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Licorice Root
Licorice or Liquorice (transformed from the Old French liquiritia, coming from Latin glycyrrhiza that originated in turn from Ancient Greek glukurrhiza, meaning glukus, sweet and rhiza, root)
A Mediterranian perennial plant (Glycyrrhiza glabra) having blue flowers, pointed leaves, and a sweet, distinctively flavoured root. Other varieties: American Licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota), Chinese Licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis).
Used in traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine and Western herbalism. The active ingredient is glycyrrhizin, a natural sweetener that is 50 times sweeter than sucrose. The Chinese licorice is considered to have the best medicinal properties as the concentration of glycyrrhizin is considerably higher there. Main applications mentioned in the medical literature: to make cough syrups, ulcers treatment, leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. as it is antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory.
There are some recorded cases of licorice in high concentrations causing hypertension. It is reported that the licorice content in the licorice candy is very low (less than 1%) and is unlikely to become a risk factor. The effects are reversible and disappear when the licorice is withdrawn. If you have questions about the effect of licorice on your health you should consult your medical practitioner.
History
The first usage for the Licorice root was medicinal. It was used in the Mediterranean area and in China for thousands of years. The Licorice Candy was originally produced with honey (early Middle Ages or even before), then, with the advent of sugars, it was transformed into licorice pastilles cast into molds. The extruded licorice was reportedly developed in Northern Europe, some reports point towards Holland in late 16th early -17th century. It’s become hugely popular in England in the 19th century, where a recipe for allsorts licorice was developed in the early 1800s. A salty licorice was developed in Holland and still is immensely popular there and in other Northern European Countries.
Where Is Licorice in Licorice Candy?
Licorice extract used in the Licorice Candy manufacturing is made by boiling the licorice root for hours to cause water evaporation. The resulting “juice” is then dried into a block juice or powder. A certain quantity of licorice block juice is added to the Licorice Candy (usually less than 1% as it is quite costly). Most American style licorice candies won’t have a trace of licorice in them, only sweeteners and starches.
Licorice Manufacturing
For most of the 20th century licorice candy production was virtually the same as hundreds of years before: batch process with a slow cooking and extrusion. However, in the last quarter of the century a fast, continuous cooking process was developed in an attempt to speed up production and lower the costs. The resulting product was cheaper to make but the old saying “you get what you pay for” proved to be true in this case as well, because the quality and texture of licorice produced this way is distinctively inferior to that produced by a batch process.
The ingredients used in the production influence the quality of licorice as well. Most industrial recipes advocate the use of starches, preservatives, artificial colorants and flavours that results in a shiny, bright coloured “plastic” appearance, extra sweet taste and hard rubbery texture. These products can stay on the supermarket shelves forever, but you can make your own conclusions about their effects on your health.
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