"Nuts play a minor part in Chinese food...Most important are the kernels of apricots...Special varieties with uninteresting fruit are grown soley for their large, sweet, nontoxic seeds, which are used as almonds are used in the West. True almonds are barely known and not normally used."
---Food of China, E.N. Anderson Yale University Press:New Haven] 1988 (p. 168)
"Chinese Almond. Domestication of the almond, Prunus amygdalus, is usually placed in an area stretching from the eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia, where it is found in the wild. Likely it was domesticated by the third millennium B.C. or earlier...The early Chinese knew of the tree and its kernels in Persia and other lands to the west. They also imported almond kernels, as among the tribute sent from Turkestan to China in T'ang times. The tree itself was reported by the Arab merchant Soleiman to be cultivated in China in the mid-ninth century...and Li Shi-chen late in the sixteenth-century wrote of it as growing everywhere 'east of the Pass' (that is, in Kansu and Shensi)...Though the above would seem to leave little doubt that almonds had been cultivated at least somewhere in China or its margins, there has nevertheless been controversy among Western scholars as to whether, at least in traditional times, almonds were actually grown there and whether the kernels that foreigners in China often called 'almonds' were almonds or apricot kernels. Adding to the confusion were the similarities in appearance, taste, and use between apricot and almond kernels, which sometimes led the Chinese, on their part, to call the almond kernel by the name 'apricot kernel.'...Laufer...who has provided the most detailed analysis of the historical evidence, was convinced that the almond had been cultivated in China in the past. He also presented evidence from the Chinese literature suggesting that it was still cultivated there in the nineteenth century, but allowed the possibility that almond cultivation 'is now extinct in China.' Other authorities, among them naturalists and botanists with extensive field experience in traditional China, are more firm in their conclusion that almonds were not cultivated there. To this writer, it seems reasonable to believe that the almond could not have been widely cultivated in China and been missed by so many widely-traveled, careful observers. Yet the evidence presented by Laufer seems to leave the possibility open that the almond continued to be cultivated in some places, especially in the far northwest."
---Food in China: A Cultural and Historical Inquiry, Frederick J. Simoons [CRC Press:Boca Raton FL] 1989 (p. 269-270)
Almonds in Chinese cuisine
"It would, however, have been of quite minor importance overall, with the overwhelming share of the kernels known to foreigners as 'almonds' being in fact apricot kernels. This fits with H.L. Li's statement on the matter...that real almonds are scarcely known; and with Meyer's conclusion...that the 'almond cake' commonly served foreigners in traditional China was in fact made with kernels of the apricot...There are...several varieties of P. armenaica grown primarily for their seed in China. The fruit of the best variety contains a large stone with a fairly-soft shell and sweet kernel, and may be served as a snack, sometimes sugared, along with raisins and other kinds of nuts, or ground into almond flour which is made into almond cakes or cookies or into a thin porridge. On occasion, such kernels may be salted, and in appearance and flavor are just like real almond. Another variety, P. armeniaca has a bitter-tasting kernel that contains prussic acid and must be used in small amounts, as for flavoring sweets, or in making 'almond soup' or 'almond tea,' a drink commonly sold along the streets...As for the preparation of such almond soup, Meyer noted that first rice was boiled until soft, then pounded and mixed with water until it had the consistency of milk. Then a few bitter almonds were ground up and blended in along with sugar, and the soup served hot. The soup, which was tasty and stimulating, was commonly consumed by the Chinese just before going to bed. Such 'almond soup' or 'almond tea' was well-liked as a snack not only among the people of North China but in the Ch'ing court, was also believed effective against sore throat...There was also a popular dish, found among those of Ch'ing court, called 'Almond Curd,' a cold gelatin dessert made of water, agar-agar, ground almonds, and sugar...Such almond soup and almond curd (also called almond float, almond lake, or almond junket), as made today in China, may include almond or vanilla extract, milk, and/or fruit of one sort or another...Prepared in a different, somewhat more elaborate way is the Cantonese dessert 'Fried Almond Custard'...Chinese almonds are also commonly used in other ays, as in candies, cakes, and cookies, and in a broad range of main dishes, such as Cantonese 'Red and White Chicken with Almonds' and the Szechwanese 'Almond Duck'."
