The spice and herb referred to as licorice is obtained from the root
of a flowering plant in the pea family that is native to Europe and
Asia. While there are roughly two dozen species of licorice distributed
throughout its native range, Glycyrrhiza glabra is specific to Europe
where, with the exception of Scandinavia, it’s commonly found in open
pastures and other undisturbed places.
The flavor and fragrance of licorice root is easily recognized due to
its unique characteristics. However, what most people know as licorice
candy is actually flavored with anise oil with licorice acting as a
secondary flavor and sweetener. In terms of the latter, licorice is up
to 50 times sweeter than cane sugar due to the presence of the compound
glycyrrhizin.
