 A box of Vichy Pastilles. | |
| Type | Confectionery |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | France |
| Region or state | Vichy |
Vichy Pastilles (French : pastilles Vichy), less often pastilles of Vichy (pastilles de Vichy), are a French confectionery invented in 1825 and produced in the spa town of Vichy in central France. They are recognizable as a white, octagonal type of candy pastille bearing the word "Vichy" in all-caps.
The Vichy Pastilles brand belonged to the Vichy-État Company in 1940. [1] It was acquired by Cadbury France, a division of Cadbury, in 2003. [2] It later belonged to Kraft Foods (later known as Mondelez International). [2] In 2016, it was purchased by French company Eurazeo for 250 million Euros. [2]
The pastilles were invented in 1825 in Vichy, a spa town in the department of Allier, France. [3] [4] As early as 1839, they were originally made purely from bicarbonate of soda and taken for their digestive properties. [5] Empress Eugénie de Montijo is said to have been a fan. [3] Later, they were made with mineral salts extracted from the local spring water. [3] [6] Nowadays, they include sugar and are flavoured with mint, lemon, or aniseed. [3]
The pastilles were mentioned by French author Guy de Maupassant in his short story, The Magic Couch. [7]
During World War II, the sweets were used as "branding and marketing" by Vichy France. [6] By August 1942, shops in Vichy gave Vichy pastilles to customers, while other victuals were rationed. [8] However, the mayor of Vichy decided to mark sweets as cheese on their ration cards to avoid running out of them. [8]
In Einstein's Beets: An Examination of Food Phobias, American author Alexander Theroux opines that due to its connotation to Vichy France, "many French citizens are still made uneasy" by hearing the phrase. [9] In The Long Aftermath: Cultural Legacies of Europe at War, 1936-2016, Manuel Bragança and Peter Tame agree, as they argue that Vichy France's use of the sweets as propaganda eventually "backfired." [6]
Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories: bakers' confections and sugar confections. The occupation of confectioner encompasses the categories of cooking performed by both the French patissier and the confiseur.
Vichy is a city in the Allier department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais.
Candy, also called sweets or lollies, is a confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, called sugar confectionery, encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum, and sugar candy. Vegetables, fruit, or nuts which have been glazed and coated with sugar are said to be candied.
A chocolate bar or candy bar is a confection containing chocolate, which may also contain layerings or mixtures that include nuts, fruit, caramel, nougat, and wafers. A flat, easily breakable, chocolate bar is also called a tablet. In some varieties of English and food labeling standards, the term chocolate bar is reserved for bars of solid chocolate, with candy bar used for products with additional ingredients.
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Henri Nestlé was a Swiss-German confectioner and the founder of Nestlé, the world's largest food and beverage company.
Salty liquorice, salmiak liquorice or salmiac liquorice, is a variety of liquorice flavoured with the ingredient "salmiak salt", and is a common confection found in the Nordic countries, Benelux, and northern Germany. Salmiak salt gives salty liquorice an astringent, salty taste, akin to that of tannins—a characteristic of red wines, which adds bitterness and astringency to the flavour. Consuming salmiak liquorice can stimulate either a savoury or non-savoury palate and response. Anise oil can also be an additional main ingredient in salty liquorice. Extra-salty liquorice is additionally coated with salmiak salt or salmiak powder, or sometimes table salt.
A dragée, also known as a confetto or malbas, is a bite-sized confectionery with a hard outer shell.
Nestle UK Ltd is a British confectionery brand and former business based in York, England. Rowntree developed the Kit Kat, Aero, Fruit Pastilles, Smarties brands, and the Rolo and Quality Street brands when it merged with Mackintosh's in 1969 to form Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery. Rowntree's also launched After Eight thin mint chocolates in 1962. The Yorkie and Lion bars were introduced in 1976. Rowntree's also pioneered the festive selection box which in the UK have been a staple gift at Christmas for over a century.
Leaf International BV was a confectionery company founded in the 1940s. Leaf had sales of approximately €527m (2010) and 2,400 employees. It had 11 factories in seven countries. Leaf was owned by CVC Capital Partners, Nordic Capital, and management. Bengt Baron was the CEO of Leaf.
Barley sugar is a traditional variety of boiled sweet, often yellow or orange in colour, which is usually made with an extract of barley, giving it a characteristic taste and colour. It is usually sold in the shape of twisted sticks. Barley sugar is very similar to clear toy candy and to hard caramel candy in its texture and taste.
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Alexander Louis Theroux is an American novelist and poet. He is known for his novel Darconville's Cat (1981), which was selected by Anthony Burgess for his book-length essay Ninety-Nine Novels: The Best in English Since 1939 – A Personal Choice in 1984 and by Larry McCaffery for his 20th Century’s Greatest Hits list.
Turkish delight or lokum is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often flavored with rosewater, mastic gum, bergamot orange, or lemon. The confection is often packaged and eaten in small cubes dusted with icing sugar, copra, or powdered cream of tartar to prevent clinging. Other common flavors include cinnamon and mint. In the production process, soapwort may be used as an emulsifying additive.
La Pie qui Chante, is a French brand of confectionery, since 2017 owned by Eurazeo.
A candy bar is a type of candy that is in the shape of a bar. The most common type of candy bar is the chocolate bar, including both bars made of solid chocolate and combination candy bars, which are candy bars that combine chocolate with other ingredients, such as nuts, caramel, nougat, or wafers.
Rowntree Mackintosh plc was a British company formed by the merger of Rowntree's and John Mackintosh Co. The company was famous for making chocolate brands, such as Kit Kat, Aero and Quality Street. It was purchased by Nestlé in 1987, with products rebranded under its own brand.
Carambar & Co, or CPK, is a French company specialized in confectionery founded in 2017. It brings together confectionery brands such as Carambar, Terry's, Lutti, Kréma, La Pie qui Chante, Malabar, Pastilles Vichy, Suchard rochers, and Poulain chocolate.
Vichy Pastilles.
