There are two flavors I particularly love and miss from France. These are
Cassis and
Anis. These two are combined in this lovely little pouch of hard candies sent to me by a friend. I have to crack into them to extract the seed!
Aniseed (Anis): I don't know why Anis is not more popular here, it is so common in Europe. Anise
,
Pimpinella anisum, also called aniseed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor is a lot like liquorice and fennel combined.....
Blackcurrant (Cassis):,
Ribes nigrum, is a species of
Ribes berry, a perennial, is native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia. I found out it used to be popular in the States, but evidently carried some kindof of dust particle that may cause sickness to white pine, so in the early 1900s currant farming was banned!
The fruit has extraordinarily high vitamin C , as well as good levels of potassium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin B
5. It is also full of phytochemicals that can fight all sorts of diseases and the oil made from it is also full of nutrients.
To me cassis has a rusty purple taste, that is tangy and sweet all at once.
I love this stuff and will have more entries about it later. In the meantime, check out this awesome little company build in an old Abby in this beautiful little town, they make the scrumptious little hard candies.....
http://anis-flavigny.com
