Category: Liquorice Stories

The small market town of Pontefract, Yorkshire—born from the Norman conquest and home to a rich history of royal battles and posh affairs—holds an intriguing secret. One of its most beloved treats has been its greatest medicine for centuries: the liquorice cake or Pontefract cake.

What could have driven ancient Englanders to work this spongy, black-as-tar delicacy into their diets? Curiosity caught me in my tracks, and I had to find out more. As I began researching the Pontefract Cake’s mysterious past, I unearthed a captivating tale that was punctuated by multiple monarch disputes and dark love affairs.

My heart raced with excitement as I thought about my next stop: a visit to the abandoned medieval castle that housed this delectable treat’s story. Could its winding walls provide answers as to why liquorice cakes were so important then…and now? Join me on this journey of discovery where we uncover fairy tales, festival fanatics and other enchanting delights surrounding Pontefract Cakes!

When it comes to the spelling of Licorice, there is a big difference between Americans and Brits. While the Brits spell it Liquorice, the Americans spell it Licorice. But what most people don’t know is that there is a big difference in how these two words are pronounced.

The American pronunciation for Liquorice is “LICK-uh-rocee” while the British pronunciation is “LEEK-oh-ricee”. This is important because if you want to pronounce the word correctly, you need to make sure that your tongue is positioned at the back of your mouth when pronouncing the word. If you do not have the correct positioning of your tongue, then you will end up with an incorrect pronunciation.

This has always been a bit of a source of contention between the two countries, as each believes that their way of pronouncing it is the right way. But no matter which way you say it, there’s no denying that Licorice is a delicious treat!

And if physiological technical issues are anything to go by, taste and preferences are also key elements in this debate about Liquorice vs Licorice.