Liquorice Line

Liquorice is constituted by the root of the Glycyrrhiza glabra L. of the Leguminose family. It is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows spontaneously in Italy. The roots are collected in Autumn and are dried in the sun. Liquorice juice is obtained from roots at least four years old that have been reduced to a pulp and boiled for at least four hours over a low heat. The juice is filtered, left to condense further for a few hours and then poured into bar shapes which are left to dry in the open air. These bars can then be cut into pieces to form broken liquorice. During the stages of processing various essential oils can be added, for example mint or aniseed.