h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Where do these strange concoctions come from ? I was asked.

And the answer is of course that many of the sweets we are familiar with now, started their career as medicines. Many of the traditional sweets were eaten not just for the pleasure of eating something sweet; but to 'sweeten the breath' or to settle the stomach or soothe a sore throat. But gradually, the ingredients which were added merely to make such medicines more palatable became more important that the medicinal content. And so, in time, liquorice, aniseed, mint, marshmallow, angelica (and many other herbs) were accepted as flavourings rather than for their other properties.

Both my father and Grandfather used to take liquorice medicinally, I think for colds. There used to be a stick of liquorice sold in the USA about 3/4 inch in diameter and 5 inches long that had near one end a widened flattened area. It came in an orange box. It was very hard - not at all chewy - and, as a kid desperate for a sweet, I would occasionally climb up on a chair and get the box and break off a piece. The flavor was quite harsh and I never was able to suck on it until it was completely consumed before spitting it out; a small piece could last an hour. Like horehound, its flavor balanced right on the line between candy and something disgusting (maybe chewing tobacco?), and there was no way to chew it; it was just soft enough on the edge one had been sucking to adhere to one's teeth and stay there. Haven't thought of this candy/medicine in years.

HI!! SWEETS ARE GORGEOUS!! I cant believe I'm fuelling this conversation that should really mean that I should get out more but I have to say that I have eaten 'Victory Vs' in the past which are meant for unblocking noses and the likes!!

Ugh. Victory V's are disgusting!
(Although my tastes may have changed some time over the intervening 30 years since I last tried one!)