In December candy canes appear in most of the retail stores, as 90 percent of the distinctive red and white confections are sold between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with the biggest single week being the second week in December.
In the United States, 1.76 billion candy canes are produced annually.
When did this tradition start, you may ask. Legend has it that the candy cane dates back to 1670, when the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany handed out sugar sticks among his singers to keep them quiet during the Living Creche ceremony. In honor of the occasion, he bent the candies into shepherds’ crooks.
Susan Benjamin, founder of True Treats Historic Candy says the theory that the German choirmaster gave candy stickers to still his fidgety choirboys during service was a gentler form of enticement than “whacking them with a switch.” “The board complained — sweets were not appropriate at so solemn a place as church. So, the choirmaster added a hook, making the stick resemble a staff, a religious reference that would calm the board’s concerns.”
The first documented use of candy canes occurred in 1847, when August Imgard, a German-Swedish immigrant, from Wooster, Ohio, decorated his Christmas tree with paper ornaments and candy canes.
Peppermint flavor was added in the turn of the 19th century and quickly became the standard flavor.
The Bunte brothers filed one of the earliest patents for candy cane making in the early 1920s.
In 1919 in Albany, Georgia, Robert McCormack opened Famous Candy Company, making candy canes for local children. His company later became Bobs Candies.
In the 1950’s a machine was designed especially for the automation of candy cane production, invented by Gregroy Keller, brother-in-law of Robert McCormack. Keller was a seminary student in Rome who spent his summers working in the candy factory. In 1957, Keller, as an ordained Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Little Rock, patented his invention, the Keller machine. Previously, it was very labor intensive to make candy canes.
It is believed that the red stripes represent the blood of Christ and the white stripes 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. The solid texture or hardness is supposed to symbolize the solid rock foundation of the Church.
The peppermint flavor is supposed to stem from an herb called hyssop, and in the Old Testament, hyssop was used to symbolize the purity of Jesus and the sacrifice he made.
However you want to look at a candy cane, it is now a traditional symbol of the Christmas holiday and although red and white is still the favorite, candy canes are available in a rainbow of colors.
If you wish to make your own candies, there are some recipes to try for the holidays.
Pulled Taffy Candy Canes
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon red food color
In a large heavy saucepan over low heat, cook sugar, corn syrup, water and cream of tartar until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently.
Increase heat to medium and cook until the candy thermometer reads 265 (hard-ball stage), stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; add extract.
Pour half into a buttered 15-inch x 10-inch x 1-inch pan. Add food coloring to the remaining, mix well. Pour into another buttered 15-inch x 10-inch x 1-inch pan. Cool for 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Butter fingers, quickly pull half of the white or red at a time until firm but pliable (the white portion will have milky color).
When taffy is ready for cutting, pull into a 1/4-inch rope. Cut into 6 inch pieces. Twist red and white pieces together, form into canes. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Cool.
Peppermint Swirl Fudge
1 teaspoon butter
1 package (10 to 12 ounce) white baking chips
1 can (16 ounces ) vanilla frosting
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
8 drops red food coloring
2 tablespoons crushed peppermint candies
Line a 9-inch square pan with foil and grease the foil with butter; set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt chips; stir until smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in frosting and extract. Spread into the prepared pan. Randomly place drops of food coloring over fudge; cut through fudge with a knife to swirl. Sprinkle with candies. Allow to cool for 1 hour or until set.
Using foil, lift fudge out of the pan. Gently peel off foil; cut fudge into 1-inch squares. Store in an airtight container.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.