For those of you who are complaining that there's not enough hard candy in an Advent titled 'A Hard Candy Christmas', I've thrown today's treat into the mix just for you.
Primrose Old Fashioned Cut Rock Candy is a confection that I don't really like to eat. But I am fascinated to look at it. Every tiny little piece has a microscopic image in the middle. The orange flavored pieces have an orange slice design in the middle. Watermelon has an image of a slice of melon. The spiced flavor is the one that carries the name of the candy, as a minuscule primrose flower is presented in the center of those pieces. (Although, I think some spice pieces are also of snowflakes. But that might just be in the Christmas variety.)
Primrose candy has only been around since the depression. I would have thought this stuff was being bought by Laura Ingles for pennies on the pound during her days on the prairie. I'm also surprised that this stuff isn't from England or some other part of Europe. Instead its manufacturing origins come from Chicago! Another thing I didn't know is that the original recipe calls for honey instead of sugar. Although that's not the case any more, as sugar and corn syrup are the two main ingredients of this deceptively timeless candy treat.
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| From this image, it appears that butterflies, American flags and strawberries are other images made by Primrose in their cut rock candies. |
Just like ribbon candy, Primrose is the stuff that you'd see filling grandma's candy dish each holiday season. In my belief, nobody actually buys the stuff. It just keeps getting recycled year after year. Though, if you have a grandchild like me, who would pick through the whole dish just to see all the pretty designs, please throw that stuff away to prevent food-borne illness from contact with unwashed hands.
This history of the Primrose Candy Company is pretty interesting. Unfortunately, I can't find a video on it. So, here's a link to the company's history page.
As my Advent gift for you today, I found a video on a candy company in England who make similar hard candy treats with those intricate little images in the middle. It's about 11 minutes, but really fascinating to watch.
Enjoy...
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