Black Licorice

Black licorice is the anise-flavored candy that Northern Europeans consume by the kilogram while most Americans consider it one step above eating a tire, with a 12% purchase overlap in U.S. stores. Its key compound, glycyrrhizin, is 50 times sweeter than sugar but also triggers hypertension at 100 mg doses—a risk far higher than #2 Durian's mere odor annoyance. A 2023 Nielsen report showed Sweden consumes 1.6 kg per capita annually versus just 0.04 kg in the U.S., making it the most geographically split item on this list. The candy's salt-based variants, like salty licorice, are 30% more polarizing than the average anise product, according to a consumer panel study.