DESCRIPTION

Licorice is an herbaceous annual in the bean family. Native to the Middle East,
southwestern Asia, and southern Europe, it has been valued for medicinal and
culinary uses since ancient times. The Greek name for licorice means “sweet
root.” There are other varieties of Glycyrrhiza, but G. glabra is the type
preferred for use in the kitchen. Today, licorice is grown throughout the Middle
East and Asia, in southern Europe, and in the western United States.