With Halloween coming soon, that means only one thing really: candy.
Anyone who trick-or-treated as a child knows that there's always one or two houses that dish out some obscure candy. So, between now and October 31st, we'll take quick looks at obscure candies (and some popular ones as well), just so you know what exactly you're getting yourself into.
Today: York Peppermint Pattie
What it's made of: Generally the interior is made of sugar, corn syrup, oil of peppermint, and egg whites, while the exterior is a dark chocolate concoction.
Concoction? It includes PGPR, an ingredient that replaces some of the cocoa butter content. The FDA claims PGPR is "safe for humans as long as you restrict your intake to 7.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Otherwise you’d be open to reversible liver enlargement at higher intakes." Sounds delicious!
Who owns it: The Hershey Company
Background: Named after York, England, right? Kinda. Sorta. Not quite. But kinda.
'Mint Cakes' were popular in England during the 19th century (soft squares of mint confection, without the chocolate usually), and carried over to the United States.
In 1940, Henry C. Kessler created the first pattie at his York Cone Company business located in York, Pennsylvania. The city of York is named after its namesake in England--so, in a roundabout way, it's like you're eating English candy! Royal candy? Sure! Tally-ho!
Plenty of mint and chocolate-based candies were already on the marketplace before the creation of the York Peppermint Pattie--but Kessler had one major change to his confection. Whereas the competition's product was soft and gooey, Kessler figured out how to make his York Peppermint Pattie firm.
And that's all that was needed to woo the buying public. Think of it as a precursor to "melts in your mouth, not in your hand."
What it tastes like: Fresh breath and a swollen liver.
Halloween Trick-or-Treat Grade: B
All the allure of snacking out of the Queen mum's candy dish.
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