Licorice

Licorice (liquorice) is the name for the roots and rhizomes of a small leguminous shrub (Glycyrrhiza glabra), native to Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Europeans colonists brought licorice to America; they used it for medicinal purposes. Licorice was and still is used for coloring and flavoring: beer, gingerbread, liquor, and tobacco. M and F Worldwide is the world’s largest producer of licorice products. Although 70 percent of licorice sales are used to flavor and color tobacco products, licorice products are sold worldwide to confectioners, food processors, cosmetic companies, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Although the extract is extremely sweet, it contains bitter flavor compounds that are tempered by the addition of more sweeteners.