# Licorice, fennel: is this a big joke someone is playing on me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 23, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419 "2010-05-23T01:36:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/41 "2010-05-23T16:42:18Z")
I’ve never cared for licorice and I do remember when it was “real” licorice. But if you enjoy Italian sausage, and I do, you are probably enjoying the taste of fennel seeds. Tarragon, just the slightest touch, is mysterious and tasty in Chicken Kiev butter. Also in bleu cheese dressing. Of course some people can’t understand why anyone would eat bleu cheese. As far as universally bad tastes or smells I would imagine that the senses are subjective. Horse poopy smells pretty good to me. (Must be a pony in there somewhere!) And we’ve all heard of people who claim the smell of skunk is pleasant to them. Do you know that Hershey used sour milk in its chocolate products? I read that somewhere and since have not enjoyed Hershey’s milk chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/42 "2010-05-23T17:03:11Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > However, I don’t think that has anything to do with the licorice aversion. I hate licorice flavor, and I know exactly how it tastes. Yeah, that’s what I figure is the case for most people who have a definite aversion. But I think there’s a not insignificant category of people who mistakenly identify the red candies as “licorice flavor.” May not be a large number of people, but from personal experience I know they’re out there. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/43 "2010-05-23T17:32:41Z")
I thought what people were calling a generic “licorice” candy these days is usually called a gummi candy. Or is that trademarked or something? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/44 "2010-05-23T17:46:56Z")
Personally, I find that anise can be wonderful, but it has to be only in trace amounts. Just barely enough to be able to tell that it’s there is just right. Fennel is essential to Italian sausage, and doesn’t taste at all like anise to me. Is it some other part of the plant that has that flavor? And I can definitely taste the soapy flavor of cilantro, and wouldn’t be able to eat it straight, but can still enjoy dishes that have it in reasonable quantities. I’ve heard speculation that this might be a result of being heterozygous in the soap-tasting gene, but an impromptu survey of my extended family seems to contradict this. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/45 "2010-05-23T17:50:57Z")
You can use the root bulb, leaves, and seeds; they might have different tastes. I’ve only had the leaves, and they have the “licorice” taste. There is some evidence that cilantro aversion is a form of taste aversion, and that perhaps for some repeated exposure can make it more palatable. Sorry, can’t remember where I saw that but it was only a few days ago. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/46 "2010-05-23T17:51:07Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Also, if I had to eat a strongly licorice flavored something or other to avoid embarrassing a host or something, I could without making too much of a yucky face, unlike cilantro haters who like to clutch their chest and pretend they’re dying. In all fairness, that’s a fairly normal reaction to eating something that tastes like it’s contaminated with things that are unsafe for human consumption. The two most common descriptions you get from cilantro haters is “soap” and “rotting garbage,” both of which are unsafe to eat; the monkey brain is going to prompt a much stronger reaction than mmmm-gag-mmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/47 "2010-05-23T17:51:51Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > One of the most repellant things I’ve ever seen was a “salad” made from shredded fennel, mandarin oranges and olives.😕:eek: I love scallops sautéed with orange segments and then flambéed in Sambuca. Same thing with chicken… ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/48 "2010-05-23T17:56:25Z")
> [@santosvega](#): > > Yeah, right? It seems like people these days, in the USA anyway, have a general aversion to licorice flavor, but it also seems to be a recent phenomenon as seemingly nearly every culture in Europe and the Middle East has preferred it as a flavoring for liquor and liqueur, and some beers, since the Middle Ages. Licorice candy seems to have been much more popular a couple of generations ago as well. Why the shift? > For the record, I like licorice, fennel, etc., in all of their iterations. My problem with the flavor, and i would be willing to be with a lot of people my age …back in the 60s one of the default flavors for liquid medications was licorice. I was on enough meds that to this day the flavor makes me want to vomit. Taste, smell - both are abbhorant to me. If I never taste or smell it again in my life, I will be happy. ---
**Author:** ![santosvega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@santosvega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/santosvega)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/49 "2010-05-23T18:06:43Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > My problem with the flavor, and i would be willing to be with a lot of people my age …back in the 60s one of the default flavors for liquid medications was licorice. I was on enough meds that to this day the flavor makes me want to vomit. Taste, smell - both are abbhorant to me. If I never taste or smell it again in my life, I will be happy. Now _that’s_ interesting. Could be exactly that reason that licorice went from being a ubiquitous flavoring for sweets and alcohol (and medicine) to a strange flavor that many people don’t like. Your generation would have associated it with that unpleasantness and therefore not familiarized your children with the flavor. It’s a strong flavor, and like many strong flavors people who aren’t accustomed to it have an instinctive aversion to it. And I’ve definitely heard the liquor/anise flavor described as ‘medicinal’ by people who are far too young to have ever taken medicine in the 60s. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/50 "2010-05-23T18:12:01Z")
> [@santosvega](#): > > Now _that’s_ interesting. Could be exactly that reason that licorice went from being a ubiquitous flavoring for sweets and alcohol (and medicine) to a strange flavor that many people don’t like. Your generation would have associated it with that unpleasantness and therefore not familiarized your children with the flavor. It’s a strong flavor, and like many strong flavors people who aren’t accustomed to it have an instinctive aversion to it. And I’ve definitely heard the liquor/anise flavor described as ‘medicinal’ by people who are far too young to have ever taken medicine in the 60s. Wonder if our kids will similarly detest Wild Cherry. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/51 "2010-05-23T18:14:05Z")
