Food and Drink

Why Licorice Doesn't Deserve a Bad Rap

An ode to an ancient root that subsequently became a candy flavor.

Jose A. Bernat Bacete/Moment/Getty Images
Jose A. Bernat Bacete/Moment/Getty Images
Jose A. Bernat Bacete/Moment/Getty Images

Like RiRi’s pregnancy news, licorice is a phenomenon popular around the world. In China, licorice is known as gan cao, and is used to flavor everything from tea-steeped eggs to congee. In India, bits of licorice are added to mukhwas, a variety of mouth freshner. In the Nordic region, “salmiak” or salted licorice is popular. And pastis, a traditional French apéritif, has prominent licorice notes.

But despite its international popularity, licorice has remained polarizing due to its bitter, woody, or medicinal flavor profile. The medicinal aspect makes sense, since licorice is the extract of glycyrrhiza glabra, a herby root whose discovery dates back to 2300 BC. When the founder of Chinese medicine, Emperor Shennong, was classifying over 300 plants as “medicinal,” he put licorice root on his list. China spread that wisdom to Indian, Egyptian, and many European civilizations and, in each region, it found its own interpretation.In India, licorice powder is commonly known as jethimadh powder. “Jethimadh or mulethi has been a part of the culture since the Vedic period,” says Mumbai-based nutritionist Saloni Jhaveri. Ayurveda practitioner Nidhi Pandya, who runs My Ayurvedic Life, adds that jethimadh comes under the category of herbs known as “jeevanya,” which is related to the Hindi word for life. “This herb mimics life, promotes longevity, good cell building, benefits a depleted mucous lining, is an aphrodisiac, and is good for the eyes, skin, and overall health,” Pandya says.

Long before licorice became the candy that we know it as in the U.S., the Greeks were probably the first ones in Europe to use licorice for its medicinal benefits. Greek botanist Theophrastus, who was a disciple of Plato and Aristotle, said that the Greeks learned about the uses of liquorice from the Scythians, a nomadic tribe who lived around Ukraine between the Black and Caspian Seas. Though author Jacob van Maerlant had written about licorice as a remedy for cough in his natural history encyclopedia, published in The Netherlands in the 13th century, it was around the 17th century that the modern style of licorice candy emerged in Holland.In the years that followed, it became the rope and twine-shaped candy that the world recognizes today. Since the root is naturally sweet in flavor, it makes sense how it translated to candy products like Twizzlers and Red Vines in the 1920s. However, today the FDA claims that “many licorice or licorice flavor products manufactured in the United States do not contain any licorice. Instead, they contain anise oil, which has the same smell and taste.”

For purists like Pandya, the best way to consume licorice is to eat it in its bare form, and to dilute it with a little milk. “In fact, I make a concoction for my daughters, too, mixed with another Indian herb called sitopaladi,” she says. For Jhaveri, her most relished licorice memory is eating it as a candy for the first time in Italy. “I could not believe it was the same thing that my grandmother used to drink.”Instead of mixing it with milk, I melt its extract with butter, sugar and condensed milk, harden it into a candy, season it with sea salt, and cut it into squares and eat it one at a time. As I enjoy the misunderstood treat, I thank the Chinese, Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, Indians, and all the others who helped bring licorice into the forefront of our lives.

If you’re looking to try real licorice, and not products made with anise oil, look no further than these recommendations.

Best Licorice Brands From Around the World

steep & mellow
steep & mellow
steep & mellow

Groove Green Tea by Steep & Mellow
A mixture of Chinese sencha, ginger root, peppermint, and licorice root make up this energizing tea blend.

Dark Milk Chocolate + Black Licorice by Askinosie
A single origin 62% dark milk chocolate is flavored with salted black licorice and anise seed to reveal a multitude of textures and tastes.

Lakrids by Bülow
Lakrids by Bülow
Lakrids by Bülow

Off Day Sea Salt by Lakrids by Bulow
This pure liquorice candy has a hint of sea salt and has been slow cooked for four hours.

Freyja Djúpur Liquorice and Chocolate Pearls by Nordic Store
This popular Icelandic treat consists of licorice covers with milk chocolate and a white sugar coating.Want more Thrillist? Follow us on InstagramTwitterPinterestYouTubeTikTok, and Snapchat.

Sonal Ved is a Thrillist contributor and the author of Tiffin: 500 Authentic Recipes Celebrating India’s Regional Cuisine. She is the content lead at India Food Network and Tastemade India, and the food editor at Vogue India.

Food and Drink

Red Rooster Is Serving Free Chicken and Piping Hot Cash This Christmas in July

Get your early dose of festive cheer.

Red Rooster Christmas in July
Instagram / @redrooster_au

The cold weather in most parts of Australia coinciding with EOFY celebrations is the closest thing that we’ll get to snowy Christmas vibes. And if you’re in dire need of some festive cheer after the first six months of 2023, grab your ugly sweater and head to your nearest Red Rooster for Xmas in July deals.

From June 29 – July 31, 2023, Red Rooster is serving up free food items, a chance to win $10,000 or one of 10 merch packs valued at $400 and other fun prizes. All you have to do is sign up as a Red Royalty member and spend $5 on at a location near you or online.

Each week there’ll be new delicious deals and prizes to win. The week one deals have already dropped and they’re looking pretty tasty. You can get access to them via your Red Royalty account. The more you purchase, the more chances you have to win.

Spoiler alert: you can get 10 chicken nuggets for free, right now. Brb running to Red Rooster.

Terms and conditions apply. Visit Red Rooster’s Christmas in July to see all the deals.

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