Gastropod
Gastropod
Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley
Licorice: A Dark and Salty Stranger
45 minutes Posted Mar 10, 2020 at 6:58 pm.
0:00
45:23
Download MP3
Show notes

Licorice is a polarizing candy: there are those who pick out the black jelly beans, those who think Twizzlers are better than Red Vines, and those who won't travel without a supply of salty dark lozenges. The dark and chewy treat begins life as a plant root that is more than fifty times as sweet as sugar. This episode, we tell the story of how a traditional remedy become England's first branded candy, and we get to the bottom of a medical mystery (licorice poisoning!) in a tale that involves both Tutankhamun and Henry VIII. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices