Barley sugar, a French sweet that dates back to the 17th century
Good barley sugar. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Depositphotos
Benedictines cure the throat with sugar
Indeed, the first mention of barley sugar appears in France, in a letter from painter Nicolas Poussin, who uses it... as a stain remover ! He used it to remove paper from letters. In any case, it was in France, at Moët-sur-Loing in Seine-et-Marne, that Benedictine nuns came up with the idea of flavoring and coloring cane sugar with a decoction of barley groats, hence its name "barley sugar".
No gluttony in there to begin with! The nuns wanted to make a remedy to soothe the sore throats of parish priests who spoke loudly when preaching. As sugar was more or less considered a medicine, the Benedictine nuns had the idea of mixing it with a decoction of barley and vinegar to prevent the sugar crystallizing. The recipe was lost when the convent was closed in 1792 during the French Revolution.
Barley sugar in fashion with Napoleon III
In the 19th century, Vichy-based confectioner Larbaud gave barley sugar a new lease of life at the court of Napoleon III. It was then enjoyed in spa resorts such as Évian, Plombières-les-Bains or Vichy. Today, the barley sugar recipe has become popular the world over, although there are varieties of widely varying quality.
How is barley sugar made?
We give barley sugar at Christmas because sugar was precious in the past and was given as a gift. Photo chosen by Monsieur de France: depositphotos
Exactly like making lollipops. Barley sugar is simple enough to make yourself: just mix two cups of white sugar with one cup of water and half a tablespoon of white vinegar. All that's left to do is add the food coloring of your choice, you can also add a fragrance by putting one or two drops of essential oils of your choice. You mix the ingredients in a saucepan before heating everything over a low heat for 15 or 20 minutes to obtain a caramel that will then harden.
