Do you know the story of the Candy Cane?
By Mommamea
@Mommamea (1215)
United States
November 26, 2006 10:36pm CST
There are many different versions of the story of the Candy Cane. What is your version? Which candy cane do you like best, the new flavors or the old fashion red and white peppermint flavored?
The Candy Cane
Candy canes have been around for centuries, but it wasn't until around 1900 that they were decorated with red stripes and bent into the shape of a cane. They were sometimes handed out during church services to keep the children quiet. One story (almost certainly false) that is often told about the origin of the candy cane is as follows:
In the late 1800's a candy maker in Indiana wanted to express the meaning of Christmas through a symbol made of candy. He came up with the idea of bending one of his white candy sticks into the shape of a Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols of Christ's love and sacrifice through the Candy Cane. First, he used a plain white peppermint stick. The color white symbolizes the purity and sinless nature of Jesus. Next, he added three small stripes to symbolize the pain inflicted upon Jesus before His death on the cross. There are three of them to represent the Holy Trinity. He added a bold stripe to represent the blood Jesus shed for mankind. When looked at with the crook on top, it looks like a shepherd's staff because Jesus is the shepherd of man. If you turn it upside down, it becomes the letter J symbolizing the first letter in Jesus' name. The candy maker made these candy canes for Christmas, so everyone would remember what Christmas is all about.
4 responses
@sun_flower714 (445)
• United States
28 Nov 06
A candy cane is a hard cane-shaped candy stick. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint; however, it is also made in a variety of other flavors and colored stripes. The candy cane is a traditional candy surrounding the Christmas holiday, although it is possible to find them throughout the year.
The candy cane was originally a straight, hard, and all-white candy stick. The cane shape is traditionally credited to a choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral in Germany, who, legend has it, in 1670 bent straight sugar sticks into canes to represent a shepherd's staff, and gave them to children at church services. Whether the choirmaster had the "Good Shepherd" in mind is unknown. Peppermint candy with red stripes first appeared in the mid-19th century in the Swedish town of Gränna, and striped candy canes in the early 20th century.
In Swedish and Finnish the candy canes are called polkagris (literally "polka piglet"). The aforementioned Swedish town Gränna is called the "polkagris capital of the world".
Urban legends about the origin of candy canes Apocryphal tales suggesting the candy cane was created wholecloth (usually by an American Protestant, usually described as being an unnamed candy maker in 1870s Indiana) to represent Jesus (white for his purity, red for the blood he shed, and the general shape for the J in his name and the cane of the shepherds) have become popular in recent years. These are recently created stories with no factual basis.
Other uses Candy canes are sometimes ground up and used as a topping for foods such as ice cream or as an additive to drinks such as hot chocolate. They are also hung as decorations on Christmas trees.
The British confectionery called "seaside rock" is manufactured in a similar fashion.