---Food in China: A Cultural and Historical Inquiry, Frederick J. Simoons [CRC Press:Boca Raton FL] 1989 (p. 270)
Almond symbolism "The almond tree originated in the Middle East and western Asia, and since prehistory peopleconsidrered it a symbol of sweetness and fragility. In the spring, the tree was one of the first tobloom, and late frosts could easily destroy its delicate buds. If the almond tree survived the frosts,it soon became a bestower of a wealth of gifts. In addition to providing nuts, oil, and shells forfuel, the almond tree was aesthetically pleasing, with lovely flowers and beautiful leaves. So thealmond tree inspired worship....The identification of the almond as father or as mother reflected the fact that almond blossoms herald the spring and thus the birth of vegetation. Because thealmond tree blossoms suddenly, the Hebrews considered it a symbol of haste, and because thealmond tree that survives the frosts bestows gifts of nuts and oil, they considrered it a symbol ofvigilance...People revered the almond tree as a provider--of life, of love, and of happiness." What are "Jordan Almonds?" Why the name? "There are essentially two types of almond: bitter almonds, which contain prussic acid by can be used in very sparing quantities asa flavoring, and ordinary eating almonds. Of the latter, Jordan almonds are probably the most highly regarded variety. Their long thinshape may have inspired the comparison of oriental women's eyes to almonds. They have no connection whatsoever with Jordan (they are mainly grown in Spain, in fact); their name is an alteration of Middle English jaren ('garden') almond." "Of the important Shelled Almonds, the best known are the Jordan and Valencia, chiefly from Malaga, Spain. Jordan Almonds are long and plump and pointed at one end...They are highly esteemed both as a dessert item and for confectionery purposes." When were Jordan Almond trees introduced to the USA? 1901 "For many years it has been the ambition of California almond growers to produce Jordan almonds in that State. They did not geton very well with their first attempts, but recently a nursery company doing business at Alameda imported some almond treesfrom France, where Jordan almonds are rarely found, and from one of these trees some very good specimens of what were supposedto be real Jordan almonds were produced. In order to find out whether they were real Jordans, the nursery company sent samplesto the United States Consul in Malaga...the were unhesitatingly declared to be almondra larga, of the famous Jordan almondsof commmerce, of fair medium grade. The taste seemed quite the same, and there is a very little difference in the shape. A surprising feature of this incident lies in the fact that the almonds in question are said to have been grown on a tree imported from France...The report from California and the result of my investigation would indicate...that Jordan almonds can now be grown in California. If this be true, California growers probably will find the matter will be worth their attention, as both the demand and the pricesfor Jordan almonds have steadily increased during recent years. The present price of these almonds for the popular grade known as confectioners' is $3.75 per box of twenty-five pounds at Malaga."
---Nectar and Ambrosia: An Encyclopedia of Food in World Mythology, Tamra Andrews[ABC-CLIO:Santa Barbara] 2000 (p. 5-6)
Almonds yes, Jordan (the country) no. The practice of coating nuts and seeds for preservation purposes is ancient. Think: Brittle. Colorful sugar-coated almonds surface in Medieval times and flourish in the "modern" era.Recipes progressed via technology and time.
"The well-known varieties include Jordan (nothing todo with the country of that name, but a corruption of the Spanish "jardin", meaning garden.)"
---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p.12)
---An A-Z of Food & Drink, John Ayto [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2002 (p. 4-5)
---Grocer's Encyclopedia/Artemas Ward [1911] (p. 20)
"The Department of Agriculture has at last succeeded in securing some Jordan Almond trees, in the exportation of which has been rigorously prohibited by Spain for some years. The Government will now experiment with the trees to determine the best localitiesfor growing them. This species of almond is regarded by the agricultural authorities as the finest in the world, but only itsfruit has heretofore reached this country, the trees having been jealously guarded in Spain. The bush has been forwarded hereby the Agricultural Department's agent, who is seaching in Spain for rare plants."
---"Jordan Almond Trees Exported," New York Times, October 2, 1901 (p. 5)
---"California Able to Raise Jordan Almonds," Los Angeles Times, April 29, 1902 (p. 7)
Why are sugar coated almonds traditional wedding favors?
Sugar coated nuts, known in Renaissance times as comfits have long been proferredas gifts. Until recently, sugar coated almonds were expensive. They were reserved for the finest banquets, especially wedding feasts. Today's wedding favors typically featurehttp://foodtimeline.org/foodcakes.html#dragee Jordan almonds.
"The portability of comfits led to a gentler custom of handing them out as gifts. In 1702, Massailot mentioned placing on thebanquet table little baskets of dry sweetmeats decorated with ribbons: one for each guest, to be taken home and shared with thefamily. it is echoed by the gift of 'favours', little bags of sugared almonds, to wedding guests in southern Europe. Not just weddingguests: different colours of almond indicate different celebrations, a christening, an engagement, and anniversary (although some--for instance graduations--may be inspired by modern marketing rather than long tradition)."
---Sugarplums and Sherbet: The Prehistory of Sweets, Laura Mason [Prospect Books:Devon] 2004 (p. 129)
"...sugared almonds, one of the oldest sweetmeats in history, do perhaps come from ancient Rome. Metz, Nancy, Paris, Verdunand Toulouse are among the cities and towns of France famous for their sugared almonds. Earlier still, however, the Romans of classicaltimes distributed them at public and private ceremonies. Sugared almonds are mentioned amnong the gifts given to great men in accountsof receptions...In fifteenth-century Cambrai, Marguerite of Burgundy, at her wedding to Guillaume IV of Hainault, wished to havesugared almonds given 'to the common people by her comfit-maker Pierre Host...'"
