Also known as Pontefract Cakes, these round liquorice sweets with the imprint of the local castle have been popular for hundreds of years.  

Once upon a time they were only made in Pontefract. Although this is no longer the case some are still nonetheless manufactured in the town itself and visitors can still catch that sweet smell on the air.

To mark the importance of liquorice to the town there is now an annual Liquorice Festival with all sorts of events taking place and a rare opportunity to buy a liquorice plant of your own.  

History of Liquorice   

Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) in the family Leguminosae is a tall shrub (4.5 feet; 140 cm) with blue or violet flowers. Glycyrrhiza comes from the Greek and means "sweet root".  

The liquorice plant originates from the Middle East and Mediterranean. More specifically Turkey, Iraq, Spain, Greece and northern China. Its root has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years, it is the root sap has that distinctive sweet taste.   There are historical records of it being used by the ancient civilisations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Rome, Greece and China. Roots were found in Tutankhamen's tomb.

The famous Greek physicians, Hippocrates (c.460 - 377 BC) - the 'Father of Medicine', and Theophrastus (c.372 - c.287 BC) - the founder of Botany, both used liquorice for its healing properties.  

The root has been used for many purposes; as a thirst quencher (very useful for armies on the march), to heal wounds and skin diseases, to cure loss of hair and ulcers, as an aphrodisiac and almost always to ease sore throats and coughs (when prepared in a liquid form).