A traditional candy cane
| Alternative names | Peppermint stick |
| Type | Confectionery |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Main ingredients | Sugar, flavoring (often peppermint) |
Full Answer
What ingredients are there in a candy cane?
Materials
- 1 1/2 Cup Coarse Sea Salt
- 2/3 Cup Sweet Almond Oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. Peppermint Castile Soap
- 5 Drops Peppermint Essential Oil
- 2-3 Drops Red Food Coloring
What does a candy cane symbolize?
Red Syrup
- Stir 1 teaspoon of red food colouring into the remaining syrup.
- Next, pour the red syrup onto the second baking sheet. ...
- Spray a dough scraper or metal spatular with non-stick cooking spray and use it to ‘knead’ the mixture. ...
- Wear heat resistant gloves and stretch the red mixture into a long rope or line. ...
What does a candy cane taste like?
They are good, but they don't really taste like Oreos. Upon first lick, the taste is more reminiscent of Tootsie rolls and then, once that wears off, there are hints of chocolate wafer, followed by a slightly creamy taste.
What does the Bible say about candy cane?
What Does the Bible Say About Candy Cane? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe.
What is inside a candy cane?
The ingredients for candy canes are sugar and corn syrup, which are stored in stainless steel tanks. These two ingredients are monitored and stored under strict environmental conditions, and are regularly tested in our laboratory to ensure a high quality product.
Are candy canes made out of bugs?
“The colour on the traditional red candy canes can come from two sources – one of them is from cochineal. Cochineal is made from a natural dye that comes from an insect. They extract the colour from the eggs or from the bug and then they add things to it to make it stable so they can use it in food,” Bel reveals.
What makes candy canes?
1:223:52How Candy Canes Are Made - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipStarts with hot sugar that's heated in a giant kettle of more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit the candyMoreStarts with hot sugar that's heated in a giant kettle of more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit the candy is poured on a cooling table where peppermint flavoring is at it sugar Smith's need the flavoring.
What is in a peppermint candy cane?
'SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, PEPPERMINT OIL, RED 40, RED 40 LAKE.
Are beetles in Skittles?
Skittles' manufacturer has since removed gelatin. Additionally, until 2015, Skittles made in the United Kingdom contained carmine, also called E120 or cochineal, a red coloring derived from the Dactylopius coccus beetle ( 8 ).
Are red Skittles made of bugs?
Carmine is a red dye used to create the red Skittles. Carmine is harvested from the cochineal scale insect. Shellac is a wax secreted by the lac insect, Kerria lacca. Food grade shellac is often used as a coating to seal the food and prevent transfer of the color dyes from the candy to the skin.
Are candy canes full of sugar?
Know Where Sugar Is Lurking Here are some surprising estimates of the sugar contents of some of America's favorite holiday treats: Candy Cane: 10 grams of sugar. Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino: 62 grams of sugar. Small Frosted Sugar Cookie: 16 grams of sugar.
Are candy canes peppermint?
A candy cane is a cane-shaped stick candy often associated with Christmastide, as well as Saint Nicholas Day. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint, but they also come in a variety of other flavors and colors.
Why are candy canes peppermint flavored?
Peppermint oil and extracts, primarily the essential oil menthol, are used to flavour candy canes. Menthol is an alcohol known for its waxy, crystalline appearance and is responsible for the cooling sensation of mint.
Are candy canes healthy?
Yes, it freshens your breath, but it's actually a natural antiseptic, so it helps keep your teeth and gums healthy. It's also great for relieving headaches and nausea or any other digestive-related issues (um, hello post-holiday tummy ache).
Are candy canes good for your stomach?
Christy Brissette, a registered dietitian nutritionist, added another note of caution: “The peppermint in your beloved candy canes may help soothe a mildly upset stomach by helping to soothe muscles in your digestive tract... but they also stimulates the valve at the top of your stomach to relax, so it's more likely to ...
Why are candy canes red and white?
It is believe that the red stripes of the candy cane represent the blood of Christ and the white stripes of the candy cane represent the purity of Christ. The three fine stripes are believed to represent the Holy Trinity. The ''j'' shape of the candy cane is said to represent the name of Jesus.
What candy is made with bugs?
Candy lovers beware: The hard, shiny shells on Junior Mints, Red Hots, Lemonhead, and Boston Baked Beans candies are glazed with secretions from lac bugs. Nearly 100,000 bugs die to produce about 1 pound of shellac flakes, which are combined with alcohol to make a confectioner's glaze.
Are there bugs in sweets?
Shellac is a secret ingredient that makes sweets smooth and stops them melting in your hand. It is derived from the secretions of Laccifer lacca, a bug from the forests of India and Thailand.
Are there bugs in M&Ms?
These include carmine, which is derived from the cochineal insect. It's also sometimes listed as E120 in the ingredients list on packaging. The cochineal insect is found in South America and Mexico.
What foods have insects in them?
Mealworm, maggot, and roach pieces are found in everyday foods like chocolate, coffee, and wheat flour. It's totally legal: The FDA allows small amounts of insect matter in our food.
The Ingredients
1) Sugar: A single cane contains 10 grams of sugar, which isn’t a terrible amount compared to other candy (a Snickers Bar, for example, contains a whopping 27 grams of sugar). But it’s still a large chunk of your allotted daily intake.
The Takeaway
All in all, these candy canes are exactly what you’d expect: A load of sugar and not much else. That being the case, sucking on the odd cane over the holiday season won’t do you too much harm. But really, if you’re going to be chowing down on straight-up sugar, maybe opt for something a little more exciting?
