"Plum" in the name of this confection does not mean plum in the sense of the fruit of the same name. At one time, "plum" was used to denote any dried fruit. "Sugar plums" may be made from any combination of dried plums (aka prunes), dried figs, dried apricots, dried dates, and dried cherries, but traditional sugar plums may contain none of these. In one recipe, the dried fruit is chopped fine and combined with chopped almonds, honey, and aromatic spices, such as anise seed, fennel seed, caraway seeds, and cardamom. This mixture would then be rolled into balls, often then coated in sugar or shredded coconut.
The word came in general usage in 1600s, when adding layers of sweet which give sugar plums and comfits their hard shell was done through a slow and labour intensive process called panning. Until the mechanization of the process, it often took several days, thus the sugar plum was largely a luxury product. In fact in the 18th century the word plum became a British slang for a big pile of money or a bribe. However, by 1860s manufactures were using steam heat and mechanized rotating pans and it was now available for mass consumption.
Today, some candy manufacturers have taken "sugar plum" literally, creating plum-flavored, plum-shaped candies and marketing them as "sugar plum candy".
Sugar plums are widely associated with Christmas, through cultural phenomena such as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker (Composed by Tchaikovsky, 1892), as well as the line "Visions of sugar plums danced in their heads," from Clement C. Moore's poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (1823), better known as "Twas the Night Before Christmas."
In the children's board game Candy Land the character Plumpy, a gingerbread troll, wore a sugar plum around his neck. Receiving the Plumpy card meant the player had to undo most of their progress, which could lead to great frustration and often prolonged the game. The Plumpy character was replaced in 2002 by Mama Gingertree.
Sugar plums have also gained widespread recognition through the poem "The Sugar Plum Tree" by Eugene Field. The poem begins "Have you ever heard of the Sugar-Plum Tree? 'Tis a marvel of great renown!" Sugar Plum is also a 1971 jazz song by American jazz pianist Bill Evans, while Sugar Plum Fairies is a Norwegian folk and pop band formed in 2000.
Sugarplums
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| Sugarplums |
Tightly covered, these keep for up to 2 weeks at room temperature.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup slivered almonds
4 ounces dried figs
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons honey
Grated zest from 1 orange (1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Preparation:
In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds to bring out their flavor. Remove from heat; cool. Combine the figs, cocoa, cinnamon, and almonds in a food processor, pulsing until peppercorn-size balls form. Add the honey, orange zest, and almond extract. Pulse 3 or 4 times more until well mixed. Spread the sugar in a shallow dish. Form the sugarplums into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar.
Nutritional Information:
Amount per serving
Calcium: 15mg
Calories: 59
Calories from fat: 0%
Carbohydrate: 12g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Fat: 1g
Fiber: 1g
Iron: 0mg
Protein: 1mg
Saturated fat: 0g
Sodium: 1mg
Sugarplums
Photo: Evan Sklar
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sugarplums-10000000524084/
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