Licorice

A flavoring extracted from the feathery plant Glycyrrhjiza glabra, which grows in the Middle East and throughout southern and parts of central Europe. The bittersweet roots are used to make a distinctive chewy black candy or dried and ground to create a flavor with characteristics similar to but more intense than anise and fennel. Additionally, juice can be extracted from the root. Licorice is used to flavor liqueurs, medicines, cough lozenges, and in the preparation of tobacco products. It has been utilized for thousands of years both as a sweet flavoring and for medicinal purposes. The term licorice can also refer any of several types of candy (usually colored black) flavored with licorice extract.