Candy canes makes an appearance once a year over the holiday season. The iconic red and white striped peppermint hook is used to adorn Christmas trees, within reach for little hands to grab a treat when gathered around. They are a universal holiday decoration bringing color to storefront windows, front porches, and everywhere else. What most people don't know is how this minty treat rose to popularity and will forever be the most universally recognized candy associated with Christmas. Here are some of the most enlightening facts about candy canes that shed light on its shape, flavor, symbolism and history.
The History of Candy Canes
Most people probably don't know much about the history of candy canes or how this Christmas treat developed into a popular symbol of the holiday season. Children's books about candy canes share all the ways this hard, minty hook-shaped sucker appears throughout holiday celebrations. The rich tradition of this striped mint can be traced back hundreds of years. Interesting legends and folklore about when the candy cane was invented, the various places it first appeared, and what it represented to the people who enjoyed it. Kids will have a whole new appreciation next time they hook these stick candies around a Christmas tree branch or pass them out to friends at a holiday party.
(1) National Candy Cane Day is officially December 26.
It seems like there is a holiday for everything, so why not celebrate Christmas candy as well. There is really no traditional way or customary activities to do on this day, so feel free to get your creative juices flowing! One fun idea includes making paper mache candy canes and decorating them as a family. Another thought is to bake cookies or cupcakes and decorating them with red and white stripes.
(2) The largest candy cane ever crafted required 500 pounds of sugar and was 51 feet long.
It was made in 2012 by a chef in Illinois. Alain Roby, owner of a confection shop called All-Chocolate Kitchen, holds the Guinness World Record. After the candy cane was constructed, he used a blow torch to affix spun-sugar ribbon bows to as a final touch.
(3) The origin of the candy cane can be traced back to 1670.
Candy sticks had already gained popularity, but then a choirmaster in Germany, frustrated by chatter young singers, had an idea. He twisted the sugary treats into the shape of a shepherd's hook and passed them out during religious ceremonies to keep little ones quiet.
(4) Candy canes made their first appearance in America in 1847 when a German immigrant introduced them as a sugary and decorative custom for the Christmas season.
August Imgard is the name of the person credited for bringing them here. Legend has it that he decorated a spruce tree with handmade paper ornaments and candy canes for Christmas. And the rest is history!
(5) The red and white stripes were not added to candy canes until the 1920s.
For the prior 200 years, candy canes were entirely white. This was determined from Christmas cards showing pictures of the candy without stripes. Interestingly, the peppermint flavor was also a new feature around this same time.
(6) Bob McCormack, an Atlanta native, is the person first credited for distributing candy canes as Christmas treats to all his friends and family members.
The candy was made entirely by hand and was incredibly labor intensive. So, in the 1950s, Bob's brother-in-law (Gregory Keller) invented a machine to automate the production. Hence the birth of Bob's Candies, the first business to mass produce candy canes and distribute them around the world!
(7) Disneyland sells candy canes for more than $70 per pound.
Even though prices soar all throughout the park, customers still may have some sticker shock when the cashier rings up a pound of candy canes. Even more interesting is the long line that forms every day outside of the candy shops that sell the limited, hand-pulled peppermint sticks. Sold on an alternating at two different locations, Trolley Treats and Candy Palace, customers flock there to purchase a supply of 18-inch, 5-oz candy canes. For perspective, they measure 6 inches longer than the standard size and weigh about 5 times as much.
