Welcome to the second part of our short story of licorice...
Today's knowledge confirms that Licorice has a calming effect on the throat and the stomach. But there is also a warning: as with all medicine products (natural or manmade), there are side effects when you do not use it properly. Glycyrrhizin, the active ingredient of licorice, stimulates the circulation of the blood, which is why the consumption of Licorice (pure extract) should only be consumed in small amounts (about 5 g - 0.18 Oz/day). Most Licorice Candys have just a very small amount of glycyrrhizin, but you should always use Licorice as what it is: a Candy treat.
Glycyrrhizin is the sweet-tasting constituent of the licorice root. For example, it is used in Japan to prevent liver carcinogenesis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
But back to history: how and when this „medicine“ has made it into a candy is not really clear.
There are rumors about the Dunhill family, licorice farmers in Pontefract in Yorkshire, England. They offered the root and boiled it, then they sold the first licorice as loaves on the local farmers' market. It is said that one day a sugar pot had slipped into the dough, and after a taste, they found it very delicious. Later, they produced not loaves of it, but they cut the loaves into tiny pieces, just like a coin, and sold them as Pontefract cakes. We still sell them in our store today (but they are often sold out!). They have their own milder taste. You have to try it - the „original“ is made today by the Brand „Haribo“, a well-known German candy company, and they also used the Dunhill brand for that product. All the products that we have from Haribo are European - mostly German or British - items. We don’t sell American or Mexican versions, due to the receipt changes in those products.
Licorice, which grows best in well-drained soils in deep valleys with full sun (why don’t we have any licorice plants here in California/Oregon??), is harvested in the autumn two to three years after planting. Afghanistan, India, Iran, China, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Turkey are today's biggest growers of licorice plants.
In Pontefract in the United Kingdom, today there are still manufacturing factories, but the plantations are long gone, and they don’t use their own licorice plants any longer. We have found a very interesting video about Pontefract and the making of Licorice; have a look here: