A perennial favourite old fashioned cough candy. Aniseed is a herbal plant from the Apiaceae family of plants that produces an essential oil used for a wide variety of medicinal and culinary purposes. Used as a cure for sleeplessness, toothache and even scorpion stings in the time of Pliny the Elder, who wrote about the many benefits of this remarkable plant. It gives the reader some idea of how long it's been in use and it has been noted historically as having curative properties against coughs and colds. This is where the origins of the aniseed twist can probably be found and we'd guess that this type of confection was based in Arabic culture and absorbed into our own during the medieval period. Although no longer claimed to be a medicine, many folk still find that sucking on one of these relieves sore throats.
A real friend in your pocket when taking the dog for a walk!