Licorice
From Wikinfo
Licorice, Liquorice, in British English is a member of the Fabacae family from which a sweet flavor can be extracted.
The liquorice plant is a relative of the pea. It is native to southern Europe and parts of Asia. Very little commercial licorice is grown in North America, but wild licorice (G. lepidota) is quite common.
Licorice flavoring is extracted from the roots of the plants, usually by boiling them. The flavor is common in medicines to disguise unpleasant flavours. Licorice can also be found in many candies. The most popular in the United Kingdom and North America are very sweet Liquorice Allsorts. In continental Europe, however, far stronger, saltier, candies are preferred. Licorice is also found in many soft drinks.
Liquorice is a mild laxative.
The word licorice means 'sweet root' in Ancient Greek.
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Division: Magnoliophyta
- Class: Magnoliopsida
- Order: Fabales
- Family: Fabaceae
- Genus: Glycyrrhiza
- Species: Glabra
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Licorice" http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Licorice August 2, 2003
