National Licorice Day
April 12, 2023
National Licorice Day
"We're like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice." - Jerry Garcia
In celebration of National Licorice Day enjoy today's video which takes us back to a classic sketch from the famous duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, focusing on licorice.
Licorice has a deep and interesting history around the world. Not only does the treat have a natural root form, but takes more than 50 different flavors at licorice.com. Enjoy these facts and chat it up while you chew on your favorite type of licorice.
Licorice root naturally grows in Western Asia and Southern Europe. Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt enjoyed the root in the form of a sweet drink. King Tut was buried with licorice in his tomb, being part of his beloved belongings. The plant was used medicinally in China by Emperor Shennong. It can, when consumed safely, be used to treat mucus, pains of gastritis, and anti inflammatory. Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar both would give the root to their troops to treat their thirst, while giving them something to chew on. Licorice is known as Mulethi in India, used to treat ailments on the skin or in the respiratory tract. Licorice root grows wild in the United States, at high altitudes from Colorado to Texas. A fern form of licorice grows in Southern Alaska. The first factory to manufacture licorice was in Chicago, Illinois. Salty licorice is not for everyone, but its origins in Finland and Northern Europe run deep. Salty licorice was created by adding ammonia chloride to licorice medicine for kids to like the taste better. Napoleon Bonaparte was well known to love the sweet treat, keeping it in his pocket constantly.
