- Pontefract Cakes
Pontefract cakes (also known as Pomfret cakes and Pomfrey cakes) are a type of small, roughly circular black sweet measuring approximately 2 cm in diameter and 4 mm thick, made of
liquorice , originally manufactured in theYorkshire town ofPontefract ,England .The original name for these small tablets of liquorice is a "Pomfret" cake, after the old Norman name for Pontefract. However, that name has fallen into disuse and they are now almost invariably labelled "Pontefract cakes".
Originally, the sweets were embossed by hand with a stamp, to form their traditional look, but now they are machinery formed. The embossed stamp was originally a stylised image of
Pontefract Castle .The liquorice root used in these cakes was exported to
Australia for the first time by a member of the famous Carter family who hailed from Pontefract.Healthcare professionals have warned against overindulgence on Pontefract Cakes after a 56 year old woman was admitted to hospital after overdosing on the confectionery. [cite web
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3733757.stm
title = Woman 'overdoses' on liquorice
accessdate = 2008-06-07
date =21 May 2004
work =BBC News Online
publisher =BBC ]References
External links
* [http://www.licorice.org/LicoriceFinder/Pontefract_Cakes_/body_pontefract_cakes_.htm Pontefract Cakes]
* [http://www.licoriceinternational.com Licorice International]
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