Pure licorice with a little added sugar. Licorice extract is a sweetener with a sweetening power superior to that of sucrose, so why add sugar? Because licorice has a strong flavor and a tart, almost bitter aftertaste. In this case, the sugar, rather than sweetening, serves to soften the strong flavor.
How is licorice produced?
But what is licorice? It is a plant extract obtained by treating licorice roots, small sprigs that are also sold unprocessed, in hot water.
Why did we use the adjective "so-called"? Because it's not actually the roots of the licorice plant that are used, but the plant's rhizome. In some plants, a part of the stem that grows underground changes, thickening and taking on the function of a nutrient reserve. In the case of many herbaceous plants such as liquorice, this reserve is what allows the plant to perennialize, that is, to survive the annual cycle. Licorice is a perennial herbaceous plant and not an annual thanks to the rhizome. This is why licorice "root" is so rich in nutrients (especially carbohydrates) and active ingredients (the main one being glycyrrhizin, the scientific name of the plant, Glycyrrhiza glabra) that have made it popular as a medicinal remedy for millennia.
The ancient Greeks (and the Chinese at the time of the first herbal) prescribed it as a remedy for a variety of ailments, primarily as a cough remedy thanks to its expectorant and digestive properties, but the Egyptians and Assyrians also knew about it.
The color of our Terracattu gold licorice
This licorice, since the eye also wants its part, is colored with an attractive gold color. The colorants used are iron oxides (E 172), considered among the safest food colorings. No negative effects are known, and above all, it is a natural colorant, terracattu, from which various colors can be obtained and is highly prized for its Its completely neutral flavor doesn't alter it at all.
Fun fact about terracattu licorice
A fun fact: you'll find it written everywhere that terracattu or catechù is obtained from an acacia tree. This isn't strictly true. It's true that the tree from which it is obtained is commonly called acacia catechù, but the scientific name Senegalia catechu reveals that the plant belongs to the Senegalia genus, which is another genus belonging to the Fabaceae family, like the Acacia genus. And continuing with the botanical curiosities, Glycyrrhiza glabra is also part of the Fabaceae family, but it is a huge family, comprising over 18,000 species divided into nearly 800 genera. So if licorice and acacia are related, they are very distantly related. Licorice, being part of the Faboideae subfamily, is closer to broad beans, peas, beans, etc., i.e., the plants commonly known as legumes. Acacia and Senegallia, on the other hand, are very closely related and belong to the almost unpronounceable subfamily of Caesalpinioideae.
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