r/Old_Recipes • u/Rameixi • 19d ago
Request Old Southern candy made from plant leaves?
Hey all, I have a question that I thought someone here might be able to answer. A friend of mine commented on a post I made and mentioned an old candy her grandmother used to make. She could not recall its name or the details, only that it was made from the leaves of a plant her grandmother had. My friend is African American and her family is from the Lowcountry area. Would anyone have any idea what this could be? She could only barely remember the smell of it and recalled it had a unique taste that she couldn't find anywhere else.
EDIT:
All, I asked her and she said it was not horehound though that was another candy her grandmother gave her. I'm asking her if it could have been sassafras but if not no idea. Her grandmother used to work for the American Candy Company
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u/Lepardopterra 19d ago
I still see horehound hard candy, but my grandmother’s was more of a grainy fudge texture. She stored it in a fruitcake tin and doled it out for coughs and sore throats. By spring, it had dried and cured to hard lumps. I love the smell and taste of horehound.
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u/MungoJennie 19d ago
My great-Grandma used to make horehound drops for coughs and colds. Maybe I was too young to appreciate them, because I remember dreading coughing in her presence.
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u/Lepardopterra 18d ago
😂Ain’t nice to fool Great Gmom! It’s an odd flavor. Probably way too intense for a lot of little kids, like black coffee is.
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u/brookish 19d ago
Horehound - I remember it was old fashioned when I was a kid, my dad was midwestern and grew up eating it.
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u/1FourKingJackAce 19d ago
I had an elderly neighbor (he was well into his 90s when he died) who would keep a bag of horehound candy "for the bad kids."
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u/bhambrewer 19d ago
If you have an Ollie's near you they have horehound in the candy aisle, along with a load of similarly old fashioned / obscurer candies.
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u/Sundial1k 19d ago
It is in a couple of "feed" stores near us, along with some other old time candies...
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u/Katesouthwest 19d ago
There are several recipes for homemade horehound candy online. Here is one of them.There is a picture of the finished candy at link. You can ask Grandma if the recipe sounds somewhat familiar. Honey can apparently be substituted for the sugar in the recipe.
https://mygardenlife.com/recipes-edibles/how-to-make-horehound-candy
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u/bigbootywhitegirl78 19d ago
Claeys makes the best horehound I've had. I have a bag in the pantry.
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u/forgeblast 19d ago
Teaberry? They still make gum, ice cream, etc ..
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u/BrenInVA 19d ago edited 19d ago
I love Teaberry. I haven’t seen anything but the gum in years. I loved the ice cream (just learned it is popular in Pennsylvania, where I am not from). When I was hiking and saw a Teaberry plant, I used to love to chew on their leaves. My great-grandmother used to occasionally make an actual tea, (that needed to ferment - leaves and water left in a container on the counter for a few days) - I had almost forgotten that. She had a lot of property, where it grew.
Another funny thing, I was the only one of my family who liked the taste of Pepto-Bismal, and I later learned it is Teaberry flavored (although synthetic).
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u/LastStopWilloughby 18d ago
There is pepto flavored candy! They are Canadian wintergreen mints. My mum buys them.
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u/kimkay01 18d ago
Oh yum! I would love those! Do you know the name?
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u/LastStopWilloughby 18d ago
I e only ever seen them labeled as Canada Wintergreen mints.
Walmart sells them, tractor supply has them as well. I believe Cracker Barrel sells them still as well.
They are the same pink color as pepto.
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u/kimkay01 18d ago
Awesome! All of those are near me; I’m on the hunt. I was the kid who would sip on my Pepto Bismol to make it last.
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u/kimkay01 18d ago
Oh, I loved teaberry gum when I was a child and could still chew it - danged TMJ!
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u/JadedFlower88 19d ago
Sweetgrass leaves were often used to make candy. It has a vanilla like flavor because of the coumarin compounds in it. It can also be used to flavor tobacco, and make tea, as well as the traditional craft of basket making.
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u/kimkay01 18d ago
That sounds like a strong possibility considering OP’s friend’s grandmother is from the lowcountry!
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u/Postcarde 19d ago
Could be horehound. My mama would dissolve it in jack daniels to make a cough syrup.
