Swedish Fish

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Three Swedish Fish: yellow, green, and red. Each has "Swedish" embossed on its side.

Salmiak-flavored black Swedish Fish or "salted herring", with the manufacturer's name "Malaco" embossed.

Swedish Fish are a type of quasi-gummi chewy candies shaped like fish. Originally colored red with a flavor unique to the candy, they are now also available in orange, yellow and green. There is also a Swedish Fish "Aqua Life" chain, with the yellow being a starfish, green being a whale, purple being an puffer fish, and orange being a Seahorse.

The flavor varies with color: the red is fruit punch-flavored, orange is orange, yellow is lemon, and green is lime. The fish come in two different sizes. Until recently^[when?], the smaller fish came only in red, now fish of both sizes are available in multiple colors and flavors. In Swedish Fish Aqua Life, purple is a grape flavor, yellow is lemon flavored, orange is orange flavored, and green is lime flavored. Black Swedish Fish, with a salmiak flavor, are available in Asia and Scandinavia. In Sweden the candy is marketed under the name Pastellfiskar, literally Pastel Fishes. Swedish Fish are very chewy and often stick to teeth. They also react to the temperature changing their consistency depending on if it is hot or cold, the warmer they are, they are softer and more chewy.

[edit] History

In 1958, Malaco, a Swedish confectionery manufacturer, expanded its business by exporting a few of their products to North America. Various licorice ribbon and licorice lace candies were the first products to be exported.

Malaco's export trade grew and in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Swedish Fish and Swedish Berries, identical in composition but in the shape of berries, were developed specifically for the North American market. Today the Swedish Fish consumed in North America are made in Canada by the Cadbury Adams Company. The fish are distributed in the U.S. by Cadbury Adams USA in Parsippany, New Jersey.

[edit] Ingredients

Swedish Fish are one of the few gummy candies that contains no gelatin. According to the USA distribution packages, the candy contains the following ingredients: