Are Swedish Fish really from Sweden?
Yep. Initially introduced by a Swedish company called Malaco in the 1950’s, now it appears many companies create a Swedish Fish like candy. In the States, the Fish (these Swedish Fish Tails, and other varieties) come from Mondelez, who now own the name (and patents I assume), after getting them from Cadbury Adams. Mondelez makes Sour Patch Kids too, amongst many other things of course.
What differentiates the original Swedish Fish from other gummies is mainly texture, but also a bit of bite in the flavor. The texture of original Swedish fish are unique. What might seem a harder gummy ‘shell’, quickly disintegrates to a chewy mass that gets stuck in your teeth. Think opposite of Haribo bears.
History lesson over. How do these Swedish Fish Tails taste?
Fine.
They taste OK.
Not great, not terrible. Not good, not bad. A bit too sweet.
Swedish Fish Tails are two-tone, with two flavors on each: blue raspberry and strawberry, watermelon and pineapple, and raspberry and mango. The flavors are apparent when you eat a single bite of one, and close your eyes and concentrate. Differentiated? Not so much. Watermelon yes tastes like that. Mango and pineapple is almost there, raspberry and strawberry are ok but generally a general berry. When you put the 2 flavors together, you don’t get a recipe, per se. These aren’t Jelly Belly’s, which have clearly defined flavors that can augment each other. When you eat these fish whole _ which we all do; who eats half a fish at a time? _ then you get a general candy… with allllllmmmost the Swedish Fish texture.
There are other Swedish candy companies who do the texture just as good as the original, such as The Candy People who do a horse version. And even Trader Joe’s, the German-owned U.S. grocer does a Swedish Fish knock-off that gets it almost right. This one, not so much.
I wouldn’t not buy these again, but I wouldn’t not not buy them either.
For those that care, Ikandi.us sells the REAL Malaco fish and they have extremely reasonable prices too