Polkagris
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| Type | Candy stick |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Sweden |
| Region or state | Gränna |
| Creator | Amalia Eriksson |
| Main ingredients | Sugar, peppermint |
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Polkagris (plural: polkagrisar) is a Swedish stick candy that was invented in 1859 by Amalia Eriksson in the town of Gränna, Sweden, and remains a popular candy tradition in the town. The traditional polkagris candy stick is white and red, and is peppermint flavoured.
The name "polkagris" refers to a lively European swirling dance, polka, which was still a novelty when the polkagris was invented. The dance originated in the middle of the 19th century and is still a common genre in Swedish folk dance and folk music.
"Polka" in the candy's name may refer to the way traditional polkagris is made, twisting red and white sugar dough ribbons.
"Gris" means "pig", and was at that time used as an expression for candy.
Polkagris is a special candy stick type which was invented in Gränna 1859 by Amalia Eriksson (1824–1923), a poor 35-year-old widow. Amalia needed to support herself and her family, when her husband died. Amalia Eriksson got the town council's permission to open a bakery to make pastries and peppermint rocks, and opened a shop in Gränna. She kept the recipe secret and it was only revealed upon her death.
The candy is made of sugar dough which is boiled, kneaded on a marble baking table, pulled, and twisted by hand to the right size. The candies contain peppermint, sugar, water, and a very small amount of vinegar, and are sold in about 20 stores in the town.
The candies come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, but the red and white peppermint flavored sticks are the classic original polkagris. The recipe has been included in Swedish cookbooks.
The town of Gränna has only 2,500 residents, but it's located by a lake and near one of the most traveled highways in Sweden and gets a million visitors a year. The main reason to visit the town is the candy, a tradition for more than 150 years.
The first store making polkagrisar outside of Gränna opened in the summer of 2011, on Lilla Nygatan 10 in the Old town of Stockholm.
In recent years, Gränna has arranged an annual world championship in polkagris making as a tourist event. The candy is handmade, and the perfect polkagris should weigh exactly 50 grams. The championship is held every year on 25 July, outdoors, at the Lake Vättern's shore.
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Wikipedia