Liquorice Know-How

Liquorice! Find out more about production, ingredients, health aspects, origin and history. What is liquorice? Questions and answers about liquorice can be found here.

kadó Liquorice Store
Botanical illustration of sweetwood
Botanical illustration of sweetwood
Sweetwood, cut
Sweetwood, cut
Harvesting of sweetwood
Harvesting of sweetwood
Sweetwood plant
Sweetwood plant

All about sweetwood & liquorice

 

Liquorice and sweetwood

No liquorice without sweetwood. Liquorice is a natural plant product made from the liquorice plant, sweetwood. Glycyrrhiza glabra is the botanical name of the liquorice plant. In Greek, glykys = sweet and rhiza = root. The liquorice bush grows as tall as a man, has small green leaves and purple flowers - this part of the plant above remains unused, see illustration.

For liquorice production, only the taproots of the plant are of interest, which penetrate vertically up to 4m deep and branch out, making harvesting difficult. It can be harvested for the first time after the 4th year. The liquorice plant prefers plus temperatures in winter and has spread to southern Italy, Turkey, Syria and Iran. It also grows wild there.

There is an anecdote that the Amarelli family, who lives in Rossano Calabria for centuries, only started producing liquorice because it became too expensive and time-consuming for them to have this wild weed pulled from their land. They investigated the ‘weed’ and instead of pursuing the desired cultivation of citrus fruits, Amarelli has been cooking Pane Liquirizia, or liquorice bread, since 1731. The ratio is approximately 10:1. This means that ten parts sweetwood are needed for one part pure natural liquorice.

The liquorice loaves are used in the pharmaceutical, perfumery, tobacco and confectionery industries. The latter will be our focus here.


 

Where does liquorice come from?

 

In the 15th century, sweetwood was grown in Bamberg, Germany, and was an important industry for the town. The Bamberg Sweet Wood Society, founded in 2010, remembers its roots and is growing liquorice roots again on a small scale.

Sweetroot grows more abundantly in the Mediterranean region and in Central Asia. The use of liquorice roots is closely linked to the cultural history of mankind, as sources from early times show. In Egypt, liquorice roots were used as a burial gift to quench hunger and thirst on the last journey. Generals also used the root for this purpose on long marches. A lot has been brewed in medicinal and herbal cuisine in every era. However, sweetwood crystallised as an integral part of the "medicine chest" due to its positive effect on the throat and stomach. This is still true today.

Licorice root is known throughout the world as a medicinal herb. But licorice? Licorice as a sweet is a European phenomenon. Liquorice root grows in southern Europe, but liquorice is most popular in northern Europe. No liquorice recipe is impossible: mild, tart, salty, with salmiak, as a drink, finely ground for cooking and baking, as a sauce over ice cream? What liquorice snails are in Germany, liquorice bars are in Scandinavia, often with a fruity or salty filling.
The liquorice equator runs through Germany, dividing the preference for liquorice into north (yes!) and south (not necessary). We are home to the global player Haribo. Founded in 1920 and initially specialising in gold gummy bears, Hans Riegel from Bonn soon invented the liquorice snail, thereby shaping the taste for liquorice in this country. Together with southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, there is a liquorice-free white spot, because liquorice is hardly liked in these regions – could it possibly be bear droppings?
Behind the Alps, liquorice continues to thrive. The root grows in Italy, France and Spain, and liquorice can also be found in food and drinks, chutneys and jams. A real enrichment, as our research trips have shown. At kadó, we show that liquorice tastes different in each of these countries and reflects the respective cultural preferences.

kadó, Germany's first liquorice shop, has accumulated a first-class European liquorice assortment. Since 1997, we have been importing original liquorice from Iceland to Sicily and presenting it in our online shop. You are cordially invited to choose which  liquorice mixture you would like to start with. The kadó mix takes you on a journey through the diversity of European liquorice. After that, we'll see...

1997 ... before! Internet. We have compiled some amusing and interesting facts about our company history here.

Liquorice all over Europe united at kadó liquorice mix
Liquorice all over Europe united at kadó liquorice mix
Pane di Liquirizia | Licorice bread
Pane di Liquirizia | Licorice bread
Pure liquorice boiled from sweetwood
Pure liquorice boiled from sweetwood
Painted by Dorothea Böge

 

Why is liquorice black?

