Licorice, or rather, licorice, is a subspecies of a perennial plant in the legume family, the genus licorice. If we are talking about the plant itself or about medical preparations made on its basis, then, as a general rule, the term licorice or licorice root is used. In the food industry and cooking, the confectionery industry and perfumery, the raw materials obtained from this plant are commonly called licorice.
Pick your recipe
Licorice (or licorice bare, licorice smooth) is a herb with a long (from 1 to 2 meters) stem, sticky oval leaves and small brown fruits in the form of beans. Thanks to the thickened creeping rhizome and branching roots, the bush seems to grow into the ground. Such a root system is able to produce about 30 stolon roots, which reach a length of 3-5 meters and are 40 cm deep. On the surface, the shrub forms lush green thickets, as it can propagate vegetatively and grow rapidly.
Licorice blooms beautifully in clusters of white or purple flowers. The berries are oblong-shaped leathery beans with 1-8 seeds. Smooth or spiky seeds have a green-gray color and shine as if they were polished. Flowering begins in June, and at the end of August the first fruits appear. In nature, there are up to thirty varieties of this plant.
Growing and growing
Under natural conditions, licorice grows in the steppe and semi-deserts, in mountainous terrain, near the seashores. The homeland of this thermophilic shrub is considered the Mediterranean (France, Italy). The area of growth includes areas with a subtropical and temperate climate. These are central and western Asia, northern Africa, some regions of America and Australia, Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Moldova. In our country, in the wild, the bush is found in the southern and southeastern regions (the coast of the Sea of Azov, the Volga region, the Caucasus), in the Urals and in Western Siberia.
Most often, licorice grows, forming thickets along the banks of ponds, in meadows and fields, along paths and near roads. He loves solonetzic and sandy lands, but can grow on chernozem or clay.
To grow this shrub in your own area, you need to choose a windless area well-warmed up by the sun with a high content of lime. Sow should be in early May, in a well-warmed ground, to a depth of 1 cm. When irrigating, do not allow the soil to become waterlogged, otherwise the rhizome will begin to rot. In September, the first shoots will appear. Licorice will bloom and bear fruit after two years - this is with the method of planting rhizomes. If planted with seeds, then you can harvest only after five years. During this time, the roots of the plant will spread in a radius of up to 5 meters and will require a lot of free space for further cultivation.
Types of plant materials
Almost all parts of licorice act as medicinal and food raw materials, cosmetic and technological components. But the most valuable is the sweet root. Harvesting season - early spring or autumn. The dug out roots and rhizomes of a 4-year-old plant should be washed in running water, cleaned of bark and cut into pieces 30-35 cm long. Then it should be dried in one of the ways: in the open sun; in a well-ventilated area; in the dryer at a temperature of 50-60 degrees. Raw materials prepared in compliance with the technology have a long shelf life of up to ten years.
The quality of the workpiece is easily determined by the color and structure of the rhizome. It should have a brown-brown color on the outside and a yellowish tint in the section. The structure of the sticks is fibrous. They break easily, but do not crumble.
Keep roots in drawers or dry containers. For further use, the sticks are crushed or ground into powder. Dry ground root is a major component in pharmaceuticals. A licorice powder is used in the food industry, confectionery and cooking.
Active ingredients and nutritional value
In the world of medicinal herbs, this representative of the flora occupies the tenth place in popularity and frequency of use due to the substance glycyrrhizin contained in it, which is 50 times more sweet than cane sugar. Hence the pronounced sugary taste, as well as the international name of the plant Glycyrrhiza glabra (from Greek words: glykys - "sweet", rhiza - "root"). Useful properties of the plant are determined by the content of active components in rhizomes, roots and shoots:
- Glycyrrhizic acid (23%) corrects the endocrine system, strengthens the immune system, lowers cholesterol. It has an enveloping and antipyretic effect.
- Polysaccharides: sucrose and fructose, maltose and glucose (6%) are the building material for the body, as they introduce nutrients and remove metabolic products.
- Bitter substances (4%) increase secretory activity. They have a bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effect.