---History of Food, Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, translated by Anthea Bell [Barnes and Noble Books:New York] 1992 (p. 567-8)
"Mr. Salvatore Ferrara came to America from Nola, Italy, in 1900 and founded Ferrara Pan Candy Company in 1908. At the time of his immigration from Italy, Mr. Ferrara was a confectioner, skilled in the art of making...sugar coated candy almonds. Sugarcoated candy almonds are otherwise knwon as "confetti" in Italy and other parts of Europe. These candy-coated almonds were also calledJordan Almonds or almond dragees, and they continue to be a tradition at many weddings and celebrations. Early on,then they were covered with white sugar, they were a candy that symbolized purity and fertility...From 1908 to 1919, the sugarcoated almond business grew. Mr. Ferrara was soon shipping his classic, always fresh and in-demand product all over the Midwest."
---Candy: The Sweet History, Beth Kimmerle [Collector's Press:Portland OR] 2003 (p. 96)
Recipe, circa 1899:
"Prawlings, or Fried Almonds.--Take a pound of the best Jordan almonds, rub them very clean from the dust; take their weightin loaf sugar, wet it with orange flower water, and boil it to a syrup; then throw the almonds into it and boil them to a candy,constantly stirring until they are dry; then put them into dish and take away the loose bits and knobs which will be about them; put the almonds into the preserving pan and set them on a slow fire until some of their oil comes from them into thebottom of the pan."
---"Quaint Old Desserts," New York Times, May 28, 1899 (p. 23)
Related foods? Marzipan, brittle, pralines & Dragees.
Ancient Greeks and Romans valued mint for several medical reasons. Two of these were aiding digestion and freshening one's breath.Throughout time, mint was used to flavor many differenty types of foods. Mint candies, as we know themtoday, date back to Renaissance times (when sugar was readily available). Mint-flavored chocolate candiesdate back to the second half of the 19th century (when solid chocolate was manufactured as candy.)The practice of pairing lamb with mint capitalizes on mint's soothing digestive properties.
"Mint. The common name of most plants of the genus Mentha. There are two dozen species, and manyhundreds of varieties...The superstitions and beliefs associated with mint are often of ancient origin and varywith different cultures...In Rome, Pliny recommended that a wreath of mint was a good thing for students towear since it was thought to 'exhilarate their minds'...Mints, usually spearmint, are used, fresh or dried, tomake jams, jellies, and sauces, to accompany meat, fish, or vegetable dishes...In England mint sauce isserved with roast lamb. Gerard (1633) wrote that 'the smell of mint does stir up the minde and the taste to agreedy desire of meat'. Certainly the mint flavor is sweet and refreshing; and mint has digestive properties,so the habit of taking an 'after-dinner mint' has some foundation."
---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p. 508)
"Mint, aromatic plant of Europe and elsewhere. Mint was well known in classical Greece and in RomanItaly, where, according to Pliny, it was a scent familiar at coutnry feasts. In Greece, however, mint isseldome mentioned in the context of food and dining."
---Food in the Ancient World From A to Z, Andrew Dalby [Routledge:London] 2003 (p. 219)
"Mints. A colloquial English term from any small sugar confectionery item flavoured with mint, especiallyboiled sugar sweets...Mint has a long therapeutic history as an aide to digestion and a breathfreshener."
---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p. 508)
"Sugar was considered to have health benefits; it was also useful for preserving decoctions of herbs andother physic such as flowers and roots. It made bitter herbs more palatable and, formed into candy, allowedthe slow release of soothing essences for sore throats and coughs. Recipes of this kind were probably theancestors of several sweets which have survived as regional specialties: cough candy, Kendal Mint Cake,and Scottish tablet...It has a long precedent, and is a survivor of many other candied medicaments, most ofwhich have vanished. Cures for other ailments were sometimes administered in candy, as a recipe from AQueens Delight shows: Sugar of Wormwood, Mint, Anniseed, or any other of that kinde. Take doublerefined sugar; and do but wet it in fair water, or Rose-water and boil it to a candy, when it is almost boiledtakeit off and stir till it be cold; the drop in three or four drops of the Oyles of whatsoever you will make, andstir it well, then drop it on a board, being before fitted with sugar.'...The qualities of mint as a digestive, andthe alternatives...suggest the recipe was intended to comfort the digestion. The recipe is an early publishedexample of the use of mint in sweetmeats in Britain. This flavour, not a distinctive feature of Polos, mintimperials, spearmint gum, Glacier Mints and many others, appears to have become popular in the middleof the last century. A factor may have been ready availability of good-quality mit oil from Mitcham in Surrey,at a time when sugar confectionery was rapidly commercializing. Mint oil was reliable, probably relativelycheap, and a strong flavour which was easy to handle, by small-as well as large-scale confectioners.Candied peppermint was one of several simple mint-flavored confections given in a small, provincial bookin the1820s. Mint-flavored candy is still being made by a similar process to the seventeeth-century recipegiven above (but without the rosewater) and sold under the name of Kendal Mint Cake. Why this confectionshould survive as a specialty of a small town in north-west England is not clear. The first record of anassociation between product and town occurs in the mid-nineteeth century."
