it. They are expecting sweet licorice and are hit by the extreme salty nature of this candy. But some come to like it. I do not. My son Stephan is also not a fan. But Shirley and Sean love it. If you get the chance when you are in the Netherlands, drop in a store and get some. Don’t worry about getting it at the souvenir shop where you will pay too much. Just go in to any Dutch supermarket and you will find it on the shelves by the candy. 

(The picture is of "double salt")