Polkagris
Encyclopedia
Polkagris is a Swedish
candy stick
or straight candy cane
that was invented in 1859 in the town of Gränna
, Sweden
, and remains a popular candy
tradition in the town. The traditional polkagris candy cane is white and red, and peppermint
flavoured.
, 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 probably exists in the candy’s name for humoristic reasons, the expression "gris"
is occasionally used in the Swedish language as a humorous compound in words.
1859 by Amalia Eriksson (1824–1923), a poor 25-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.
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.
A number of polkagris-related records have been registered for the Guinness Book of World Records. The world's longest polkagris (1989) was 287.7 metres (943.9 ft) long; the highest polkagris (1993) was 8.67 metres (28.4 ft); the world's heaviest polkagris stick (2003) was 2158.7 kilograms (4,759.1 lb).
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
candy stick
Candy stick
Candy stick may refer to:*Stick candy, a long, cylindrical hard candy with different colors and flavors swirled together.*A candy cigarette.*Micrurus fulvius, also known as the eastern coral snake, a venomous elapid found in the United States....
or straight candy cane
Candy cane
A candy cane is a hard cane-shaped candy stick. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint or cinnamon; however, it is also made in a variety of other flavors and may be decorated with stripes of different colors and thicknesses...
that was invented in 1859 in the town of Gränna
Gränna
Gränna is a locality situated in Jönköping Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 2,578 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated in Småland on the eastern shores of the lake Vättern, about 35 km north of Jönköping....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and remains a popular candy
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
tradition in the town. The traditional polkagris candy cane is white and red, and peppermint
Peppermint
Peppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and spearmint . The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world...
flavoured.
Etymology
The name polkagris refers to a lively European swirling danceDance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
, 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
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
," and probably exists in the candy’s name for humoristic reasons, the expression "gris"
is occasionally used in the Swedish language as a humorous compound in words.
History
Polkagris is a special candy stick type which was invented in GrännaGränna
Gränna is a locality situated in Jönköping Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 2,578 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated in Småland on the eastern shores of the lake Vättern, about 35 km north of Jönköping....
1859 by Amalia Eriksson (1824–1923), a poor 25-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.
Championships and records
In recent years, Gränna has arranged an annual world championshipWorld championship
A world championship is the top achievement for any sport or contest. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best nation, team, individual in the world in a particular field. Certain sports do not have a world championship, instead...
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
Vättern
Vättern is the second largest lake in Sweden, after Lake Vänern and the sixth largest lake in Europe. It is a long, finger-shaped body of fresh water in south central Sweden to the southeast of Vänern pointing at the tip of Scandinavia....
's shore.
A number of polkagris-related records have been registered for the Guinness Book of World Records. The world's longest polkagris (1989) was 287.7 metres (943.9 ft) long; the highest polkagris (1993) was 8.67 metres (28.4 ft); the world's heaviest polkagris stick (2003) was 2158.7 kilograms (4,759.1 lb).