Pastille
Encyclopedia
Pastilles are a type of candy
or medicinal pill
made of a thick liquid that has been solidified and is meant to be consumed by light chewing and allowing it to dissolve in the mouth. They are also used to describe certain forms of incense
.
A pastille is also known as a "troche", or a medicated lozenge
that dissolves like candy.
, the poem "The Laboratory" by Robert Browning
, and the novel Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë
. They are also mentioned in the novel McTeague by Frank Norris
, when the title character's wife burns them to mask an unpleasant odor in the couple's rooms.
They were also widely used during the eighteenth century in Western cultures to take herbal curatives and medicines, which eventually were developed into candies.
Due to the oily nature of these active substances (essential oil
s, tinctures and extracts), pastilles are usually based on a mixtures of starch
and gum arabic
, which emulsifies the substance and binds them in a hydrocolloidal matrix. The starch and gum also reduces the rate in which the pastille dissolves and moderates the amount of active substances delivered at a time. Gum arabic also hardens the pastilles and makes them more sturdy in storage and transport.
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
or medicinal pill
Pill (pharmacy)
A pill is a small, round, solid pharmaceutical oral dosage form that was in use before the advent of tablets and capsules. Pills were made by mixing the active ingredients with an excipient such as glucose syrup in a mortar and pestle to form a paste, then rolling the mass into a long cylindrical...
made of a thick liquid that has been solidified and is meant to be consumed by light chewing and allowing it to dissolve in the mouth. They are also used to describe certain forms of incense
Incense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
.
A pastille is also known as a "troche", or a medicated lozenge
Throat lozenge
A throat lozenge, cough drop, troche, or cough sweet is a small, medicated tablet intended to be dissolved slowly in the mouth to temporarily stop coughs and lubricate and soothe irritated tissues of the throat , possibly from the common cold or influenza...
that dissolves like candy.
Origins
Pastilles were originally a pill shaped lump of compressed herbs, which was burnt to release its medicinal properties. References to the burning of medicinal pastilles include the short story "Birthmark" by Nathaniel HawthorneNathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
, the poem "The Laboratory" by Robert Browning
Robert Browning
Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.-Early years:...
, and the novel Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York...
by Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood, whose novels are English literature standards...
. They are also mentioned in the novel McTeague by Frank Norris
Frank Norris
Benjamin Franklin Norris, Jr. was an American novelist, during the Progressive Era, writing predominantly in the naturalist genre. His notable works include McTeague , The Octopus: A Story of California , and The Pit .-Life:Frank Norris was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1870...
, when the title character's wife burns them to mask an unpleasant odor in the couple's rooms.
They were also widely used during the eighteenth century in Western cultures to take herbal curatives and medicines, which eventually were developed into candies.
Production
Pastilles are made by pouring a thick liquids into a powdered, sugared, or waxed mold and then allowing the liquid to set and dry. The substances contained in the dried liquid are slowly released when chewed and allowed to dissolve in the mouth. The substances are then absorbed by the mucous membranes of the oral cavity or in the lower gastro-intestinal tracts. Various substances, be they of medicinal nature or for flavour can be put into pastille forms.Due to the oily nature of these active substances (essential oil
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
s, tinctures and extracts), pastilles are usually based on a mixtures of starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
and gum arabic
Gum arabic
220px|thumb|right|Acacia gumGum arabic, also known as acacia gum, chaar gund, char goond, or meska, is a natural gum made of hardened sap taken from two species of the acacia tree; Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal...
, which emulsifies the substance and binds them in a hydrocolloidal matrix. The starch and gum also reduces the rate in which the pastille dissolves and moderates the amount of active substances delivered at a time. Gum arabic also hardens the pastilles and makes them more sturdy in storage and transport.
Types
Well known pastille type candies include:- JujubeJujube (confectionery)Jujube , or jube, is the name of several types of candy, varying in description on a regional basis. The candies can vary in texture form being hard and resinous to something similar to firm loukoum or gummy candies....
- Rowntree's Fruit PastillesRowntree's Fruit PastillesRowntree's Fruit Pastilles are small round sweets measuring about 1.5 cm in diameter; they have a jelly-like consistency- due to the gelatin they are made from, and are covered with sugar...
, small round sweets - Vichy PastillesVichy PastillesVichy Pastilles are a French confectionery produced in the town of Vichy, department of Allier, France. Sometimes called pastilles of Vichy , they are recognizable as a white, octagonal type of candy pastille bearing the word "Vichy" in all-caps....
, octagonal candy pastilles - Wine gumWine gumWine gums are chewy, firm pastille-type sweets similar to gumdrops without the sugar coating. While generally manufactured from gelatin, at least one winegum, Swedish Fish, contains no gelatin; all have their own mixes containing various sweeteners, flavorings, and colorings...
- Grether's PastillesGrether's PastillesGrether's Pastilles is a brand of Swiss glycerin-based, pastille candies that are currently distributed by the Swiss conglomerate Doetsch Grether LTD . Grether's come in three different flavors: Blackcurrant, Blackcurrant Sugar Free, and Redcurrant Sugar Free. The pastilles date back to 1910 when...