In this blog we are going to tell you about Differences Between Black and Red Licorice, so read this blog carefully to get the complete information.

Candies and Sweets are almost everyone’s favorite. Kids especially love to eat candies. When you were a kid, you also must have got candies as a treat. You may have seen those black and red long, thin, gummy tubes of candy. Those candies are known as licorice, particularly black licorice and red licorice. But have you ever thought, are they the same or the difference lies only in their color? Obviously, the main difference lies in their color but besides it, they can be made from different flavoring ingredients. Licorice is a delicious confectionery that comes from the root extracts of the licorice plant. So in this article, we will focus on what black and red licorice are and how they differ from each other. 

RELATED – DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALDOSE AND KETOSE: DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?

What is Black Licorice? 

Black licorice is mostly famous in North America. Its main ingredients include root extracts from the licorice plant, sugar, and binder which can be either flour or gelatin. Beeswax is used to get that shiny and black licorice appeal. With the right black licorice recipe, you can also prepare it at home. For getting that traditional black color, you also have to add some molasses. If you want to make it extra tasty or extra salty, you can use ammonium chloride in your recipe. However, if you mix ammonium chloride, the complete black licorice product will not become salty as there is a higher concentration of sugar. 

What is Red Licorice?

Red licorice is popular in several countries. Red licorice was created to make a new version of the original black licorice. Red licorice can be prepared using the extract of red fruits instead of using root extracts from the licorice plant. It can be prepared using strawberries, raspberries, cherries, and cinnamon. However, the preparation of black licorice and red licorice is the same, but while making red licorice you will also need the ingredients like beeswax and the binding agent. The beeswax used in the red licorice gives it a shiny look so with a thin coating of this transparent liquid, you can have that shiny red licorice as you want. 

Main Differences Between Black and Red Licorice

The following are the main differences between black and red licorice as mentioned below: 

• Black licorice is popular in North America while red licorice is popular in different countries across the globe. 

RELATED – DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REGULAR FLOUR AND BREAD FLOUR – KNOW IN DETAIL

• To make black licorice, you need molasses while to make red licorice, you will need strawberries, raspberries, cherries, and cinnamon. 

• Black licorice may have flavored with licorice extracts and sometimes also contains molasses to enhance the licorice flavor whereas red licorice rarely contains licorice extract; instead it usually uses natural or artificial flavors to provide its cherry or strawberry flavor. 

• Besides having different ingredients, black and red licorice have similar nutritional values. For instance, both black and red licorice canteen 140 calories, 16 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein in 5 piece servings. However, black licorice contains 60 mg of sodium while red licorice contains only 20 mg of sodium. They both do not contain any vitamins and minerals and are a source of empty calories so should be consumed only occasionally. 

• Black licorice can have more effect on health in comparison to Red Licorice. If you are having a licorice candy that contains licorice extract, it also contains a compound called glycyrrhizic acid. If this compound is consumed in large amounts it can lead you to several problems like muscle pain, numbness in your limbs, high blood pressure, headache, swelling, or fatigue. Also, people who have heart, kidney, or liver disease or are a patient with diabetes or high blood pressure should not consume licorice. 

• You should consider the labels before purchasing a licorice. You should check whether they contain little or no licorice extract. Black licorice contains most licorice extract while red licorice has less licorice extract so red licorice is less prone to health problems. 

Conclusion

Overall both black and red licorice are delicious candies that are loved by people especially kids around the world. But it is good to have them occasionally. The main difference between black and red licorice lies in their color and taste. So we hope that this article was helpful and now you have got the differences between black and red licorice.

RELATED – Difference Between Gin and Sloe Gin – Know in brief

We Hope this blog is sufficient enough to provide the information about Differences Between Black and Red Licorice. Thanks for reading this blog.