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.

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.

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.

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.

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, read more here about "Salmiak: Gibt es einen sechsten Grundgeschmack?"
 

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.

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 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.