Be Not Afeared
Oreo has released yet another custom special-edition flavor: Swedish Fish, popularly known as "Swedish Red Fish", and it would be reasonable to assume that they represent just another gimmick, and a frighteningly perverse one at that. Really, an Oreo based on a gummy snack? That just feels weird. What is "Swedish Fish" flavor anyway? But in reality, these cookies seize the mild berry flavor present in the candy and supercharge it, delivering an intoxicating flavor punch of fruit and chocolate that could very well make this a permanent staple in the ever-growing roster of Oreo varieties.
A Kroger/Harris Teeter Exclusive
Although these cookies have been on the market for about a month, it took nearly three weeks for The Food Kingdom to acquire them because of an artificially restricted supply. They're only available at Kroger or Harris Teeter, whom Kroger acquired for $2.4 billion in a 2013 merger. Five trips to four different locations yielded only empty shelf space where these red and brown cookies had once been before a seemingly eager public snatched them up. With the initial wave of interest subsiding, you should now be able to find them, assuming you have one of these chains near you.
Unlocking the Mystery of the Swedish Fish Flavor
If you're like me, you may have eaten the red variety (they come in red, yellow, green and "black licorice" in their native Sweden) of this "wine gum" candy for years without ever seriously considering what the flavor actually was, and I think there are several interesting reasons for that: first, the flavor isn't officially stated anywhere on the package, secondly their reputed flavor of "lingonberry" is unfamiliar to the American palate and thirdly, well...the third reason is the most interesting of all and fundamental to the success of the flavor's translation to sandwich cookie form. Essentially, the flavor of any gummy candy will always be muted relative to that same flavor in other mediums, because gummy candies don't release their flavors easily. Gummy isn't porous and doesn't dissolve readily, unlike hard candy which melts away as you suck on it, imparting flavor as your mouth surrounds it with saliva. If you just suck on a piece of gummy, by contrast, nothing will happen. You have to chew and grind your way through the rubbery substance, reducing it almost to a mash before enough denatured surface area is exposed to finally allow the flavoring to dissolve on the tongue. And so the "lingonberry" flavor of Swedish Fish flavor is mild and vague.
Swedish Fish Oreos, on the other hand, take the same artificial berry flavor (sorry Lingonberry purists) and inject it into their smooth, fatty creme filling. This creme filling is everything that gummy is not. It spreads readily throughout the mouth, melting on contact and coating every crevice of the mouth with intense fruit taste.
How Do You Feel About Fruit and Chocolate?
As mentioned above, the fruit flavor in question here probably is indeed lingonberry, a favorite fruit in Sweden for there are subtle "winy", dark, and almost distilled brandy notes that distinguish the flavor from anything else. But if you didn't know any better you would probably have guessed the flavor to be raspberry, or more specifically "framboise" the French alcoholic cordial fermented with raspberries, the most popular brand of which is Chambord. In fact, children of the 80's like me will probably have their nostalgia cells activated by the Chocolate-Chambord flavor combination, which calls to mind all sorts of mixed drinks from the 80s: hot chocolate and Chambord, Chambord, cream, Creme de Cacao and crushed ice, White Russians with Chambord and such.
Ultimately, how you feel about these cookies will depend on whether you like fruit combined with chocolate. Some people think that's an icky combination, but if you like chocolate-colored cherries, chocolate oranges, or chocolate-raspberry tortes, then the way Swedish Fish Oreos capture that dark, mysterious combination of tastes will be in heaven.
Conclusions
As with all specialty Oreos, the exotic flavor comes at an inflated price. You get a much smaller box for the same money than you would with your basic white-creme Oreos. But this adult dalliance with sinfulness is worth the steeper amount.
Oreo has released yet another custom special-edition flavor: Swedish Fish, popularly known as "Swedish Red Fish", and it would be reasonable to assume that they represent just another gimmick, and a frighteningly perverse one at that. Really, an Oreo based on a gummy snack? That just feels weird. What is "Swedish Fish" flavor anyway? But in reality, these cookies seize the mild berry flavor present in the candy and supercharge it, delivering an intoxicating flavor punch of fruit and chocolate that could very well make this a permanent staple in the ever-growing roster of Oreo varieties.
A Kroger/Harris Teeter Exclusive
Although these cookies have been on the market for about a month, it took nearly three weeks for The Food Kingdom to acquire them because of an artificially restricted supply. They're only available at Kroger or Harris Teeter, whom Kroger acquired for $2.4 billion in a 2013 merger. Five trips to four different locations yielded only empty shelf space where these red and brown cookies had once been before a seemingly eager public snatched them up. With the initial wave of interest subsiding, you should now be able to find them, assuming you have one of these chains near you.
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| If you're thinking "I don't want to taste a gummi mushed inside a pair of chocolate wafers" I can hardly blame you. But that's the wrong way to think about them. Instead, think fruit and chocolate, and start salivating. |
If you're like me, you may have eaten the red variety (they come in red, yellow, green and "black licorice" in their native Sweden) of this "wine gum" candy for years without ever seriously considering what the flavor actually was, and I think there are several interesting reasons for that: first, the flavor isn't officially stated anywhere on the package, secondly their reputed flavor of "lingonberry" is unfamiliar to the American palate and thirdly, well...the third reason is the most interesting of all and fundamental to the success of the flavor's translation to sandwich cookie form. Essentially, the flavor of any gummy candy will always be muted relative to that same flavor in other mediums, because gummy candies don't release their flavors easily. Gummy isn't porous and doesn't dissolve readily, unlike hard candy which melts away as you suck on it, imparting flavor as your mouth surrounds it with saliva. If you just suck on a piece of gummy, by contrast, nothing will happen. You have to chew and grind your way through the rubbery substance, reducing it almost to a mash before enough denatured surface area is exposed to finally allow the flavoring to dissolve on the tongue. And so the "lingonberry" flavor of Swedish Fish flavor is mild and vague.
Swedish Fish Oreos, on the other hand, take the same artificial berry flavor (sorry Lingonberry purists) and inject it into their smooth, fatty creme filling. This creme filling is everything that gummy is not. It spreads readily throughout the mouth, melting on contact and coating every crevice of the mouth with intense fruit taste.
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| These sinister-looking chocolate devils could be great fun at Halloween. Tell trick or treaters they're filled with the blood of naughty children. |
As mentioned above, the fruit flavor in question here probably is indeed lingonberry, a favorite fruit in Sweden for there are subtle "winy", dark, and almost distilled brandy notes that distinguish the flavor from anything else. But if you didn't know any better you would probably have guessed the flavor to be raspberry, or more specifically "framboise" the French alcoholic cordial fermented with raspberries, the most popular brand of which is Chambord. In fact, children of the 80's like me will probably have their nostalgia cells activated by the Chocolate-Chambord flavor combination, which calls to mind all sorts of mixed drinks from the 80s: hot chocolate and Chambord, Chambord, cream, Creme de Cacao and crushed ice, White Russians with Chambord and such.
Ultimately, how you feel about these cookies will depend on whether you like fruit combined with chocolate. Some people think that's an icky combination, but if you like chocolate-colored cherries, chocolate oranges, or chocolate-raspberry tortes, then the way Swedish Fish Oreos capture that dark, mysterious combination of tastes will be in heaven.
 |
| The filling tastes as red as it looks: intense, mysterious, descending into layered depths. |
As with all specialty Oreos, the exotic flavor comes at an inflated price. You get a much smaller box for the same money than you would with your basic white-creme Oreos. But this adult dalliance with sinfulness is worth the steeper amount.