 

Sweetwood is light yellow in colour. Naturally tart liquorice, which kadó offers as pure liquorice, is black. How does it come about? The hours-long cooking process under pressure releases the vegetable carbon, which gives the liquorice its typical colour. Vegetable carbon is a natural colouring agent. Just pitch black.

 

What does pure liquorice taste like?

 

Liquorice is black and hard as a lollipop. The liquorice loaf is crushed and offered in sticks, pastilles. Amarelli and others design attractive, handy tins for these pure liquorice pastilles. They have a sweet, bitter and intense flavour. 100% liquorice with a long-lasting flavour.

Ground as powder or granules, pure liquorice is ideal for cooking! If you are interested, here are some recipes in which liquorice powder is used as a spice in the kitchen, in savoury dishes and desserts. These taste experiences inspired kadó on research trips to Italy and France and we have had liquorice powder in our range ever since. You don't have to travel that far in Berlin in search of a good ice cream. Zàgara gelato from Berlin Kreuzberg regularly conjures up stunningly delicious liquorice ice cream made in-house with liquorice powder from kadó. From Sweden come dates dusted with liquorice powder and a little ammonium salt, another taste sensation. And we haven't even got to the drinks yet. Here we can only briefly recommend the liquorice grappa from Poli, from Bassano del Grappa in Italy, known for its excellent grappas. And quite naturally, the local liquorice root finds its way into this spirit.

So, what does liquorice taste like? It depends on what you make of the natural product. When eaten pure, it tastes sweet and bitter. Finely ground, it enriches dishes and desserts. Liquorice root adds a special flavour to drinks. Scandinavia shows how liquorice can delight the palate in combination with salmiak salt. Liquorice grows in the south and is very popular in northern Europe.

Pure liquorice in decorative tins
Pure liquorice in decorative tins

 

Is pure liquorice healthy?

 

Sweetwood is the origin of liquorice. Botanically known as Glycyrrhiza glabra, the root is used worldwide in medicine because of its glycyrrhizin content. Glycyrrhizin has the following effects
- cough-soothing,
- stomach-soothing,
- thirst-quenching,
- stimulates the circulation,
- anti-inflammatory.
Liquorice, both sweetwood and pure, has always been used as a medicine for coughs, hoarseness and stomach complaints. More recently researched against herpes, hepatitis and Covid. Liquorice is a welcome addition to stomach teas and cough syrups. It has 50 times the sweetening power of sugar but no calories, as the human body does not metabolise the sweetness. Pure liquorice is made by boiling the liquorice roots and is also sugar-free. All chic? Not quite. It's the quantity that counts, even with liquorice.

When consumed in moderation, pure liquorice supports the above-mentioned effects. Glycyrrhizin stimulates the circulation, which can lead to high blood pressure, but also supports people with low blood pressure. Daily consumption of pure liquorice is only recommended in small quantities (5g/day). 5g correspond to approx. 20 pieces of pure liquorice pastilles.

 

Liquorice during pregnancy ?

 

Botanically speaking, sweetwood is a drug with the active ingredient glycyrrhizin, which has different effects depending on the individual body condition. If consumed in excess, glycyrrhizin removes potassium from the body. It is therefore advisable to reduce consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding in consultation with your doctor.

The soothing effect of natural liquorice on the throat and stomach is known and confirmed. According to the latest findings, liquorice plays a positive role in the treatment of herpes viruses. The antiviral effect was also demonstrated in 2020 in laboratory tests at the University of Essen-Duisburg, in which glycyrrhizin was able to neutralise coronaviruses! 

The sweet and savoury liquorice recipes are created by adding other ingredients. Glucose syrup, starch, etc. reduce the proportion and effect of glycyrrhizin. Liquorice is a luxury food, please enjoy in moderation. 

 

What means "double salted" liquorice?

