April 12, 2010 is National Licorice Day and I couldn’t think of a sweeter gift to give to someone than a handmade craft inspired by none other than this chewy confectionery treat.
Traditionally used by both ancient Egyptians and Greeks alike as a medicinal for mouth ulcers, peptic ulcers and asthma, the extract of licorice would later go on to be used in midevil Europe as a natural sweetner in a land where previously there was none. When settlers from England came to America, they brought the licorice plant along with them. By the early 1900’s, licorice went from the private kitchen to the factory kitchen as the American Licorice Company opened its doors in Chicago, Il. Not long after, the company would give birth first to the nostalgic black licorice, then to the red, both known and still loved by many adults today. 
Commonly manufactured in the form of chewy ropes or tubes and available in dozens of assorted flavors and lengths, the fun that the young and old can have in not only devouring them but making creative recipes and funky edible crafts are endless!
What better way to honor a day dedicated to this sweet treat than to grab a pack up and eat, eat, eat!
