I love black licorice. I didn’t get to eat it often growing up as it was not a popular sweet. When jelly bean season came around though, I knew the black jelly beans would be mine, and occasionally someone would gift me a bag of black jelly beans just for myself.
 
My first encounter with the Finn’s love of black licorice was with a local Finnish store in Astoria, OR. I was looking for sweets for Saint Nicolas Day and I was given a royal greeting in the candy aisle, black licorice abound. Usually Saint Nicolas does not bring me any sweets, but that year I got a black licorice and chocolate candy bar which brings me almost as much joy remembering it than it did eating it.
 
Therefore, when it came time to make a soap bar representing Finland, black licorice was the only obvious choice.
 
When doing my research on Finland I also learned that the
Finns have a passionate relationship with milk. The Finns
love milk! “In fact, Finland’s passion for dairy can be traced
back to 2500 BC, according to recent research by the
Universities of Bristol and Helsinki. Did you know that Finns
consume one of the highest amounts of milk per capita in
the world?”
 
As for lavender, it seems just as difficult to grow in Finland
as it is to grow here (Oregon coast). Unless you grow it with
ease, and if so please share your secret. I just think lavender
milk sounds divine, so I added it.
 
So there we have it, a beautiful combination of black licorice and white lavender milk. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!