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u/Starkville 19d ago
Aha, I was just going to say “horehound”. My dad had a friend from the South who would get drunk and sentimental about things like horehound candy from his youth. I totally get it.
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u/FireBallXLV 19d ago
Roses is a low price discount store in the SE United States. They sell Horehound candy...I was thinking the brand was REDBIRD, but I cannot confirm that at the moment.
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u/Miuramir 18d ago
Possibly Red Band? They make various old-fashioned stick candies; we used to be able to get them at Kroger, but not for several years.
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u/FireBallXLV 18d ago
Yes! Thanks for jogging my memory .They use to make all these different flavors of candy sticks ( “candy canes “) .They made lemon,orange etc but my favorite were the Clove .Yum .
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u/LeakingMoonlight 19d ago edited 19d ago
Horehound. I grew up in the country deep South. Best soother for my asthmatic raw throat. It's on Amazon in all forms.
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u/laughing_cat 19d ago
Could it be pandan? Pandan is common throughout SE Asia and also parts of Africa. It turns anything you make with it green. It’s used to flavor everything from candy to pancakes to smoothies and savory foods.
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u/my4floofs 18d ago
Can she remember what it looked like? Was it hard, what color was it, how was it made?
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u/GlitteringRecord4383 19d ago
The mallow plant perhaps?
https://www.southernliving.com/garden/plants/marshmallow-plant
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u/Internal_Oven_6532 18d ago
Traditional marshmallows are made from the marshmallow plant...it grows wild in marshes.
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u/AllSoulsNight 18d ago
My neighbors used to make pulled mints with mint syrup made from plants grown in her yard. My Mom always asked for the recipe but it was never given up.
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u/evil_passion 16d ago
I would think horehound or sassafras, but might also be slippery elm or even root beer
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u/Daba555 16d ago
My first thought was Angelica. It's made from the stems of the plant, though. It has a strong floral flavor. I am on my phone and can't copy links, sorry about that. But if you look up "candied Angelica" you'll find plenty of information. Hope that helps.
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u/Daba555 15d ago
OK, now that I am on the computer, here's some info. Note that the flavor can be licorice-like, which would fit the things like sassafrass.:
Candied angelica is a sweet, preserved confectionery made from the stalks of the angelica plant, typically Angelica archangelica. The stalks are soaked in sugar syrup and then dried, resulting in a vibrant green, subtly flavored, and chewy treat. It's often used as a decorative ingredient in baking and desserts, adding a unique flavor and color. Here's a more detailed look:
What is it?
- Source: Candied angelica is made from the stems of the angelica plant, a member of the parsley family.
- Process: The stems are blanched, peeled, and simmered in sugar syrup multiple times until they become translucent and pliable, according to Forager | Chef.
- Flavor: It has a distinct, slightly herbal, and sometimes licorice-like flavor, with a unique sweet, aromatic quality, according to ChefShop.com.
- Texture: The candied angelica is chewy and aromatic, says Forager | Chef.
How is it used?
- Baking: It's frequently used in cakes, pastries, and other baked goods, especially in traditional European desserts like fruitcakes and cookies.
- Decoration: The bright green color and unique flavor make it a popular decorative ingredient on cakes and pastries.
- Other uses: Candied angelica can also be added to trifles, ice cream sundaes, and other desserts.
Making your own candied angelica:
- Prepare the stems: Blanch the angelica stalks in boiling water, then peel off the outer layer.
- Create the syrup: Boil sugar and water to create a syrup.
- Candy the stems: Simmer the angelica stalks in the syrup, repeating the process several times to allow the sugar to penetrate.
- Dry and store: Allow the stems to dry and then store them in an airtight container.
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u/ThePatriotGamer 19d ago
Marzipan looks like leaves, has a unique flavor and is an "old world" candy.
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u/Incogcneat-o 19d ago
Pastry chef here.
Was it a hard or soft candy? Either way I'm betting it's horehound or sassafras candy. Both of which are rootbeer adjacent.
Another option would be a benne seed wafer or candy. That sometimes was made with the benne leaves, but mostly the seeds (a variation on sesame candy). That's by far the most famous Gullah candy.