CANDY CANES One legend has it that candy canes were invented by a candy maker in Indiana that produced them to be symbolic of many different events in the life of Jesus. First, they are shaped like a J for the name of Jesus. Second they are white to represent the virginity of the Blessed Virgin and the red stripes stand for beatings Jesus received. This is not true at all. One story is it was originally a straight, hard and all-white candy stick invented by French priest in the 1400's. Then a choirmaster in Germany in 1670 bent the straight "sugar stick" to represent the staff of shepherd. Another tale is people decorated their trees with food and bent the candy cane so it would hang on the Christmas tree. Prior to 1900, the candy cane was pictured as all white. After that it is shown with the red stripes as we know it today. Eggnog or a very similar drink may have originated in East Anglia, England or it could have been developed from a posset which is a medieval European beverage made with hot milk. A food expert from Iceland the nog part of the drink's name came from the word noggin which is a Middle English phrase that describes a small wooden mug used to serve alcohol. The ingredients for the drink were too expensive and uncommon for the lower classed but the aristocrats loved it. The average Londoner rarely saw a glass of milk because there was no refrigeration. Eggnog was originally mixed with brandy, Madiera which is a liquor or even sherry. When the drink came over to the English colonies during the 18th Century brandy and wine were heavily taxed so people started to use rum. The drink became very popular in America. The Market Drayton in Shropshire, England claims to be the place where gingerbread was invented and traditionally it was dunked in Port wine. It is recorded that gingerbread was baked in this town in 1793, though it was probably as early 1640. Originally, the term gingerbread from Latin zingiber via Old French gingebras, referred to preserved ginger. There is the thin, crisp cookie often called a gingersnap or it is cut into shapes like gingerbread men. Another form of gingerbread is dough which is made into gingerbread houses. The third type is boiled dough that can be molded into statues or decorations. Gingerbread moulding was popular in Europe. The ancient Roman recipes for fruitcake lists pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and raisins mixed into a barley mash. In the Middle Ages honey, spices and preserved fruits were added and the fruitcake was first used, from a combination of the Latin fructus . Starting in the 16th century inexpensive sugar from the American Colonies and the discovery that high concentrations of sugar could preserve fruits, created an excess of candied fruit, this made fruitcakes more affordable and popular. In the 18th century, Europeans were using nuts from the harvest for good luck in their fruitcakes. Fruitcakes gained popularity until a law restricted them to Christmas, weddings and a few other holidays because they were considered "sinfully" rich. Germany's version of the fruitcake originated in the town of Dresden over 500 years ago. It is known as Traditional Stollen and is made with yeast, water and flour and usually dried citrus peel (called "Zitronad(e)"), dried fruit almonds and spices such as cardamom, aromatic pods and seeds of a tropical plant and cinnamon. They are baked in traditional form, sprinkled with powdered sugar and have a higher ration of cake batter to fruit and nuts than the American version. Italy's fruitcake is named Panforte. It dates back to the 13th century. It is dense and chewy. It is strongly flavored with spices and baked in a shallow pan. United States fruitcakes are rich in fruit and nuts. In 1913 mail order fruitcakes were popular with the fruitcakes being produced by the Collin Street Bakery in Texas and the Claxton Bakery in Georgia. These southern companies had access to cheap nuts and in 1935 the term "nutty as a fruitcake" was coined. Most mass-produced fruitcakes in America are alcohol free but traditional recipes are soaked in brandy and covered with powdered sugar thus preventing mold. Some people feel wrapping fruitcakes in linen soaked with brandy helps to improve their flavor with age. Johnny Carson would joke that there is only one fruitcake in the world and it is passed from family to family. For over 12 years over 500 people show up in Manitou Springs, Colorado each January for the Great Fruitcake Toss. The greatest recorded toss of a fruitcake is 1,420 feet set by a group of Boeing engineers. |
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