FROM THE JOURNAL - COCKTAILS & CURIOSITIES
Candy canes! A Christmas favourite with a history stretching back more than 350 years.
We hang them on our trees, tuck them into gift ribbons, stir them into hot chocolate and, if we're not careful, risk losing a filling while crunching our way through them over the festive season! So, where did they come from?
Most roads lead to Germany, where around 1670, a choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral is said to have handed out simple white sugar sticks to his choirboys to keep them occupied during long Christmas services. To make them more festive, he is believed to have bent the ends into a shepherd's crook.
Whether that's fact or folklore is difficult to prove, but it's a story that's been passed down for generations.
Originally, candy canes were plain white. The familiar red stripes and peppermint flavour came much later. The first published recipe for striped peppermint candy appeared in the mid-1800s, while the red-and-white candy cane didn't become widely popular until around the turn of the 20th century.
Over the years, people have attached all sorts of symbolism to the humble candy cane. Some say the crook represents the shepherds, others that it forms a 'J' for Jesus. The white is said to symbolise purity, the red Christ's sacrifice, and the hard candy a reminder that He is our "rock". They're lovely interpretations, but there's little historical evidence to suggest that any of these meanings were part of the original design. Much like the supposed hidden meanings behind The Twelve Days of Christmas song gifts, they appear to be stories that developed long after the tradition itself.
Today, billions of candy canes are made every year, with the vast majority sold in the run-up to Christmas.
Whatever their true origins, one thing's for certain—they've become one of the sweetest symbols of Christmas. And perhaps it's the peppermint that helps settle our overindulged tummies after one too many mince pies!