new flavor trend: black licorice

Love it or hate it, black licorice is making a come back. This highly polarizing flavor is showing up in the hottest restaurants in both savory and sweet fare.

Clockwise from top left:
Licorice sauce
Squab Watermelon Foie Gras with Black Licorice from Alinea via Flickr
La Reglisse Macaroons from Laduree
Salmon poached with licorice from The Fat Duck
Licorice Pudding via Epicurious (recipe)

Clockwise from top left:
Licorice ice cream via USA Today
Licorice Cake by Alinea
Exotic Carmel Collection featuring Verde (Mexican guajillo chillies + licorice root + dark chocolate + organic pumpkin seeds) from Vosges

A bit of history…
Licorice is a very special plant, the nutritive and rejuvenating properties have made it one of the most universally consumed herbs. Since earliest recorded history, it has been valued as a beautifying agent, aphrodisiac, used for vitality and longevity, and often called an elixir of life. It is one of the oldest and best-known remedies for coughs and respiratory conditions. In Egypt, licorice water was a popular sweet drink in the time of the pharaohs. Roman legions considered licorice indispensable ration for their long gruelling campaigns; as it was said soldiers could go up to 10 days without eating or drinking as the licorice properties helped to build stamina and energy, which allayed both hunger and thirst. It is a time-honoured herb in Chinese medicine, dating back thousands of years. Chinese herbalism applied the principle of prevention, by emphasising the use of tonics and adaptogens, using plants like licorice, that regulate, strengthen and invigorate the whole body.
via Herbs Are Special

Related trend:
Culinary trend expert Dana McCauley predicts that the next healthy food trend may be black colored foods. Becoming increasingly popular in Japan, foods that contain black soy beans, black vinegar, black rice and jet-black nigella seeds are prized because of their anthocyanin content. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties and may protect against heart disease and cancer.