Dragees, A French Touch For Your Next Event
Dragees can be a great addition to your wedding, baby shower, or even your next birthday party.
These candy covered almonds are an easy way to add a touch of color and taste to any celebration..
Here you can learn a bit about the history of the dragee, how the French use them, and some decorating ideas for your next party.
If you have attended a wedding, a christening or a first communion party in France, you most likely have come across dragees.
At these events, a small package of candy coated almonds are traditionally given to guests in a wish for good health, abundance, and even fertility.
Nowadays, dragees, also known as Jordan Almonds, are becoming popular as wedding and party favors outside of Europe.
The First Dragees It is commonly thought that the first dragees were invented over 2000 years ago by a Roman candy maker named Julius Dragatus.
It was he who supposedly first dipped almonds in honey and began the chain of culinary events leading to the modern day dragee..
At copious French banquets in the Middle Ages, a variety of candied fruits and spices, some from far away lands, were offered to guests at the end of a meal.
These treats were known as dragees and were purported to help digestion and freshen the breath.
Les Dragees de Verdun Verdun is a city in the Lorraine region in the east of France.
It was there, many hundreds of years ago, that a druggist, wishing to preserve an almond crop, came up with the idea of coating the nuts with cooked sugar and honey.
These French dragees, which were quite similar to the modern dragee, were once again said to be good for digestion and freshening the breath, but in addition they were touted as helping to prevent sterility.
It was at this point that dragees started being offered as good luck gifts at family events, particularly marriages and baptisms, and Verdun earned a reputation for its dragee confection that continues to this day.
The Modern Dragee The confection of the modern day French dragee follows a meticulous method.
The almonds are first roasted so that they have a nice crunch when you bite into the candy.
After that the candy maker patiently adds layer after layer of sugar syrup, allowing each layer to dry before the next.
The final layer is carefully smoothed so that the dragee presents a flawlessly shiny surface.
There are many modern variations on the original candy coated almond.
Each is meant to delight the eyes as well as the palette.
All the various dragees share the characteristic of being a hard, shiny candy with a treat at the interior.
If you are thinking of adding dragees to your next celebration consider some of the possibilities:
These candy covered almonds are an easy way to add a touch of color and taste to any celebration..
Here you can learn a bit about the history of the dragee, how the French use them, and some decorating ideas for your next party.
If you have attended a wedding, a christening or a first communion party in France, you most likely have come across dragees.
At these events, a small package of candy coated almonds are traditionally given to guests in a wish for good health, abundance, and even fertility.
Nowadays, dragees, also known as Jordan Almonds, are becoming popular as wedding and party favors outside of Europe.
The First Dragees It is commonly thought that the first dragees were invented over 2000 years ago by a Roman candy maker named Julius Dragatus.
It was he who supposedly first dipped almonds in honey and began the chain of culinary events leading to the modern day dragee..
At copious French banquets in the Middle Ages, a variety of candied fruits and spices, some from far away lands, were offered to guests at the end of a meal.
These treats were known as dragees and were purported to help digestion and freshen the breath.
Les Dragees de Verdun Verdun is a city in the Lorraine region in the east of France.
It was there, many hundreds of years ago, that a druggist, wishing to preserve an almond crop, came up with the idea of coating the nuts with cooked sugar and honey.
These French dragees, which were quite similar to the modern dragee, were once again said to be good for digestion and freshening the breath, but in addition they were touted as helping to prevent sterility.
It was at this point that dragees started being offered as good luck gifts at family events, particularly marriages and baptisms, and Verdun earned a reputation for its dragee confection that continues to this day.
The Modern Dragee The confection of the modern day French dragee follows a meticulous method.
The almonds are first roasted so that they have a nice crunch when you bite into the candy.
After that the candy maker patiently adds layer after layer of sugar syrup, allowing each layer to dry before the next.
The final layer is carefully smoothed so that the dragee presents a flawlessly shiny surface.
There are many modern variations on the original candy coated almond.
Each is meant to delight the eyes as well as the palette.
All the various dragees share the characteristic of being a hard, shiny candy with a treat at the interior.
If you are thinking of adding dragees to your next celebration consider some of the possibilities:
- Filling: The interior has gone beyond the almond and you can now find dragees with chocolate, fruit jelly and nougat centers.
- Shape: Traditionally a dragee follows the almond in shape, but now that there are different fillings being used, the shape can vary as well.
You can find rounds, ovals and heart shaped dragees. - Color: Most spectacularly perhaps are the color possibilities which have gone far beyond the traditional pastel shades of white, baby blue and pink, to include just about any color you can imagine.
This makes them ideal for decorating a party with, for you can coordinate them with anything.
- You can sprinkle the table with dragees coordinating their color with the table settings and centerpiece.
- Do like the French and offer a small package of dragees to your guests.
Lots of times in France the dragees are wrapped in gauze and tied with a ribbon, but you can use any creative idea for presentation.
- You might also like to do as the French and offer a small package of dragees to guests who weren't able to attend in remembrance of the event.
This is a very nice way to say that you were sorry they weren't able to make it. - Use dragees to decorate a cake.
In Frace the elaborate croquembouche, which is made from cream puffs and held together by hardened caramel, is often decorated with dragees..
They would certainly make attractive decorations on other cakes as well.
