The Science of Spice

Flavour Group | SWEET WARMING PHENOLS | Liquorice 97

The dried root or rhizome has an intense aniseed flavour and warm, lingering sweetness.

It can be used to infuse sweet dishes, stocks, sauces, and stews, and it is added to spice

blends such as Chinese five-spice. Use sparingly to avoid overwhelming the dish.

Kitchen

creativity

FOOD PARTNERS

Citrus Sprinkle a little ground liquorice

over a grapefruit and orange salad.

Asparagus, fennel Add to a butter

dressing for grilled asparagus, or

sprinkle over roasted fennel with lemon.

Oily fish Add ground liquorice to a

cure for salmon or trout.

Ham, beef Infuse a braising liquid for

a ham or beef brisket with liquorice root.

Baking Use ground in gingerbread

dough, or steep liquorice root in the

syrup for a steamed sponge pudding.

Preserves Use to flavour apple jelly

and cherry jam, or with cardamom and

coriander in a Scandinavian plum chutney.

BLENDING SCIENCE

The powerful sweetening effect of liquorice root is produced by glycyrrhizin, a compound that is around 50 times

sweeter than sugar. The warming, medicinal flavours of this spice are produced by three compounds – aniseed-

like estragole, eucalyptus-like cineole, and clove-like eugenol. Small amounts of floral linalool, cucumber-like

aldehydes, and oregano-tasting phenols give liquorice its rounded, complex taste.

RELEASE THE FLAVOUR

The glycyrrhizin in liquorice helps to

disperse the flavours of both liquorice

and any other spices in a dish by

enabling oil and water to mix.

Added to water, glycyrrhizin can thicken

to form a gel that allows oil and

water to form a smooth mixture.

Steep the root in hot water first for dishes

with a short cooking time or little liquid.

Add liquorice near the start of

cooking to maximize the taste.

add more cineole to

complement the

slightly herbal notes:

bay contributes

a fresh, penetrating,

herbal-floral flavour

cardamom

intensifies eucalyptus

flavours, adding some

minty, lemony notes

combine with other

warming spices to

reinforce the

aniseed notes:

anise adds a herby

flavour with hints of

cherry, vanilla, and

cacao alongside aniseed

fennel enhances

the sweet flavour and

adds complexity to the

aniseed character

star anise has

penetrating eucalyptus

and peppery mint

notes, alongside

sweet anethole

pair with other

eugenol-rich spices:

clove contributes

sweet, astringent,

camphorous notes

cinnamon and

cassia are similarly

sweet, and add woody

and citrus notes

spiciness

make unusual

pairings through the

minor compounds:

coriander

enhances the floral

notes of liquorice

vanilla has floral,

leafy notes alongside

anise-like anisaldehyde

and creamy flavours

nigella and ajwain

will partner with

trace oregano-like

compounds

ESTRAGOLE

aniseedy | warming |

woody

CINEOLE

penetrating |

eucalyptus | herbal

EUGENOL

medicinal | woody |

warming

MINOR COMPOUNDS

floral | cucumber |

oregano

BLENDS TO TRY

Use and adapt these classic blends featuring liquorice.

Nanjing spice bag p59

Five-spice powder p60

Oil droplets

suspended

in water

LIQUORICE

Lq

096-097_Liquorice.indd 97 04/06/2018 15:47