Getting to the Root of National Licorice Day

April 12, 2012

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Today, according to the ever-mysterious-and-surely-cloaked food-holiday-naming board, is National Licorice Day. While it seems like a relatively straight-forward food -- "it's that candy stuff your grandmother puts in a glass dish when she knows you're heading over" -- licorice itself is a complex root, used nearly every way you can. It's been extracted, brewed, mixed with tobacco, just plain chewed, and most likely thrust into the complex throwback cocktail you downed the other night. And while those variations are all well and good, they don't photograph nearly as well as the candy version, which is why that's mostly what our gallery consists of. Happy National Licorice Day!

lic1 — [Photo of licorice at the Fairfax District Farmer's Market by Flickr user Thomas Hawk.]

lic2 — [Photo of bowl of licorice by Flickr user jessicafm.]

lic5-1 — All sorts of licorice varieties at the World of Licorice in Carmel, California. Photo by Flickr user gwen.]

lic3 — [Photo of licorice fern at Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County taken by Flickr user Ken-ichi.]

lic4 — [Photo of black licorice from West Germany by Flickr user Dawn Huczek.]

lic6 — [Photo of licorice coconut rolls by Flickr user kh1234567890.]

lic7 — [Photo of licorice in a French market by Flickr user franklin_hunting.]

lic8 — [Bowl of all flavors of assorted licorice by Flickr user lightsight.]

lic9 — [Photo of licorice being made by Flickr user 2moose-mac.]

lic10 — [Shot of licorice in all its glory by Flickr user lissalou66.]

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