History of the candy cane
Candy canes, made primarily from boiled sugar, seem to have first appeared in Europe in the late 1600s to early 1700s.
They were made in many different colours and shapes, evolving to the familiar cane with the red and white stripes in the early 1900s.
The cane shape turned out to be a great way to hang the sugar treats on the Christmas tree, was also strongly associated with the Christmas season and the bright colours of red and white were a nice contrast with the green of the Christmas tree.
This was during a time when many food items were hung on Christmas trees, from strings of popcorn to cookies and pastries.
The exact story of how and why the candy canes evolved into the red and white striped cane shapes we are so familiar with today is lost to history, but a reasonable explanation is that the cane shape was created to look like the staff of a shepherd, which fits in not only with the story of shepherds attending Jesus’s birth, but also of the symbolism of Jesus as a shepherd of His flock.
These treats were then given to small children to encourage them to behave at long church services during the Christmas season.
Make your own candy canes
Why buy candy canes if you can make them yourself?
Here is a simple recipe to keep you and the little ones busy this festive season.
You will need:
* Three cups of sugar.
* One teaspoon of peppermint extract.
* Half a cup of water.
* Three quarters of a cup of light corn syrup.
* Three quarters of a teaspoon of red food colouring.
* A quarter teaspoon of cream of tartar.
Method:
Combine the sugar, water, syrup and cream of tartar in a saucepan and heat till the sugar has dissolved.
Divide mixture into two saucepans, bring to the boil (do not stir the mixtures) until the candy thermometer reads 150 degrees Celsius.
Add a half teaspoon of peppermint to each pot and add the red food colouring to one pot, leaving the other pot plain.
Oil an enamel or marble surface or slab. Place mixture from one pot onto the slab and stretch it like taffy, pulling and forming the mixture into a rope. Set aside and do the same with the contents of the other pot.
Take both red and white ropes and twist them around each other again and again. Cut into desired sizes and form into candy cane shapes.
Oil the surface lightly again, place candy canes on it and allow them to harden.
