That’s right, Friday, April 12, is National Licorice Day! To celebrate, Olympus Encantada will be giving away free bags of licorice in our leasing office, beginning at 9 AM and continuing until we run out. After you pick up your bag, chew on these fascinating licorice facts as your gorge yourself on these sweet treats.

Red Licorice Is a Lie

It’s true! Twizzlers pulled a fast one on all of us. Red licorice doesn’t contain licorice at all, it’s just red candy. But it’s still delicious!

Napoleon Bonaparte Loved the Stuff

Betsy Balcombe, his buddy while in exile at Saint Helena, is claimed to have said Napoleon ate so much licorice it turned his teeth black. According to another source, he also ate a mix of licorice powder and brown sugar to help with his indigestion. And on his deathbed, he requested only to be served water flavored with licorice. The dude loved his licorice! (He also cheated at cards, according to the same article.)

It’s Sweeter Than Sweet

Licorice gets its sweet flavor from glycyrrhizin, a natural compound that’s 50 times as sweet as sugar.

Licorice Can Be Deadly

That same ingredient that gives licorice its sweetness – glycyrrhizin – can cause various dangerous side effects. According to WebMD, eating 5 grams or more daily, for several weeks, can lead to very high blood pressure, low potassium levels, weakness, paralysis, irregular heart rhythms, and even heart attack. So maybe go easy on the licorice, friend.

Licorice Often Contains Wheat

Not only is too much licorice deadly, many licorice candies contain gluten in the form of wheat flour, used to bind the ingredients together. But it’s so good!

And that’s all our facts. Hopefully, you finished your whole bag! For more fascinating facts about random stuff, visit the Olympus Encantada blog.