Where does licorice come from?
The plant native to the Mediterranean and found throughout Europe, the Middle East, and western Asia—and whose long lateral roots are harvested, dried, and boiled before the extract is beaten out—is used medicinally, as a food flavoring, and as candy. Linguistically speaking, licorice has roots in two Greek words meaning “sweet” plus “root.” The Greek glykys, meaning “sweet,” has flavored more than a half dozen other English words ranging from dulcet to glucose; the rhiza root appears in the etymological history of many more various root-related words. Questions or comments? Write us at wftw@aol.com Production and research support for Word for the Wise comes from Merriam-Webster, publisher of language reference books and Web sites including Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.
Licorice is a perennial herb that gives us one of our favorite flavorings. The flavoring comes from the herb’s long, sweet roots. Some pronounce the word lick oh riss while others say lick er ish or lik rish. You can use either of the three pronunciations. Licorice is a native of southern Europe and parts of Asia. A little in grown in the United States but over 40 million pounds of dried licorice root must be imported into the country each year to satisfy the demand. Licorice is used in some medicines to disguise a flavor that might be disagreeable. It is also used in some cough medicines. Licorice is also used to flavor soft drinks, candy and chewing gum. The traditional color of licorice candy is black. Licorice is made by boiling the roots and evaporating extract. Substances are then added to provide color.
Licorice was one of the first foods studied by the US National Cancer Institute”s experimental food programme. Licorice is cultivated in Greece and Turkey and is a member of the pea family. The medicinal properties are in the roots which contain glycyrrhizin. This herbal medicine is also used as a curing and flavouring agent in the tobacco industry.
