salmiak

Noun

salmiak (uncountable)

1. (obsolete or non-native speakers) Synonym of ammonia.
   • We now wash and dry the black crystals of Iridium salmiak and proceed to make a preliminary investigation with them.1871, Samuel P. Sadtler, On the Iridium Compounds, page 9
   • It is manufactured in Egypt from cattle dung, which is first used for fuel, after which the soot is collected and the Salmiak is separated by sublimation in a glass retort.2012, Torbern Bergman, Chemical Lectures of H.T. Scheffer, page 107

   Synonyms:

   ammonia

2. Ammonium chloride, used as a flavoring.
   • Yogurt-containing and salmiak (salty liquorice) flavoured lollipops have much higher pH values (3.8–4.7).2011 April 8, H S Brand, D L Gambon, A Paap, M S Bulthuis, E C I Veerman, A V Nieuw Amerongen, International Dental Journal
   • We assumed the consumption of salmiak (ammonium chloride) containing foods as the common and peculiar cause of the reduced COVID-19-related death rates in these countries, because ammonium chloride is a known lysosomotropic agent which has been indicated to inhibit or prevent SARS-CoV infection.2020 May 18, Mate Hidvegi, Michele Nichelatti, “BCG Vaccination Policy and Salmiak Consumption Are Inversely Associated with COVID-19 Death Rates in Europe”, in SSRN
3. Licorice candy or drop flavored with ammonium chloride.
   • One of the most popular types of candy is salmiak, licorice flavored with ammonium chloride—a salty chemical compound resulting from the reaction between hydrochloric acid and ammonia.2015 September 23, Theo Hagman Rogowski, “Salty Licorice Is Beloved by Swedes and Reviled by Everyone Else”, in Vice
   • I learned about salted licorice, a Nordic delicacy, and salmiak, an even saltier variety made with ammonium, which German health officials have deemed “not suitable for children.”2016 December 7, Amanda Shapiro, “Black Licorice is Amazing and You Should Reconsider Not Liking It”, in bon appétit
4. A color pattern on some cats where the hairs are dark near the skin fading to white at the tips.
   • Whole-genome sequencing on two salmiak-colored cats was conducted to search for candidate causal variants in the KIT gene.2024 May 9, Heidi Anderson et al., “A new Finnish flavor of feline coat coloration, “salmiak,” is associated with a 95‐kb deletion downstream of the KIT gene”, in Animal Genetics
   • The salmiak pattern of white hairs is easiest to see in solid black cats, the study reported, but it can also appear in cats with other fur colors like in brown tabby, tortoiseshell, and blue cats.2024 May 24, Robyn White, “New Cat Pattern Is 'Salty Licorice' Mutation”, in Newsweek