It’s that time of year again, the holidays where we get together with others, share stories and feel the spirit of the season. What’s your favorite part of the holidays? Is it the Christmas tree, fully adorned with lights, tinsel and ornaments? Or is it the crackle of the fire and a warm cup of cider? For me, one of the best parts of the Christmas holiday is the candy cane. That glossy red and white swirl, the cool minty taste and the crunch you get when you finally bite into one.
I am a candy cane purist; I like the original mint flavor. Although you will see them today in a variety of colors and flavors, the mint is the original and still my favorite. New flavors such as bubble gum, strawberry and cherry were added to match the palettes of today’s children.
The candy cane dates back over 350 years when it was created by confectioners who wanted something their customers could adorn their Christmas trees with. The original candy cane was all white and flavored with peppermint. Some confectioners would decorate their candy canes with sugar roses to make them look even more inviting. It was until the 19th century that the candy cane received its familiar shape of a shepherd’s staff.
Around 1670 the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral had sticks of candy bent into the shape of a shepherd’s crook and passed them out to children who attended or performed in the traditional Christmas Eve Nativity scene reenactment / Christmas Eve Mass, probably in an attempt to keep the bored and ansty children quiet. This became a rather popular tradition with the practice of passing out the sugar canes at living creche ceremonies eventually spread throughout Europe.
The use of candy canes on Christmas trees made its way to America by the 1800’s, however during this time they were still pure white. They are represented this way on Christmas cards made before 1900, and it is not until the early 20th century that they appear with their familiar red stripes.
Here is a little fun fact about the candy cane that may or may not be true, but it certainly makes some sense. The red-and-white stripes on a candy can are said to represent Christ’s blood and purity. It is said that its shape is like the letter “J” in Jesus’ name. The three red stripes symbolize the Holy Trinity and the hardness of the candy cane represent the Church’s foundation on solid rock. The peppermint flavor is said to represent the use of hyssop, an herb referred to in the Old Testament. Whether this is all true or not, it certainly makes a good story on Christmas day.
Who first got the idea to make a striped candy cane? We may never know. It is still a mystery. Some folks say it was a candy maker named Bob McCormack in the 20s. McCormack had a company that would become one of the world’s largest peppermint candy cane producers by the late 1950s, selling about a half a million candy canes per day. Wow! Regardless of whether this is true or not one thing is for certain, this idea spread like wildfire and soon the red stripe on a candy cane was universal, as was peppermint flavoring. Some will say the peppermint was used to make the Christmas trees smell minty. (Doesn’t work too well today what with the food health inspection, food regulations, plastic wrappings and all. Bummer.) Or maybe they just did it for the flavor. Who knows?
Whether or not a Catholic priest (or choirmaster) had something to do with the birth of the candy cane, a certain Catholic priest can stake a claim to fame for of his association with the candy cane. Father Gregory Keller, brother-in-law of the aforementioned Bob McCormack, invented the Keller Machine which automatically puts the crook in the candy cane. Before the Keller Machine the cane had to be manually bent when it was still warm and soft as it came off the assembly line. This was super labor intensive and rather inconsistent. There was also a lot of waste, about 22% worth, when the candy cane broke during the bending process. The Keller Machine made it so the candy cane came out perfect nearly every time.
Regardless of where or how the candy cane was invented, the fact is you can find them in my house year ’round bringing smiles and Christmas cheer even in July.
What is your favorite flavor of candy cane? Which one makes you smile the most and brings back childhood memories? Click here to leave a comment and share your opinion and experience. Would love to hear from you.Maybe you know of a special flavor that we haven’t seen or heard of yet.
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Read The Legend of the Candy Cane: The Inspirational Story of Our Favorite Christmas Candy from Amazon today!
Candy cane, is that what it is called? never knew, not until now. Well, its not popular in my country and as such i have never had a taste of it. With the way you described and talked about it, it has now become something i long for.
Hopefully Santa would get me one this year.
If Santa does not, you can probably order them from Amazon and have them delivered straight to your door. 🙂
You have me curious though Raphael, what country are you from?
Troy recently posted…#826 A slow cooker – the best kitchen appliance ever!
Maybe i’ll just go ahead and order some, i like to try new things out. I’m Nigerian 🙂
Raphael recently posted…http://www.yahoomail.com: How To Create A YahooMail Account
Oh cool. So they do not have candy canes in Nigeria? You could be the one to start the tradition. 🙂
Troy recently posted…#823 Monster trucks
My favourite part of Christmas is getting together with the family. Unfortunately that means eating way to much. Being of Italian decent we spend Christmas with both families. So lunch may be with the in-laws and dinner with my folks. Naturally everyone is shoving food in your face and it would be rude not to eat it all 😉
As for candy cane, I can take it or leave it, Much prefer chocolates.
Peter recently posted…Top 10 World Of Weird Sports
Not eating too much does require restraint that is for sure.
Do you ever use a slow cooker?
Thanks for visiting Peter. Always welcome here.
Troy recently posted…#826 A slow cooker – the best kitchen appliance ever!
Funny you should ask Troy. By slow cooker do you mean those pressure cooker things? We got one for a wedding present 29 years ago and it’s still in the box 😀
Merry Christmas mate to you and yours.
Peter recently posted…Job Search A WassupBlog Service
Not necessarily a ‘pressure cooker’. We have one for rice. No this is a container with a lid but not under pressure. Here, read this- https://www.1ksmiles.com/slow-cooker/
Troy recently posted…#825 Lowrider is the one to meet
Got it, left you a comment on that post. Wife says its for people who work and so they set it up before that go off to work and it;s ready for when they come home.
I told her we should give it a go because the food is supposed to be really yummy.
Peter recently posted…Story Of Christmas A Christmas Poem
Your wife is wise and correct. Yes, you should try one out. Whenever we use ours it is SO delish!
Let me know how it works out for you two.
Troy recently posted…#833 Wonder Woman reruns make me smile bigger than the Joker
Candy canes are not really something that has taken off in the UK. You can buy them in stores, but they are not a big deal. I would like you be a traditional mint cane lover if I were to biy them for christmas, other flavours dont appeal.
Yep yep. I think mint is the best.
I wonder why they are not too popular in UK?
Thanks for stopping by and for your comment.
Troy recently posted…Broken Glass JELL-O
Candy cane reminds me of my childhood when I lived in England. In the country that I live now, it is not popular. I miss its taste so much. Wish to have one immediately
Where do you live now? Perhaps you can order them from Amazon and have them delivered. You can use the link at the end of the article. The beauty being you can order them year round on the Amazon but can only get them in December from the traditional brick and mortar shops.
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How can we get candy cones in nigeria. Very informative. Thanks.
You can get them from Amazon. I think Amazon delivers to Nigeria. Try clicking on the picture of the box of candy canes at the end of the article. Let us know how it works out ok?
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This post is very informative but how can I get candy cones in Nigeria? I need urgent reply, thanks.
I have yet to go to Nigeria. Do you have something like Amazon there? I bet you do. I would try there first. Let me know if you are able to get them ok?
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