So my sister really loves licorice and when I saw that April 12th was National Licorice Day I decided to do some research to find out more about the confectionary treat.
So here’s what I found out:
l. Licorice is a confection flavored with the extract from the root (who knewLol!) of the licorice plant.
2. That it’s combined with sugar or other sweetener and a binder (gelatin, gum arabic or starch) but the big American brands use corn syrup.
3. That additional ingredients used for making licorice are beeswas for that shiny looking surface, molasses to provide the familiar black color and ammonium chloride (Ugh) and also that some brands substitute anise oil instead of using licorice root extract.
4. That these ingredients are then dissolved in water and heated to 275 degrees F and then poured into molds and then those pieces are sprayed with beeswax to make their surface shiny. (Again, who knew…).
5. In addition, original licorice was black and later red licorice was made with strawberry flavoring. Today you can find licorice in a lot of different flavors including apple, blackcurrant, cherry, chocolate, cinnamon, grape, mango, raspberry and watermelon.
So the next time you have a yearning for something different there’s usually a package of Twizzlers at your local candy counter and as Andrew Zimmern would say, “If it looks good, eat it!”
Then I noticed that April 25th was National Zucchini Bread Day!
I must admit, that I’ve never eaten Zucchini Bread so I decided to find out more about it!
What I found out was:
l. A zucchini has more potassium than a banana.
2. The word zucchini comes from “zucca” the Italian world for squash.
3. That the most flavorful zucchinis are not large but are small to medium sized.
4. That according to the World’s Healthiest Foods Nutrition info that the nutrients and vitamins found in zucchini can help prevent cancer and heart disease.
5. That the flower of the zucchini plant is also edible.
So if you’d like to find out more about Zucchini Bread then hop over to Pinterest and you’ll find 1,000+ more ideas-yes-on Zucchini Bread!!
