LICORICE or Liquorice

The black licorice rolls or sticks familiar to the consumer, consist, when pure, of the condensed juice of the root of the licorice plant, mixed with a little starch to prevent it from melting in warm weather. The word "licorice," through its Latin form Glycyrrhiza, is derived from the Greek words for "sweet root."

The licorice plant is a small shrub of light green foliage, attaining a height of about three feet and favoring localities near rivers. When dug, the root is full of water and the drying process frequently takes from six months to a year. It is then sawed or cut into small pieces, six inches to a foot long, and carefully sorted, the good and sound pieces being pressed into bales for shipment.

The bulk of the licorice rolls, paste, etc., of domestic consumption is manufactured in this country from the imported dried root, the principal sources of which are Asiatic Turkey and Russia.

The sale of licorice as a candy is merely incidental. It finds its principal use in medicine and it is also extensively employed in the manufacture of tobacco and liquors, to give color and flavor to Stout, etc.