So…this is a weird one.  I received a bag of hard candies from Serbia.  On the cover is a dude who’s clearly a chimney sweeper.  And they’re called….

Um, yeah.  Negro.  So me being all optomistic, I thought this must be a cultural thing-and I’m sure it is-but I can’t find a damn thing on the web to explain the absurd name, given that it’s 2015.  Ordinarily, I’d shrug it off, but the thing is…these are GOOD.

Over the years we’ve seen a few good licorice and mint combos, and this ranks right up there.  Billed as a sore throat remedy (if I’m understanding the translation correctly), they might actually harness a little Menthol as well.  The primary flavor is licorice, but underneath it, there’s a very nice minty menthol thing happening.  And I like.

Bonus points for the fact that after a while, you can chew it, as there’s a soft center.  Super yum.

If there actually was a way for y’all to buy these, I’d wax on about the inappropriate name, at least in American standards.  Then I’d go on to say that, in 2015, there shouldn’t be a damn country in the world that doesn’t understand the loaded context of the word “Negro”.  Then I’d advise you against buying them, even though they’re good.  I get that these have been around since 1917, but…let’s get real.  Maybe change them to the Serbian name for coal?  Just an idea.

But I won’t do any of that.  I’ll just continue to eat these, and then pretend they never happened.