Amarelli

Green Licorice Favette

Box

Licorice Name which means sweet root, Glycyrriza glabra. The plant, small, full of green leaflets, with pinkish flowers, has nothing flashy about it. The treasure is all underground, in the roots. Licorice grows spontaneously in the lower part of the Crati basin and along the Ionian side, and is best cared for in the Coriglianese area in the municipalities of Rossano, Cerchiara, Francavilla Marittima and Villafranca. Licorice is extracted in special factories, called cuonzi or conci. Next to the Crati basin it grows at the foot of endless citrus plantations. But licorice grows spontaneously, it can grow in any place and it is not uncommon to find it even on the beaches. The root is extracted every four years (every six if it is grown in the hills). Harvesting is a tiring job that was previously done with a hoe. The roots develop horizontally. They are extracted by hand after the tractors have brought them into the open by turning the earth upside down. Once the roots are separated, the bundles are first cut and then defibrated by a hammer mill. After this treatment and after being wetted with water, the roots turn into a whitish mush which is pumped into extractors. These appliances have the appearance of large silos. Here the product is heated and sterilized, then placed in a press. At this point a delicate process of concentration begins which serves to remove more and more water from the licorice. In this phase the result is a whitish liquid that becomes darker and darker and is eventually poured into Teflon pans. Here the licorice takes on the appearance of rigid rectangular blocks. The licorice is treated from the blocks to obtain the desired shapes and consistency. At the end of this process, the color is dark brown, but the licorice is already good to eat. To make it become black and shiny, it is placed in the oven heated at a constant temperature and, finally, vaporized. In addition to being used in the food sector (sweets, ice creams, liqueurs), the product is used by monopolies to flavor tobaccos.