Thing You Should Know: Licorice
Licorice is a candy that has been in the background for a while. With the ever-so- famous Twizzlers dominating the US market for a while posing as licorice, a taste is lost in the quest for real licorice root candy. I figured I could educate on the history and traits of the mysterious Glycyrrhiza glabra plant.
What is Licorice?
Licorice is a term for the root for the Glycyrrhiza glabra. The plant is a flowering legume. The root is boiled in water and dried to form a syrup or solid that is used to flavor candies, carbonated beverages, and tea.
How is it Used?
The most popular form of licorice is candy and is usually made from starch, gum, or gelatin to form a binder, combined with licorice root and sugar. The resulting candy is usually coated with beeswax to prevent sticking, although many other ingredients can be added. Red locorice is also a common candy that does not contain any actual licorice root, but flavorings like strawberry and cherry instead.
Teas can be brewed from the roots, and certain variations can produce a frothy liquid. The root is also chewed on in some areas and thought of as a mouth freshener.
Anything Else?
Yes. The root has a natural sweetener know as glycyrrhizin that is 50 times sweeter than sucrose. Glycyrrhizin is known to be an expectorant, or aiding the removal of mucus from the lungs by coughing. This function increases blood pressure, and can become a serious heath risk. Studies have been done that link excessive consumption with liver failure, and hypertension, and muscle failure. Please consume licorice root responsibly.