- Lipids (3%) are responsible for creating an energy reserve in our body. They have an antimicrobial effect, protect organs from hypothermia.
- The nutritional value of licorice is provided by pectin and starch (34%), carbohydrates and cellulose (30%).
The content of food substances in a portion (100 g): proteins - 0.0 g; fats - 0.05 g; carbohydrates - 93.55 g; fiber - 0.2 g. Calorie content –375 kcal, which is 22.3% of the daily norm.
Due to this composition, licorice is a recognized natural energy and sweetener.
Every man to his own taste
Licorice is simple enough to recognize and difficult to confuse with something. Grated root has a rich, sugary-sweet taste. Syrups and extracts have a thick, viscous consistency and a characteristic dark brown color. And classic licorice sweets are completely black (due to the addition of charcoal in them).
Liquorice has an original thin amber, which is close to the aroma of anise and fennel. Taking medications based on licorice, or tasting dishes with the addition of this spice, you always feel a sweet aftertaste and a light anise color. And you can’t interrupt licorice taste with practically nothing. This is a mixture of salty and sweet bitterness with bitterness (like Campari liquor).
Such an original taste and unusual color are the reason that this product has both adherents and opponents.
Cooking simple licorice dishes at home
Culinary specialists use licorice root powder as a spicy spice and an original seasoning for various dishes (meat, fish, poultry, salads, soups, flour products, etc.). Licorice is indispensable in sauces and marinades, with salting, pickling and urinating. It has the ability to prevent fermentation, rot and mold, and therefore is used to preserve freshness in food. Adding powder while whipping egg whites, you can easily get a lush cool foam. The components of the sweet root, introduced into confectionery products, enhance their taste and serve as a natural sugar substitute. Marmalade, candies, toffee, lozenges - far from a complete list of licorice sweets. Liquorice is popular in beverages such as cocoa, coffee, stewed fruit and jelly.
Much of this can be easily cooked at home. Here are some simple step-by-step recipes for healthy and nutritious licorice desserts and drinks.
Tonic licorice tea is drunk to strengthen immunity. It is also an excellent prophylactic against chronic fatigue.
The main advantage of licorice tea is that sugar is not added to it. It itself has a sweetish flavor and gives the infusion a special aroma. For a variety of tastes and blending, you can add mint, lemon balm, ginger, linden, lemon, cinnamon, vanilla and other aromatic spices and medicinal herbs to tea. For brewing use both loose bulk raw materials and filter bags.
Liquorice is popular in the preparation of various drinks - cocoa, coffee, compotes and jelly. It is a component of carbonated sweet waters, kvass and beer, as well as a flavoring of alcoholic beverages (liquors, wines, vodka, cognacs).
Due to its sweet taste, the spice goes well with fruits and berries, it is added to halva and chocolate, ice cream and desserts.
Licorice syrup is familiar to many as a popular drug. This drug has long been prepared using the method of boiling roots, evaporating the broth until a viscous liquid of a dark brown color is formed.
A high-calorie product with a high content of carbohydrates and sugars - licorice sweets. They are able to satisfy hunger and thirst, therefore they are indispensable on a long journey. The use of this bitter-salty sweet helps to get rid of nausea and vomiting, to overcome heartburn. Licorice toffee and lozenges - a remedy for colds, dry and wet cough. This is ideal for cough control for smokers. Both tasty and healthy - you just need to adapt to the peculiar taste and unusual color of this sweetness.
However, you should not get involved in licorice. Its uncontrolled consumption is fraught with a certain danger. Long-term use of licorice syrup lowers the level of potassium in the body, which can lead to muscle weakness and renal failure, and also increases blood pressure. If you eat too much licorice, you may experience discomfort. The main symptoms of an overdose are swelling, nausea, dizziness, a feeling of joint pain, an allergic reaction. Even in the absence of contraindications, using preparations based on licorice root, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the instructions and remember that the norm of taking the liquid extract is 30 mg per day. With some caution, licorice sweets should be eaten - it is desirable that their daily intake does not exceed 100 grams.
A non-standard black-brown color and a combination of sweet and salty taste are the hallmark of this unusual product.