---Sugarplums and Sherbet: The Prehistory of Sweets, Laura Mason [Prospect Books:Devon] 2004(p. 69-70)
Why do we serve mint (sauce, jelly) with mutton?
While it is true that mint is an ancient herb known to the Greeks, culinary evidence confirms thecombination of mint jelly with mutton is an English tradition. The tradition was conceived for medical/health reasons, as mint has long been appreciated for calming the digestive system. Mutton is fatty and hard to digest. The pairing of pork and applesauce follows the same general principal.
"Mint was grown and pickled in vinegar by the Romans, who introduced the plant into England.Throughout the Middle Ages, the herb was commonly grown in convent and monestary gardensand used extensively in cooking and medicine. Mints, usually spearmint, are used, fresh or dried,to make jams, jellies, and sauces, to accompany meat, fish, or vegetable dishes. The leaves arealso used to make teas, an Arab custom especially noticeable in North Africa...In England mintsauce is served with roast lamb. Gerard (1633) wrote that the smell of mint does stir up theminde and the taste a greedy desire of meat'. Certainly the mint flavour is sweet and refreshingand mint has digestive properties, so the habit of taking an 'after-dinner mint' has somefoundation."
---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p. 508)
"Mint is an aromatic herb that people have used since ancient times both as a condiment and as amedicinal. It was highly valued by the ancient Hebrews, the Greeks, and the Romans, all ofwhom used mint much more frequnetly than people do today. Mint was alluring, but at the sametime satisfying. The ancients considered it an aphrodesiac, yet also believed that it made womensterile and men impotent."
---Nectar and Ambrosia: An Encyclopedia of Food in World Mythology, Tamra Andrews [ABC-CLIO:Santa Barbara] 2000 (p. 151)
"Lamb is a fatty meat, and most cuisines recognize the need for some kind of acid ingredient orsauce to 'cut' this. In England, mint sauce, composed of chopped fresh mint, sugar, and vinegar,has been the accepted accompaniement for roast lamb since the mid-19th century...Around theNorth Mediterranean, including Spain, the Balkans and Greece, sauces for lamb are thickenedwith egg yolks beaten up with lemon juice."
---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p. 441)
"Lamb, Sauce for.--Mint sauce is usually served with lamb. To make it: Strip the leaves fromsome fresh young mint, wash and dry them well, and chop them as finely as possible. Put theminto a tureen, and cover them with powdered sugar in the proportion of a table-spoonful of sugarto one and a half of mint. Let these remain for half an hour, then pour over them three table-spoonfuls of vinegar. If after a trial this sauce is found to be too sweet, a less proportion of sugarcan be used; but it has been very generally approved when prepared as above. The vinegar issometimes strained from the mint-leaves before being sent to table. Time, a few minutes toprepare. Probable cost, 3d. Sufficient for three or four persons."
---Cassell's Dictionary of Cookery with Numerous Illustrations [Cassell, Petter, Galpin &Co.:London] 1875? (p. 360)
Related pairing? .
Food historians credit General Foods chemist William A. Mitchell for this unique confection. His 1956 patent "Gelatin Derivates and Their Preparation." [number: 2834771], a method for combining carbon dioxide with hard candy, made Pop Rocks possible. It took General Foods nearly 20 years to figure out how to market Mitchell's carbonated consumable. Enter Pop Rocks, first test marketed in Arizona, February 1976. The candies were soon bootlegged and eventually sank into the realm of urban legend. When rumors warned consumers mixing this product with soda made people's stomaches explode sales plumetted. GF dropped Pop Rocks, divesting the loss leader to another company. But you can't keep an explosive idea under wraps. Especially if it's tasty, sweet, and cheap. The new trademark owner successfully reintroduced the candy a few years later. Today, Pop Rocks are alive and well, thriving in both current and nostalgia lines. They celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2006.According to the records of the US Patent & Trademark Office, Pop Rocks were registered by General Foods Corporation June 15, 1976:
"Word Mark POP ROCKS Goods and Services (CANCELLED) IC 030. G & S: NO GOODS/SERVICES STATEMENT ON TRAM Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING Serial Number 81041425 Filing Date 0000 Current Filing Basis UNKNOWN Original Filing Basis UNKNOWN Registration Number 1041425 Registration Date June 15, 1976 Owner (REGISTRANT) General Foods Corporation UNKNOWN White Plains NEW YORK Register PRINCIPAL Live/Dead Indicator DEAD Cancellation Date November 9, 1982"
The earliest print reference we find for test marketing is this:
"Enter "Pop Rocks": General Foods Co,. tests a "crackling candy" in various fruit flavors. Ingredients are similar to conventional hard candy except that carbon dioxide is included. Result: a sensation of candy particles bursting noisily in the mouth as the Pop Rocks dissolve."
