Why Is a Candy Cane Called a Candy Cane?
With all those advent calendars, tasty Christmas ornaments and Christmas beers, we’re already getting into the festive spirit. Christmas trees filled with as many edible treats as possible; from chocolate wreaths to candy canes. But why is a candy cane actually called a candy cane? It isn’t sour, is it?!
Things used to be different
At first, the candy cane was simply a straight, white, sweet stick. In the 18th century, when candy canes first appeared in Europe, you couldn’t exactly pop into an Albert Heijn for flavorings to add to your candy mixture. They were simply sticks of melted sugar: incredibly sweet! To balance this out, plenty of lemons and oranges were added; anything to make the sweet candy sour. They also added tartaric acid to the recipe; that’ll do the job. We call it a candy cane because it was once simply insanely sour. ‘Fortunately,’ plenty of flavorings, colorings and E-numbers can now be added, making it deliciously sweet for sweet tooths like me. Peppermint flavor in particular became popular.
The Christmas Candy
How did this sour, white stick become a symbol of Christmas? There are many stories about it, but they have never been proven. One theory is that the characteristic curve was added to make the stick resemble the J in Jesus. Another story says that a priest used the candy to keep the choirboys quiet during Mass. A logical explanation might be that the curve was added so the candy could be hung in the Christmas tree. The color was also carefully considered: the white stick was said to represent Jesus’s virginity, while the red stripes represented the blood He lost during His crucifixion.
We may never find out which myths are true. But one thing is certain: with candy canes, you’re guaranteed a very merry Christmas.
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