| French candy is rich in history and tradition as well as | | | | brilliant idea of marketing his licorice drops in a special |
| being very tasty. You can take a whole tour of France | | | | little yellow box that persists to this day, with more |
| just by tasting these unusual candies - each with its | | | | than 10 million tins sold each year. |
| unique story. Enjoy your bonbons. | | | | Le Berlingot de Nantes |
| Le Calisson | | | | A berlingot is a hard candy with an unusual tetrahedron |
| A calisson is a little treasure of a candy to be savored | | | | shape that invites you to turn the candy over and over |
| slowly with much appreciation. These diamond shaped | | | | in your mouth. It comes in just about any flavor you |
| candies are made from a jelly of ground almonds and | | | | can imagine and is a speciality of the city of Nantes, in |
| melon and are topped with white royal icing. They are | | | | north western France. There is also a striped berlingot |
| a speciality of Aix in the south of France and at one | | | | that hails from Carpentras and the two cities like to |
| time in history even served as the eucharistic bread in | | | | contend which was the originator of this fun candy. |
| Catholic churches in the area. | | | | La Betise de Cambrai |
| Les Marrons Glaces | | | | These candies were supposedly invented as a result |
| These are whole candied chestnuts and are a | | | | of an error or stupidity (the French word betise does |
| speciality of the Ardeche region in the south of France. | | | | not have a perfect English translation) committed by |
| They are meant to be eaten whole just as as they | | | | an apprentice candy maker in the 1800's in the |
| are although you can also find jars of broken ones | | | | northern town of Cambrai. They are white mint |
| used for cooking. In France, candied chestnuts are | | | | flavored hard candies with a strip of caramel on the |
| eaten mostly at Christmas time. | | | | side to sweeten their taste. |
| Le Nougat de Montelimar | | | | La Bergamote de Nancy |
| The Nougat of Montelimar comes from the south of | | | | The town of Nancy in the north east region of Lorraine |
| France and is sanctioned by an AOC (Appellation | | | | is renowned in France for its bergamot candy. |
| d'Origine Controlee). A product that marks itself with | | | | Bergamot is a sort of orange tree that produces a |
| the appellation must contain a minimum of 30 percent | | | | very sour orange, and it is the essence from the peel |
| almonds (or 28 percent almonds and 2 percent | | | | of this orange that is used to make these square, |
| pistachios) and 25 percent honey. This sticky nougat | | | | slightly sour candies. |
| also characteristically features egg whites which | | | | L'anis de Flavigny |
| makes an airy, light candy. Nougat is often featured as | | | | These hard candies have a surprise at their center - |
| one of the thirteen desserts at Christmas eve | | | | an anise seed. They come in several enchanting |
| celebrations in Provence. | | | | flavors including rose, orange, anise, licorice and mint. |
| Les Pastilles de Vichy | | | | These days there is only one company making these |
| These hexagonal hard candies were developed as a | | | | candies which are a speciality of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain |
| digestive aid by a pharmacist working in Vichy in the | | | | in the Burgundy region of France. |
| 1800's. They incorporate the mineral salts contained in | | | | Le Negus de Nevers |
| Vichy water and come in mint, lemon and anise | | | | Another candy from the Burgundy region, this one |
| flavors. Perhaps you would enjoy trying them as an | | | | features a soft chocolate center encased in a hard, |
| accompaniment to your next ten course French meal. | | | | clear candy coating. These candies are difficult to |
| Les Cachous | | | | make and must be made by hand, considerably adding |
| These licorice drops were invented by a pharmacist, | | | | to their mystique. They were invented by a candy |
| Leon Lajaunie, working in Toulouse in the late 1800's. | | | | maker for the World Expo in 1901 and are named |
| The success of this candy is attributed as much to its | | | | after the ruler (or negus) of Ethiopia who was visiting |
| innovative packaging as to its taste. Lajaunie had the | | | | France that year. |