---"Business Bulletin: Special Background Report on Trends in Industry and Finance," Wall Street Journal, February 5, 1976 (p. 1)
"One of the great challenges of modern industry has been the problem of soda pop. Most of it is water, which means that most of the money spent to transport the stuff from bottling joint to store has been spent to transport water. How much nicer if the pop and its bubbles could be powdered. General Foods' efforts to solve the problem of powdered pop have led to the already legendary Pop Rocks and Space Dust candies, which are still being test marketed, and black-marketed by kids where they aren't available. The candies fizz, releasing carbonation in the mouth or in the hand when they come in contact with moisture. While General Foods wrestles with the problem, Eugene Dana, president of Nellson Candies, is testing his solution, Advertising Age reported. His Carb-O-Nated powdered mix cones come in cherry, lemon-lime, grape, and orange. It is being tested in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Six packets, each of which makes a 10-ounce drink, retail for 99 cents, one cent an ounce cheaper than buying a name brand six pack of canned soda pop in Chicago. No cola yet, but give them time."
---"News for you: Powdered soda pop." Chicago Tribune, August 22, 1977 (p. B1)
"With nothing but word-of-mouth advertising behind them, General Foods' Space Dust and Pop Rocks carbonated candies are outselling most--if not all--major candy brands 'in any makret where they are introduced,' according to a GF exec. But the unusual candies, which cause a bursting, tinlging sensation in the mouth, can be marketed only for 13-week periods at a time in order to prevent the carbonation from dissapating and spoioing the moment for kids. They are also sensitive to heat, so GF has a policy of not introducing them in markets where the average temperature exceeds 85 degrees. GF is attempting to educate the trade about the prdoucts because of instances where they have been 'bootlegged' into other markets. In one case, a heat in a truck carrying the prudcuts was accidentally turned on. The gas released from several hundred Pop Rocks cases eventually blew the truck doors open. 'When that happens, you're left with just hard candy,' the exec said. The carbon dioxide in Pop Rocks is one-tenth of the amount contained in a can of soft drink...Now that temperatures are beginning to climb across the nation, GF has stopped selling them. When fall arrives, however, Pop Rocks and Space Dust willl reappear in much wider distribution, perhaps as many as 37 states. During a 13-week introduction, a reatailer is permitted a single order and receives one shipment. According to the GF exec, a retailer can expect to sell half his supply within four weeks and 90% by the tenth week. The candies have been subject of much free publicity in newspapers and on network tv talk shows, including Johnny Carson's monolog on the 'Tonight Show' April 12. Although there has been no advertising to date, Benton & Bowles has done some concept work on the products. Pop Rocks was first tested in Flagstaff and Yuma, Ariz, in 1976. It was followed by Space Dust, whose initial test markets were in Colorado and Arizona. Both sell for 15 cents. In February of last year, the phrase 'explore the far reaches of your mind.' was removed from packages of Space Dust after GF received complaints that the reference seemed based on drug use. At the time, the company expressed shock that anyone would misinterpret the phrase. The company earlier denied rumors that the patented technique used to produce Pop Rocks and Space Dust would be applied in development of a carbonated powdered drink mix."
---"Pop Rockes hot item--but not too hot, please," Adverstising Age, April 17, 1978 (p.1)
"General Foods has a hit with Pop Rocks and Space Dust, two forms of the hard candy with locked-in carbonation that makes an audible appearance when it his the mouth. But despite their success, both 15-cent candies have not left test-market status, regardless of how many kids bootleg them across the country. The problem is the manufacturer can't introduce them 'in markets where the average temperature exceeds 85 degrees,' Advertising Age reported. Not only are kids bootlegging them, but eager merchants are, too. And one hapless fellow lost his whole shipment when the truck carrying it accidentally had its heat turned on. The Pop Rock cargo released its carbonation and blew the truck doors open. Next fall, though, General [Foods] plans to market the candies temporarily in 37 safely cool states, making the candies perhaps the only processed snack available soley in season."
