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root beer

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  • use of sassafras ( in sassafras )

    ...aromatic leaf, bark, and root of which are used as a flavouring, as a traditional home medicine, and as a tea. The roots yield about 2 percent oil of sassafras, once the characteristic ingredient of root beer.

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MLA Style:

"root beer." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 13 Oct. 2008 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/509472/root-beer>.

APA Style:

root beer. (2008). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 13, 2008, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/509472/root-beer

root beer

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Users who searched on "root beer" also viewed:
root beer
  • use of sassafras sassafras

    ...aromatic leaf, bark, and root of which are used as a flavouring, as a traditional home medicine, and as a tea. The roots yield about 2 percent oil of sassafras, once the characteristic ingredient of root beer.

beer (alcoholic beverage)

Student Encyclopædia Britannica articles specifically written for elementary and high school students.

beer and brewing

American Brewery History Page
Extensive historical information on the history of beer, brewing and breweries. Features a collection of original sources, including recipes, photos and drawings, and articles and brochures.
How Stuff Works - Food - How Beer Works
sassafras (tree)

(species Sassafras albidum), North American tree of the laurel family (Lauraceae), the aromatic leaf, bark, and root of which are used as a flavouring, as a traditional home medicine, and as a tea. The roots yield about 2 percent oil of sassafras, once the characteristic ingredient of root beer.

The tree is native to sandy soils from Maine to Ontario and Iowa and south to Florida and Texas. It is usually small but may attain a height of 20 m (65 feet) or more. It has furrowed bark, bright green twigs, and small clusters of yellow flowers followed by dark blue berries. Sassafras has three distinctive forms of leaves, often on the same twig: three-lobed, two-lobed (or mitten-shaped), and entire.

  • filé filé

    powdered leaves of the sassafras tree, used as a spice and as a thickener for soups and sauces. Its use originated with the Choctaw Indians in the American South. Filé is an essential ingredient of Louisiana gumbo and other Creole dishes. Because cooking makes it stringy, the filé is characteristically added to food after removal from heat and just before serving.

Student Encyclopædia Britannica articles specifically written for elementary and high school students.

sassafras

United States Department of Agriculture - Sassafras albidum
gibberellic acid (chemical compound)
  • brewing and fermentation beer

    Activated by water and oxygen, the root embryo of the barleycorn secretes a plant hormone called gibberellic acid, which initiates the synthesis of α-amylase. The α- and β-amylases then convert the starch molecules of the corn into sugars that the embryo can use as food. Other enzymes, such as the proteases and β-glucanases, attack the cell walls around the starch grains,...

soft drink (beverage)

Student Encyclopædia Britannica articles specifically written for elementary and high school students.

soft drink

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