Candy Canes

The origin of the candy canes goes back over 350 years. In 1670 the choirmaster of the Cologne Cathedral in Germany bent the sugar- sticks into the shape of a shepherd's crook and the all-white candy canes were given out to the children on Christmas. This became a popular tradition and spread out throughout Europe. Many people have given religious meaning into the form of these candy canes. They say that its shape is like the letter 'J' in 'Jesus'.The use of candy canes on Christmastrees made its way to America around 1800. 
Fifty-years later the red-and-white striped candy appeared. Now you can find them in all different types of coloured stripes.However the candy canes are now a symbol for christmas and joy for children.  

This video shows you all about how the candy canes are made:

Macaroons from France

Green, blue, yellow, pink, brown...
The macaroons are eye-catching for everyone!
These little round pastries are offered in a huge assortments of colours and flavours.
However, the origin of macaroon is controversial, probably it is Italian or Arabian ancestry.

Basic ingredients are egg white, sugar and almonds. The macaron cookie was born in italy in 1533 and has the same origin as the word 'macaroni'. Both means "fine dough". 
It has become a 'double-decker' at the beginning of the 20th century, when the french man Pierre Desfontaines had the idea to fill them with a 'chocolat panache' and to stick them together.

Here is a nice video which shows how to make macaroons,

 just give it a try! :) 

Brigadeiros from Brazil

A brigadeiro is a sweet little delicacy from Brazil.
The traditional way of being presented is a chocolate ball covered with chocolate sprinkles, but in past years the image has changed a bit and it can now be found in a variety of flavours and toppings.

There are a few versions of the origin of brigadeiros, but this one is the most popular:

It is named after the brazilian Brigadier Eduardo Gomes, who started his Presidential Campaign in 1945.

With his good-looking appearance he attracted a group of female fans who created these chocolate balls and sold them to raise money for his campaign. In the end he didn't win the campaign, but the brigadeiros have been preserved.

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk                
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder                                 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt                                                     
• 3 tablespoons butter                                       
• 1 teaspoon vanilla                                          
• Chocolate sprinkles for decoration                    

Preparation:

1. Pour the condensed milk into your heaviest pot. Stir in the cocoa powder and the salt.
2. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat. Keep the mixture barely simmering to prevent burning and sticking.
3. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring, until mixture becomes very thick and shiny and starts to pull away from the bottom and sides of the pan.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and the vanilla.
5. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes. With buttered hands, roll the mixture into 1 inch balls.
6. Roll each ball in the chocolate sprinkles, and place in a paper liner.
7. Chill until ready to serve.

HARIBO from Germany

Kids and grown-ups love it so, the happy world of HARIBO

Everybody knows them and nearly
everybody likes them :
The gummibears or goldbears 
from Haribo.
About 100 million  
are produced around the world every day!
Haribo is a german confectionery company founded in 1920 by Johannes ('Hans') Riegel and is headquartered in Bonn (North Rhine-Westfalia, Germany)
The name stands for HAns RIegel, BOnn 

Originally in every Haribo pack there are 1/3 red gummibaers and 1/6 green, white, orange and yellow.

These are the different tastes:

• dark red : rasberrie 
• light red : strawberry
• green     : apple
• yellow    : lemon
• orange   : orange
• white      : pineapple

Tejas and Chocotejas from Peru

Teja is a popular confection from the Ica Region in Peru.

It consists of a core of caramel and dried fruits or nuts. Classically they are glazed with white fondant. But there are also choco-tejas glazed with chocolate.The name has been given by local citizens because the candy reminded them of the ceramic tiles of their houses roof in Ica.

The recipe

Ingredients for 50 pieces:

400g dulce de leche

1 tablespoon butter

100 g candied orange peel

50 g candied lemon peel

40 toasted pecan halves

400 g chocolate 

(White, milk or dark chocolate depending on your preference)

1. Place the butter in the pan at medium heat.
2. Add dulce de leche and bring to a boil while stirring. 
3. Put to the side. If the butter has not melted, continue stirring. Allow to cool slightly. The mixture should be visibly thick and should stick to the spoon.
4. If it stays liquid, then heat again and repeat the process.
5. Place on a piece of baking paper. Shape to a rectangle. Let cool.
6. Cut with the spatula into 50 pieces and chill again.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate in a water bath.
8. Finely chop the orange and lemon peel. 
9. Form a roll from one piece of caramel and roll the orange peel through. Roll 20 pieces of Caramel in orange peel and then let cool.
10. Roll 10 pieces of caramel through lemon peel and let cool.
11. Press the remaining 20 caramel pieces between two toasted pecan halves.
12. Glaze candy and put them on some baking parchment.

To find more very interesting recipes, go to

http://himmlischesuessigkeiten.blogspot.ie/

Japan's Wagashi

We start with the traditional Japanese candy called 'Wagashi'. In contrast to sweets that are in general called 'Kashi' or 'O-kashi' , 'Wagashi' is a particular candy with a long tradition and history. 'Wa' means Japanese and 'Gashi' means candy. 
It is separated into three different types : 
Namagashi (raw; 30% water)
Han- Namagashi (30%-10% water. The one in between)
Higashi (dry; 10% water)



These sweets are most often made of pure vegetable ingredients of high quality, mostly

-azuki beans
-rice
-cereals
-sugar of a high quality and
-edges (a gelling agent made of algae)

Nuts and seeds are mainly used as decoration, but flowers, leaves and fruits are also used for decoration and create a special flavour. It is mostly served at tea time.

Introducing

Hi I'm Anna, and this is my blog of sweets from all over the world :) hope you enjoy it !