Ian Lecklitner
Ian Lecklitner is a staff writer at MEL Magazine. He mostly writes about everyone's favorite things: Sex, drugs and food.
What's a Candy Cane, Anyway?
Before we dive into the theories surrounding the candy cane's origins, you should first know what it is. A candy cane is a classic Christmas candy that's some sort of sugar with added water, flavors, processing ingredients, and coloring added in. (AKA, we can't get the real recipe, but you can look at someone else's homemade recipe for referece).
The Modernization of the Candy Cane
The candy cane as it is today didn't really become culturally popular until the 1950s when Bob's Candies came out with their own version, and an inventor created a machine to automatically make them in very large quantities (before, they had to bend the J shape by hand).
Tips
Make sure you have a calibrated clip-on candy thermometer before you begin this recipe. The thermometer will tell you when to take the sugar syrup off the stove; if yours is faulty or incorrectly calibrated, then you may undercook or overcook the syrup.
Variation
Candy canes are fun to eat on their own, but there are plenty of creative ways to use them in other recipes around the holidays.
Cane Shape
The first historical reference to the familiar cane shape though goes back to 1670. The choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany first bent the sugar-sticks into the shape of canes to represent a shepherd's staff. The all-white candy canes were then given out to children during the long-winded nativity services.
Stripes
About 50 years later, the first red-and-white-striped candy canes appeared. No one knows who exactly invented the stripes, but based on historical Christmas cards, we know that no striped candy canes appeared prior to the year 1900. Illustrations of striped candy canes didn't even show up until the beginning of the 20th century.
Legends and Myths
There are many other legends and religious beliefs surrounding the humble candy cane. Many of them depict the candy cane as a secret symbol for Christianity during a time when Christians were living under more oppressive circumstances.
1. The origins and meaning of the candy cane are unclear and heavily debated
The background of how the candy cane came to be has various avenues to explore, as there is no determined point that history books know when the candy cane emerged or even why it was created.
2. Candy canes were first all white
As stated before, candy canes were once “pulled sugar,” or sugar sticks, that were a popular treat in Europe. The stripes were added, as well as the peppermint flavor, at the turn of the nineteenth century, as before they were solid white and only flavored with sugar. Now the candy cane comes in a multitude of flavors.
3. The establishing of a candy-cane making machine was a family operation
Around the 1950s, Bob McCormack’s brother-in-law, Catholic priest Gregory Keller, designed a machine to automate the creation of candy canes and this not only cut down the tedious process of making candy canes, but also led to worldwide mass production for the past eighty years for Bob’s Candies.
5. There is a divide over what is the best way to eat a candy cane
Hard to believe, but there are people who disagree on what way is best to eat a candy cane. A study by the National Confectioners Association shows that seventy-two percent of people feel eating the straight end first is best, while twenty-eight percent start with the curved end first.
The History of the Candy Cane
Candy canes appeared in 1670. According to Candy History, “Legend has it that in 1670, the cane-shaped candy became historical when a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany bent the sugar sticks into canes to appear as shepherd’s hooks.”
Symbolism of the Candy Cane
Although a candy cane most likely doesn’t have an intentional Christian meaning, what, then, have Christians determined the candy to symbolize?
Why Does The Meaning Matter?
We should constantly analyze why we do and have certain holiday traditions. Why do we have Christmas trees and holly when both have pagan origins? And can we redeem those to have a Christian meaning, and is that even okay?
Overview
A candy cane is a cane-shaped stick candy often associated with Christmastide, as well as Saint Nicholas Day. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint, but they also come in a variety of other flavors and colors.
History
A record of the 1837 exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, where confections were judged competitively, mentions "stick candy". A recipe for straight peppermint candy sticks, white with colored stripes, was published in The Complete Confectioner, Pastry-Cook, and Baker, in 1844. The earliest documentation of a "candy cane" is found in the short story "Tom …
Use during Saint Nicholas Day
On Saint Nicholas Day celebrations, candy canes are given to children as they are also said to represent the crosier of the Christian bishop, Saint Nicholas; crosiers allude to the Good Shepherd, a name sometimes used to refer to Jesus of Nazareth.
See also
• Polkagris
• Stick candy
External links
• The dictionary definition of candy cane at Wiktionary
• St. Nicholas Day Blessing of Candy Canes
What's A Candy Cane, Anyway?
- Before we dive into the theories surrounding the candy cane's origins, you should first know what it is. A candy cane is a classic Christmas candy that's some sort of sugar with added water, flavors, processing ingredients, and coloring added in. (AKA, we can't get the real recipe, but you can look at someone else's homemade recipefor referece).
Theory #1: Keeping Kids Quiet in Church
- The story that makes the most sense is that during the season of "advent" in the Christian religion (and during the time when the Christmas season happens),a pastor wanted to quiet all the children in church during a long nativity scene so he passed around a white stick of candy to each child to keep them occupied. He added a peppermint flavor for the delight of the children, but di…
Theory #2: Its Shape Represents Jesus
- Another popular theory is that the peppermint stick got its cane shape so to represent the 'J' in Jesus Christ, the spiritual teacher that Christians believe rose from the dead and went to heaven. The red stripe represents the blood of Jesus, and the white part represents the purity of Jesus since he was perfect, according to Christian scripture. Although this deep meaning for candy is …
The Modernization of The Candy Cane
- The candy cane as it is today didn't really become culturally popular until the 1950s when Bob's Candies came out with their own version, and an inventor created a machine to automatically make them in very large quantities (before, they had to bend the J shape by hand). Nowadays, candy canes come in all sorts of colors and flavors, but more than that, they have become an ico…