---"News for you: Too successfull for their own good," Mary Knoblauch, Chicago Tribune, April 19, 1978 (p. A2)
"'It's like raining on the roof of your mouth,' says a middle-aged person who tried it...'It' is Pop Rocks, a new carbonated hard candy that sizzles, snaps, pops and tingles in your mouth, and brings grimaces, faint smiles and startled reactions from first-time tasters. "Explore the far reaches of your mind," says the package. Since it has no apparent purpose or social significance--two key fad criteria--Pop Rocks promises to win a place in the pantheon of freaky gimmicks that infect America from time to time. All of which brings more smiles than grimaces to General Foods, maker of Pop Rocks, which has sold "hundreds of millions" of the packets...In fact, in true fad fashion Pop Rocks seem to be something of a hot underground item. They're being bootlegged to New York and sold on the street and in a few stores for three and four times the normal price. Rumors about their existence and even a few samples of the 20-cent packages have reached Washington, but exactly when the product will be on sale here, the manufacturer isn't saying. Meanwhile reports like a recent on in Advertising Age (confirmed by General Foods) that a overheated load of Pop Rocks blew the doors open on a delivery truck have raised questions about the product's safety. Speculation that Pop Rocks might harm the esophogus or the taste buds led NBC consumer reporter Betty Furness to take to the air recently to calm parents' fears. The secret ingredient of General Foods' smash seller is carbon dioxide, about one-tenth the amount that's put into soft drinks to make them fizz. While a Pop Rock left on the tip of the tongue with one's mouth open will "explode," ingredients for the product were okayed by the Food and Drug Administration before General Foods started to test market it in 1976. Meanwhile, the company's hot product has its own unique sales difficulties. The company says Pop Rocks can't be sold in areas where the average temperature is over 85 degreses. And sales are being suspended over the summer for the same reason. The shelf-life is also limited because the carbonation dissapates over a period of time and then you're left with "just another hard candy." But wherever they appear, says the company, they are being hoarded. It's not unusal to see people walk out of a store, carrying a large shopping bag filled with nothing but Pop Rocks or Star Dust (the former are large rock-like pieces; the latter, dust-like bits.) Which explains why the candy is outselling most, if not all major candy bars "in any market where they are introduced." General Foods says."
---"It Snaps, Crackles And-Yes-Pops: Carbonated Candy That Explodes in Your Mouth," Washington Post, April 21, 1978 (p. C3)
[NOTE: This article contains a photograph of the package.]
"The giant semi raced through the night across America from California to Brooklyn. Inside was a precious cargo whos street value in New York would be double its West Coast price. Thousands of packs were unloaded at one distributor's warehouse, then channeled stealthily to selected candy and variety shops. Candy shops? Yes, the cargo was destined to feed the latest kid candy craze: Pop Rocks. Says the Brooklyn distributor: "The kids sare like junkies--hungry for the stuff. It's the fastest-moving new candy I've ever seen." The candy, so goes a Wall Street analyst's version, was born when a General Foods Corp. chemist mixed a little "Kool Aid technology" with cargon dioxide...Crystalline in shape and so far available in three flavors (cherry, orange, grape), Pop Rocks are made of sugar, corn syrup, milk derivative and artificial coloring and flavoring. When the small crystals of candy are placed in the mouth, tiny chambers of trapped CO2 are activated by moisture. The result: a popping and crackling that delights kids. Pop Rocks are hard to get in most places, which only adds to their appear. General Foods markets the candy mainly in California, although there have been other test sales around the country in the past three years. GF tries to confine sales of the candy to its test markets, where a one-fifth-ounce package sells for 20 cents retail, but entrepreneurs have managed to obtain supplies and spirit them elsewhere, at prices up to 50c cents a package. Despite the potential demand, GF is moving cautiously before going national. Reason: although the food makes more than 400 food products, it has never before sold a candy."
---"Rock It to Me: Feeding a Candy Craze," Time, May 1, 1978 (p. 44)
"General Foods has expanded its carbonated confection technology to a bubble gum and is testing Increda Bubble gum in a small market in the Northwest. The company hopes the bubble gum will become more of a year-round entry than its carbonated Pop Rocks and Space Dust candies, the latter which is due to be reintroduced under the name Cosmic Candy. GF has been marketing the candies on a cyclical basis because of their fad nature...According to sources close to the company, GF chose a very small Northwest market to avoid bootlegging--as serious problem that has occurred with the [Pop Rock] candies. In contrast to the more usual concern of concealing a test market because of competition, GF's worry is that candy and gum wholesalers/distributors will buy up truckloads of the gum to ship East. In the New York area, the candies have sold for more than triple their suggested list price of 15 cents. In a card shop near Advertising Age's midtown New York office, Pop Rocks go for 50 cents a packet. Candy and gum distributors advertise in the New York Times to sell their supplies of Pop Rocks and Space Dust to retailers. One classified ad reads, "Pop Rock. Hottest candy in the U.S. Fast turnaround--large profit, available wholesale." It's the large profit and "consumer ripoff" that GF is hoping to avoid by concealing its test market. GF is worried that in addition to making the test market impossible to read properly, hijacking and subsequent high retail prices will hurt GF's image and the product's sales potential when it is offically introduced in the East. Pop Rocks was first tested in Flagstaff and Yuma, Ariz. in 1976. It was followed by Space Dust in Colorado and Arizona. It has since been marketed sporadically in a number of western markets, but none has been sold since the spring because GF is accumulating enough candy for a major fall introduction in as many as 37 states...The packaged foods marketer recognized the fad aspect of the carbonated candies from the start. That is one reason it produces and wharehouses the candies until there is a 13 week supply. Usually either pop Rocks or Space Dust--not both--is introduced to a market area. Nine months later, long after the firest candies have disappeared from the retail shelves, GF moves into the same market with the other item, and the fad begins anew...Prime targes are children under 15, who buy the candies not so much for themselves but to watch their friends try them. After three or four packets, the effect of the carbonation on one person has reached a saturation point, noted one source. The candies are expected to be introduced in a broad area this fall. Space Dust has been repackaged and renamed Cosmic Candy because of compliant about its association with the drug Angel Dust. Earlier, the phrase "explore the far reaches of your mind," was removed from packages of Space Dust after GF received compliants that the reference seemed based on drug use. Network affiliated tv stations also expressed some apprehension about tv commercials. The two candies are similar, although Pop Rocks is a somewhat larger particle."