 

IThe ‘dubble zoute dropjes’, double-salted liquorice, come to kadó from the Netherlands. Twice salted liquorice. That is and was a house number in itself, which is why the ‘DZ’ became a brand. Until the European Food Regulation applied to all EU member states, they were a stoopid product in Germany. Since 2001, the salt content has been limited to a maximum of 7.99% throughout the EU and the most famous Dutch liquorice variety has spread to all corners of Europe, where liquorice is also eaten with a strong saltiness. Just how popular this type of liquorice is in the Netherlands is shown by the fact that we have nine different DZ varieties in our range. The DZ mix from kadó contains them all, with the warning ‘Extra strong adult liquorice - no children's liquorice’. That's right. So please take your time and enjoy the bag of these lekker dropjes...

Speaking of ‘drop’ = Dutch for liquorice. The name is not derived from the Latin ‘liquirizia’, but from drop. When liquorice was boiled, a drop of gum arabic was added to make the liquorice a little softer. And so ‘dropjes’ stuck as a name for liquorice. In Germany, it is similar with the salmiac pastille. The pastille is made of liquorice, the flavour is salmiak salt. Here too, a maximum of 7.99% is permitted.

All sorts of "DZ" from Holland
All sorts of "DZ" from Holland

 

How did liquorice become a sweet?

 

The development of the hard, bitter liquorice pastilles from medicine to sweet is linked to the spread of sugar. Honey was the predominant sweetener, alongside sugar cane. The Persians invented the art of boiling sugar, and Venice rose to become the trading metropolis of ‘white’ gold. Sugar changed cultural diets. Sour foods were candied, e.g. fruit, bitter medicines were sweetened, even liquorice. With the discovery of sugar extraction from the local beetroot by Marggraf in Berlin in 1747, sugar became affordable. This made it possible to make your own liquorice recipes, which not everyone had.

How and when it was transformed from black gold into the prized sweet is not entirely clear. Legends surround the Dunhill family, liquorice farmers in 1760 in Pontefract in Yorkshire, England. They offered the liquorice root of sweetwood and, boiled, liquorice loaves at the market. During the preparation of the "Pane Liquirizia", a pot of flour is said to have slipped into the dough, creating a new flavour. Sugar was added, and suddenly different liquorice recipes were possible, including the "Pontefract Cakes". Since 1760, Dunhill has been credited with the development of "apothecary liquorice" into a delicious black and coloured sweet.

Even Hollywood ordered liquorice, requesting a unique piece in a rather unusual liquorice shape. For a scene from the film ‘Goldrush’ (1925) with Charlie Chaplin. Do you remember how he ended up freezing and hungry, cooking and eating his own shoe? A shoe made of liquorice made the scene possible.

Generational businesses have become rare, but kadó tracks them down. Precisely because they still use their traditional craft to produce high-quality liquorice with a wide variety of flavours. Industrial production shapes the broad flavour, which varies culturally from country to country. While the liquorice snail is the predominant flavour in Germany, in Holland it is the DZ double-salted liquorice. And it is precisely this range of liquorice variety that we want to showcase at kadó and put together our liquorice mixes by hand according to theme.

Pontefract Cakes from UK
Pontefract Cakes from UK
Movie star made from liquorice
Movie star made from liquorice
Gum arabic
Gum arabic

 

Liquorice recipes - what´s inside ?

 

Liquorice as a sweet is produced by further cooking the liquorice extract with the following ingredients:
- Sugar, glucose syrup, starch (wheat, rice, corn) as a base.
- Liquorice extract. Only with the ingredient liquorice extract is liquorice also liquorice. 
 - Gelling agents (gum arabic, gelatin, pectin) together with flour (wheat, rice, corn) give it the desired consistency.
 - Flavourings (aniseed, coconut, raspberry, violet, vanilla, honey, salt, sal ammoniac) give liquorice its flavour.
 - Colourings: Carbon = E153 is the natural black plant colouring in liquorice. Other food colourings are used in coloured liquorice.
- Coating agents (aniseed oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, carnauba wax or beeswax) prevent drying out and clumping.

Salt and ammonia

Salt liquorice contains table salt (sodium chloride) or sea salt obtained from the sea and ammonium chloride. Salmiac salt has been known as rock salt since ancient times.
What is ‘liquorice for adults’ all about? In Germany, liquorice may not contain more than 2 percent ammonium chloride without a warning. If the proportion of ammonia salt in liquorice is between 2 and 4.49%, liquorice must be labelled as ‘adult liquorice - not suitable for children’ and ‘extra strong, adult liquorice - not suitable for children’ applies to a salt content of 4.49 to 7.99% in liquorice. A high consumption of salt and/or ammonium chloride is not recommended, not only for children.

