Katjes Katzen Pfötchen

If you would ask me what food I could not live without, this would make it on the shortlist for sure: licorice. More specifically Katzen Kinder from Katjes.

Katzen Pfötchen were first created in 1960 by the Germany-based brand "Katjes", Katjes meaning "little cat" in Dutch. It all started with Xaver Fassin who brought along a recipe from Sicily in Italy and passed it on to his son Klaus, who started producing licorice in the form of small cats in 1950. Over time, the company has added different licorice formulas as well as fruit gums to their repertoire. Since 1988 they only use natural food coloring ingredients and in 2006 the company completely switched to being 100% vegetarian. Bastian Fassin, Klaus Fassin's son is actually still running the company. Their headquarters are based in Emmerich and they have two more production sites in Germany and a Katjes Café in Berlin. At their site in Podsdam you can actually do a factory tour. For more information about their products and their company philosophy and values, check out their website: https://www.katjes.com/

Back to why we are here: Katzen Pfötchen.

These little sweet are actually recreated after little cat paws (Pfötchen meaning "paws" in German). They have a semi-soft consistency and a unique spicy and sweet taste, making them neither too sweet nor too intense as some other kinds of licorice.

Besides loving the texture and the taste of Katjes Katzen Pfötchen, they are also my universal remedy against all different kinds of little ailment. When travelling, my stomach can get easily upset from stress or unappealing airport food. A handful of Katzen Pfötchen actually already help my stomach to come down. Or when I have a sore throat having a piece of licorice can soothe the pain. This is no surprise as it has been scientifically proven that licorice root actually has health benefits. However, it is also important to remember that, as with most things, licorice should not be eaten or taken in any other form excessively as it can have side effects.

Besides Katzen Pfötchen, Katjes has a variety of licorice products in their line, which vary in intensity, sweetness, saltiness and consistency; and not all of them are to my personal taste. However, I would like to give an honorable mention to two more of their products: Katjes Katzen Kinder (kittens) and Katjes Salizge Heringe (salty herrings).

Whereas Katzen Kinder are a very hard kind of licorice with a deep, intense flavor, Salzige Heringe are actually covered in what looks like salt-crust but is more an acidic-sourly tasting sugar coating. Shaped like a fish, they have a soft consistency and a powerful, slightly salty taste, with a sour note. They are also quite a bit bigger in size than the two other kinds. Years back it was actually really difficult to find them near me. The only time a year I could get them was when we drove up to the Northern Sea in Germany for vacation. Supermarkets up there were selling them as the Frisians of Germany are known to like strong and salty licorice.

Prices for a 200gr pack of Katjes licorice can vary from supermarket to supermarket and also between different countries but usually ranges between 0.89 Euros to 1.10 Euros.

However, an important thing to note is that there can be fluctuations in consistency and taste from pack to pack. In all my years of eating Katzen Pfötchen, only once have I actually considered complaining due to the inconsistency. Furthermore, I have found that fluctuations and inconsistencies are more pronounced in larger sized packaging, so when buying a 300gr or a 500gr pack. These packages seem to contain those badges or pieces that did not come out perfectly but are still considered salable according to Katjes standards. 300gr and 500gr packs also contain more deformed or fused pieces, not that I am discriminating against deformed licorice pieces, I actually enjoy all of them. However, I do think it is important to note these fluctuations. 300gr and 500gr packs are mostly found in supermarkets generally considered as being "discounters" and you can now also find them on Amazon.