---"GF keeps carbonated gum test hush hush to avoid bootleggers," Advertising Age, July 31, 1978 (p. 1)
"What kind of mind thinks up products like exploding candy? "I'm basically a farmer type. I like to work with fruits and vegetables," says 67-year-old William A. Mitchell, a silver-haired father of Pop Rocks, a crackling confection so popular that black markets have appeared in schools all over the country. Pop Rocks, a General Foods product, is sold in most parts of the country for 20 cents a pack. That's 20 cents a pack in the store. "What's happened is that school kids would buy the packets and then sell them to their friends with quite a surcharge," Mitchell said in a interview. "They were profiteering." The tremendous demand for Pop Rocks led General Fods to build another manufacturing plant and Mitchell is now touring the country to introduce another sizzling sweet called Cosmic candy. Along the way, he's doing his best to quash rumors about Pop Rocks. The incendiary effects fo Pop Rocks, a carbonated combination of sugar, flavoring and coloirng, apparently inspired stories of exploding stomachs and other maladies among enthusiasts. All false, says Mitchell. "The amount of gas in a pack of Pop Rocks is less than one-tenth of what's in a can of soda pop," says Mitchell, noting that Pop Rocks have U.U. Food & Drug Administration approval. "The worst thing they can do is make you burp." Because of the peculiar nature of Pop Rocks, the product languished for more than 20 years after Mitchell first created them in 1956. General Foods simply wasn't sure what to do with them. "I always thought it should be candy, but most of our people thought it should be in some other product--cereal or something," Mitchell said. Finally, a Canadian division started selling Pop Rocks in packets and General Foods decided to market them nationally."
---"Father of the Candy Bomb Just a Farmer at Heart," Los Angeles Times, April 30, 1979 (p. D12)
"In 1976, General Foods Corp. began marketing a new candy called Pop Rocks--carbonated crystals that fizz and crackle in the mouth. Pop Rocks became what one distributor called "the fastest-moving new candy I've ever seen." Three years later, General Foods is planning to adapt the carbonated-candy idea to other products. Pop Rocks have posed some unusual marketing problems, however. Earlier this year, a false but widespread rumor that Mikey, the boy on the Life cereal commercial, had died from popping too many rocks prompted General Foods to take out ads in 45 newspapers assuring parents that the ingredients in Pop Rocks have FDA approval. Also, the company has to take the unsold candy off the shelves when the daily temperature averages more than 85 degrees. In high heat, Pop Rocks can start crackling ouside the mouth--and a shipment once blew open the doors on an overheated delivery truck. The company has so far sold more than 500 million packages of Pop Rocks and Cosmic Candy...Bill Mitchell, who invented Pop Rocks, believes that carbonated candy is only the beginning--that eventually such crystals will be an ingredient in everything from breakfast cereals to medication. General Foods has already begun test-marketing a product known as Increda Bubble--carbonated gum."
---"A Candy Craze Keeps Popping," Newsweek, June 4, 1979 (p. 15)
"The bubble gum market is continuing to explode with new entries--American Chicle's Crackups, Life Savers' sugarless Bubble Yum and General Foods' especially appriate Increda Bubble gum with bursting candy particles...Although GF researchers have experimented with carbonation for years, it wasn't until recent years that the company came up with a viable product--carbonated candies. As that business expanded via some incredible successes on the West Coast for Pop Rocks and Cosmic Candy, GF began to work on a gum and carbonated candy concoction. Increda Bubble went into test in a small northwestern market a year ago. GF took great pains to maintain secrecy in order to avoid the bootlegging that occured with its carbonated candies. The unauthorized shipping of the candies, which crack and pop in the mouth, has been cited as a factor in the sales failure in the east. Just as Increda Bubble is rolling out, GF is mulling over the fate of the candies. After making what once source descried as a "mint of money" with the candies on the West Coast, GF lost all but a couple of million dollars wtih the disaster in the East. The exposure of the candies in eastern markets before they officially debuted eliminating the surprise factor so important in a fad product's success,GF also was faced with combating all sorts of rumors about kids suffering illness or death after tyring the candies. One of the most bizarre and unfounded rumors centered around the youth who played "Mikey" in Life cereal commercials. It was rumored he ate the candy with a soda chaser, his tomach exploded and he died. The final blow was the unfortuante introduction of the carbonated candies in the Midwest last winter when markets such as Chicago where hit by as series of winter storms that dumped record levels of snow and forced people to remain homebound for days. Despite these setbacks, GF has not given up on carbonated technology. A spokesman said Pop Rocks are still sold in some western markets, anthough it won't be there for long. She said no decisions had been made on the candy's future...GF has also filed for trademark registration on the name Freeze-In for a freezable carbonated soda concentrate...The company also is looking at novelty items, possibly for Halloween, and and ice cream novelty on a stick that would contain the carbonated candy inside. These items are all byproducts of the company's search for the so far elusive carbonated drink mix that would expand its franchise in the drink mix field."