Gum arabic

Gum arabic is the resinous sap of some acacia tree species and is therefore a vegetable gelling agent. The resin from Sudan is often used in the manufacture of confectionery. To obtain the resin, the trunk of the acacia tree is cut open, the resin is removed, purified and processed for use in the food and confectionery industry. Gum arabic is a natural product and an ingredient that has its price because - depending on the annual harvest - it is not available in unlimited quantities.

Gelatine

Gelatine is a high-quality, low-calorie and low-fat protein, free from cholesterol and sugar. Gelatine has hardly any allergenic potential and contains 18 amino acids, 9 of which are essential. Due to its good gelling properties, it is used in the food and confectionery industry, in tablet production and in the photographic paper industry. Gelatine consists mainly of pork rinds and bones, which come from registered slaughterhouses and are cooked and cleaned several times at high temperatures during the production process.
If you would like to get to know the gelatine-free liquorice varieties at kadó, click on the ‘gelatine-free’ button in the flavour category of your choice and all gelatine-free varieties will be displayed. Or get a taste of our gelatine-free range with this liquorice mix from kadó.

Pectin

Pectin is obtained by boiling vegetable raw materials (apples, citrus fruits, beetroot). Its ability to form gels is utilised naturally in the preservation of jam. Pectins are also increasingly being used as a substitute for gelatine in the confectionery and food industry.

Gluten

Gluten, also known as gluten protein, is a cereal protein and is crucial for the baking properties of flour. Cereals and their flours made from maize, buckwheat, rice, millet and potatoes are gluten-free.
If you would like to know which types of liquorice at kadó are gluten-free, you can click on the ‘gluten-free’ button in each flavour category and make your liquorice selection.

 

How is liquorice made ?

 

When cooking liquorice, the challenge is to add another flavour to the strong inherent taste of pure liquorice (Pane Liquirizia) and to achieve a pleasant consistency. In addition to the ingredients, this requires a precise interplay of temperature and time. Today, the confectioner's craft can be found in pastry-making or in food technology.

We show how liquorice is made using the example of our ginger liquorice (photo gallery Ginger liquorice production). This recipe was commissioned by kadó and developed in the food laboratory. A 5 kg base was cooked and various ginger flavours were added in portions. The ginger macerate brought in by kadó from PSM (Preußische Sprituosenmanufaktur) gave the liquorice the most delicious ginger note and has been used for our ginger liquorice ever since.

Our cinnamon liquorice is also a kadó-own liquorice recipe. The liquorice paste is boiled down until it is reduced and ready to cut. Another of our own flavours has recently been added to the kadó range: Sukai! Liquorice with citrus, a sweet and fruity natural flavour of cedar, lemon and lime. In general: if money is spent on natural flavourings, you can taste it. The quantities of natural flavourings are limited each year by the respective harvest and their processing requires craftsmanship, as they are very sensitive to heat.

With sea salt and gum arabic, our sea urchin liquorice has a consistency that is first firm and then crunchy on the tongue.

Own licorice recipe with ginger
Own licorice recipe with ginger
 Liquorice cooking ina copper kettle
Liquorice cooking ina copper kettle

 

What is liquorice with ammonium salt?

 

Salmiak liquorice is a special form of liquorice that is very popular in various regions, particularly in Scandinavia, northern Germany and the Netherlands. It is characterised by the addition of ammonium chloride (salmiak), which gives the sweet its characteristic taste. It is being considered whether the ammonia flavour could be recognised as a sixth basic flavour alongside sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami.  Recent scientific studies, including one by Emily Liman and her team at the University of Southern California, suggest that this could be the case, more 
    •    Artikel zu Salmiak und sechstem Grundgeschmack auf Spektrum.de

Unique variety of liquorice in Europe
Unique variety of liquorice in Europe

 

Liquorice Society of Bamberg

 

In the 15th century, sweetwood (licorice roots) was cultivated in Bamberg in Franconia and was an important economic sector for the town. Vegetable gardening has been practised in the centre of the cathedral city since the Middle Ages. Even back then, Bamberg's gardeners exported their produce - onion sets, seeds, but above all liquorice - far beyond the city's borders. In addition to honey, sweetwood enriched the flavour of sweet dishes. It was grown on a large scale all around Bamberg, see Zweidler's 1602 city map. Aspiring master gardeners had to be able to dig up a liquorice root undamaged in order to pass the master craftsman's examination.
In the 20th century, other sweeteners, confectionery and cheaper imported sweetwood from Italy became increasingly available, so liquorice cultivation in Bamberg fell into a slumber.