Anyone who dislikes licorice flavor would do well to avoid marshmallow root tea, if the option is available and curiosity is assailing you at a tea shop. Loose marshmallow tea not only tastes quite a bit like licorice, it also makes your mouth numb. 😛 Rather, to ME it tastes like licorice, and makes MY mouth numb, but I like both licorice and tarragon and love tarragon in chicken dishes, so your mileage may vary. The only time I’ve ever had food or drink taste like soap was when I over-dosed on Canadian Clear waters, and I seem to recall having too much of something else did that to me too, but can’t recall what. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/52 "2010-05-23T18:18:54Z")
I hate licorice - can’t eat it at all, or anything flavoured with it. It’s pretty much the only thing I feel that way about. However I love fennel: raw or cooked, bulb, seeds, root or herb, it’s all good with me. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/53 "2010-05-23T18:19:08Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Wonder if our kids will similarly detest Wild Cherry. I think they’ve used cherry flavoring in medicines for a long time. ([Here’s](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2806/) the straight dope from **MsRobyn**.) If a cherry flavor aversion was going to propagate from flavored medicines, I reckon it would’ve happened already. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/54 "2010-05-23T18:31:39Z")
> [@xenophon41](#): > > I think they’ve used cherry flavoring in medicines for a long time. ([Here’s](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2806/) the straight dope from **MsRobyn**.) If a cherry flavor aversion was going to propagate from flavored medicines, I reckon it would’ve happened already. That’s true, although it seems as if they’re getting stronger and more XTREME. 😃 I think it’s safe to assume that cherry is a popular medicine flavor because, not only is it so strong and sweet is can mask many medicine tastes, once upon a time, wild cherry bark was about the awesomeist cough suppressant we had, so people associated “wild cherry” with healing stuff. Which, not coincidentally, may be the case with licorice/anise/fennel flavors, as well. Very common medicinal herbs which our grandparents would have associated with healing tonics \*their \*grandmothers brewed up in the kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/55 "2010-05-23T18:37:12Z")
Yep. And I believe licorice is a natural expectorant and would’ve been used for that as well as a mild digestive in tea… ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/56 "2010-05-23T19:33:00Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > What about absinthe, anisette, ouzo, rakı, or arak? I dunno–I’ve never had any of them. Licorice flavor is also used in some tobaccos. I will have no trouble in avoiding marshmallow root tea. 😉 I like Italian sausage, so I must be confused re fennel. Then again, every now and then there is a seed in Italian sausage and when I bite the seed, I dislike the flavor in my mouth. So either I do dislike fennel or I only like a milder version of it or I’m completely mistaken and am dissing fennel when I mean something else. Glad I cleared that up. I loathe cilantro, but then I am no fan of Mexican cuisine in any form. Since cilantro features heavily in Mexican food, I think that might be a reason for my dislike. I can’t say it tastes soapy, but it doesn’t taste good (to me). Irrelevant, but interesting aside: genuine licorice, if taken in large quantities, can cause metabolic alkalosis. [candy, little girl?](http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/817578-overview) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/57 "2010-05-23T19:38:19Z")
When I was growing up, I thought I loved licorice. Turns out I loved Twizzlers. My grandparents always referred to them as licorice sticks, and they were the ones who would buy them for me. As for actual licorice: it’s okay in small amount, but I’m not going to go out looking for it. I don’t believe I’ve tried fennel. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/58 "2010-05-23T19:39:50Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Irrelevant, but interesting aside: genuine licorice, if taken in large quantities, can cause metabolic alkalosis. [candy, little girl?](http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/817578-overview) Sadly, it can also cause hypernatremia (that is, not hypovolemia, but true hypernatremia - it makes the tubules retain excess sodium) in clients with kidney disease. ☹ I love licorice, and I use it in a lot of my medicinal teas, but it’s not for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![cuberdon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@cuberdon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuberdon)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/59 "2010-05-23T20:06:24Z")
Fennel/anise/licorice lover here. FWIW, in my family we make a Christmas cookie called Springerle. For those without German heritage, it is anise flavored. It’s pretty clearly divided in the family who likes them and who doesn’t. Dad and I love them, stepmother who married in can’t stand them. Uncle who married in will eat as many Springerle as Grandma sets out. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419/60 "2010-05-23T20:22:46Z")
Black jelly beans are my favorite. I love the taste of licorice. I also love cilantro. MMMMMM! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licorice-fennel-is-this-a-big-joke-someone-is-playing-on-me/540419.md?page=4)