---"More Gums Burst Onto Scene," Advertising Age, September 2, 1979 (p. 8)
"Pop Rocks, the popular carbonated candy that General Foods Corp. quit making after less than three years and many rumors of exploding tummies and choking children, is back in stores. The crackling, mouth-tingling treat is being test marketed in New England and the Dakotas by Carbonated Candy Ventures of Buffalo, N.Y. False rumors once claimed the candy killed little 'Mikey,' the young character featured in cereal commercials a decade ago, by making his tummy explode, and that it made other children gag and choke. While Carbonated Candy said it hasn't seen a resurgence of the rumors, it's not taking any chances. It had a laboratory in Connecticut retest the product, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier found safe. Wholesalers were instructed to contact the FDA about any new rumors."
---"Pop Rocks candy returns," St. Petersburg Times, November 23, 1986
"Despite bad publicity and several health-food crazes, Pop Rocks soldier on. For 50 years, in fact. To celebrate the anniversary, Pop Rocks Inc. has released a limited edition line of Cherry Pop Rocks in their original 1970s packaging. They were developed by General Foods chemist William A. Mitchell in 1956 while trying to create an instant soft drink (he holds a patent on Tang). For their first two decades, though, no one quite knew what to with this odd concoction. In 1975, they were given suitably garish packaging and christened Pop Rocks. They took off immediately. A hard candy like no other - little fragments containing hidden pockets of carbonation - they explode in the mouth, fizzling and darting about. Soon, there was even a Pop Rock mythology. Rumors emerged that Mikey ("Give it to Mikey - he'll eat anything!") from the Life cereal commercial died after ingesting an ill-advised combination of pop rocks and soda. The rumors were so pervasive that General Foods executives took out ads in major publications and sent out up to 50,000 letters to school administrators extolling Pop Rocks' virtues. Inventor Mitchell even hit the road and spoke to audiences about his product. Pop Rocks, he told crowds, were safe, good and right; Mikey was alive and well. But rumors die hard. Pop Rocks were briefly discontinued in the mid-1980s."
---"Pop Rocks Still Rock," William Weir, The Hartford Courant, April 18, 2006
"Even though Pop Rocks' 30th anniversary officially fizzled out this Jan. 1, Spanish company Zeta Especial will continue to exploit its "explosive" retro candy brand with promotions and licensing. Later this month, Pop Rocks will leverage the sixth season of American Idol with the launch of its I Want to Be a Pop Rocks Star promo, in which kids write a song about their love of the popping candy and mail it in with two proofs of purchase. (Entrants don't have to show the songwriting skills of Elvis Costellowinners will be chosen through a drawing.) Running through October and dangling special-edition Pop Rocks gear, the sweeps will be marketed via print in kids mags such as Disney Adventures, radio promos, sampling, pr and ads on Web sites including Americanidol.com. Freestanding store displays sporting an Idol-reminiscent blue oval will communicate the sweeps. The Steven Style Group, New York, is Pop Rocks' full-service agency. Popping candy was an afterthought when a General Foods scientist attempted to invent instant soda with carbonized crystals that melt in water. That idea never panned out, but his crystals became Pop Rocks, a candy that proved so popular in the '70s that kids were selling 15-cent packs for $1 or more on the candy black market. The brand is still reeling from an urban legend in which Life cereal spokeskid Little Mikey's stomach purportedly exploded after he washed down Pop Rocks with a co*ke. (Mikey, aka John Gilchrist, is doing fine, thank you.). Originally sold in a cherry flavor, Pop Rocks is planning gourmet flavors like pumpkin and candy cane, and cotton candy this year. The popping candy has been embedded in fruit rollups, sprinkled on Kellogg's cereals and served as subjects for science experiments in a Klutz activity book. Additionally, the brand expects to launch a full licensing program in 2007 with apparel and other lifestyle products."
---"The Biz: Pop Rocks Candy Recharged; OMG! OMG Gets Strategic," Brandweek, January 8, 2007
[NOTE: 2013 Zeta Especial is still making Pop Rocks. They are imported into the US by Pop Rocks In., Atlanta Georgia.One retro unit of the original cherry flavor sells for $1.20/.33 ounce (p.5g) packet. 2013 product photo here.]