With their typical houses and long, narrow gardens for growing vegetables, marjoram and sweetwood, the gardeners have shaped the townscape. Bamberg has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.
With the founding of the Bamberg Liquorice Society in 2010, the town is once again remembering its roots and history and growing liquorice again on a small scale. The Mussärol nursery offers a guided tour of its own herb and sweetwood garden.

Sweetwood from Bamberg
Sweetwood from Bamberg
City map 1602 of Bamberg
City map 1602 of Bamberg

 

The liquorice equator runs through Germany

 

In Germany, there is the white sausage equator and the liquorice equator, depending on whether you look from south to north or north to south. The world of (good) flavour is divided around Kassel. Roughly speaking: on this side of the ‘border’ it is loved, on the other side it is almost dressed up: the white sausage, the liquorice.

The curious thing about liquorice is that the raw material (liquorice root) grows in the south of Europe and is eaten in all varieties and recipes in the north. The Finns are world champions in per capita liquorice consumption!
The upper half - northern Germany and all Scandinavian countries including Iceland - have been familiar with liquorice since childhood, know what it is made from and also like it salty. The lower half - southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland - at least recognises the liquorice snail, suspects bear droppings in the liquorice recipe and shakes its head when it gets salty.
Beyond the Alps, things get liquoricey again. Liquorice grows in Italy, France and Spain and can be found in grappa, for example. Pure liquorice, finely ground, is used in pasta and also enriches the cuisine of many ice cream parlours and star chefs as a spice.

Funnily enough, the liquorice equator runs through the middle of Europe, right across Germany, and divides liquorice lovers into two camps.

 

Liquorice preferences in Europe
Liquorice preferences in Europe

 

Liquorice rasper & flatterer?

 

Nowadays, sweet-talking has a negative connotation in the sense of flattering someone in order to get something. You suck up to someone on purpose. The pejorative connotation of sweet-talking is still in use today.

Presumably, from a neutral point of view, this linguistic image goes back to the medicinal effect of liquorice as a cough and expectorant plant. It clears the airways, lubricates the vocal chords and makes the voice soft and pleasant. The sweet flavour of this grated liquorice root is also pleasant, making it a well-rounded, helpful flattery for the voice.

Cellulose bag - clear & easy to recycle
Cellulose bag - clear & easy to recycle

 

Packaging at kadó

 

kadó is also thinking about more sustainable reusability. This is not easy when it comes to food. Plastic packaging has become a problem because it is so durable but is only used once and then thrown away. They also need to end up in the right bin to get back into the raw material cycle. kadó is registered in the packaging register with its sales and service packaging, because ‘throughout Europe, the manufacturer (as well as wholesalers and retailers) of a product also assumes product responsibility for the packaging in terms of avoidance, reuse and recycling’. That is the goal!

We pack our loose liquorice in clear cellulose bags. These Berlin cinemas with kadó liquorice at the counter have also switched to plastic-free cellulose bags. Cellulose is easy to recycle. However, the bags are not as barrier-resistant as plastic and moisture can get in and out more easily. So: consume them quickly, for example on a cinema night. Or decant into a sweet box with a lid.

What is cellulose?

Cellulose is produced from wood | wood residues, i.e. from a renewable raw material. The wood pulp (cellulose) is dissolved in caustic soda (NaOH) and carbon disulphide (CS2). This produces pure, transparent cellulose, which is mixed with glycerine. The cellulose bags can be composted in the home compost with the necessary time. For quick disposal in the city, please use the -still- yellow bin so that they enter the waste cycle in an environmentally friendly way.

Whether plastic or renewable raw material, both have their pros and cons. One thing is certain: the search for the best possible environmentally friendly packaging will be with us in the future.

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