The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-13


king John
They used to call sugar plum plumb
in Shakespeare time. Was it on account
of its weight? Few ladies on receiving a
box of bonbons from Maillards go into
great questions of their antiquity and
their manufacture. Few, who even now
at a fashionable hotel receive on SUNDAYS
after dinner pretty little paper box filled
with candied rose leaves and violets, re-
member that they are only following the
fashion of Lucretia Borgia, in putting
them in their pocket, to eat them in their
rooms or at the theater. There is nothing
new under the sun.
In France in entertaining lady or a
party of ladies at theater or opera the
gentleman hest always carries along box
of bonbons; within is a little imitation
silver sugar tongs. by which she can help
herself TO chocolate or a morron deg1tisees,
without soiling her fingers. She does not
consider, this pampered dame, that France
makes annually 100000 francs worth of
bonbons. That it exports only about one
fourth of this, leaving All enormous sum
tor home consumption; perhaps 81 100, 600
English money. not to be too accurate,
would hardly pay for the bonbons French
people eat in year.
They send over to England alone cheap
sweets manufactured by steam to the
amount of 100000 English pounds a year,
that would make about in all 500, 600, 900
worth OF bonbons in our money.
The sugar plum came from Italy, and
dates no further back than the sixteenth
century as an article of commerce. But
the skilIful confectioners in private houses
L. -, Il
which are healthy, but those which were
very useful in getting rid of dreaded rivals,
unfaithful lovers and troublesome friends.
The manufacture of the antique sugar
plum, the antideIuvian baked almond and
the nauseous colored denominations, with
paint-poisoned surface has long been dis
carded in France. They received (as read
in an old chronicle), their death blow from
the AbOukir Almonds, the period of Napo-
Icons invasion of Egypt, which killed
more people than the bullets had done
Next went the cracker bonbons, called
Cossacks, on account of the terror with
which they inspired the 'grandes DANES"
on their first advent in 1914.
These, however, have come back in the
harmless decorating powder-charged bon
bons, which every one hears at dinner
party as the fringed papers are pulled.
Then come the priBaaUerGs, a variety of
sugared bomb. Then the n,arquises, orang-
ines, maroon gtdce or sugared chestnut,
ceriseS prdlinee burnt cherriesl, bOwles
GHGnds, dates Gu cafe tdates delightfully."-
stuffed and covered with sugar. diabLes
noirs, gdndches and an ephemeral but de-
licious candy, "bonbon fondants," with an
inscription on the box that "these must
1.
are sometimes fruits with a creamy sugar,
raspberries, currants, Strawberries. and are
delicious, but are quite untranspOrtable
although transporting merchandise This
discovery made the fortune of the in
ventor.
Formerly the preparation of bonbons
was a tedious affair. Now 1t is almost the
work of day. But they are perishable.
If you leave a box open they viii devour
themselves. Kept cool and air-tight, they
will last for years. About the lst of De-
cember the great manufacturers in the
Rue de Ia Paix commence their opel atoms
for New Years, when everybody, from
President Carnot down, sends his friend a
box of bonbons. They tell of one confec-
toner who abandoned his sugar pots to
turn playwright about the time that AL
phOnse Karr fOrsOok literature to sell bou-
quets. The principle remains the same.
He wishes TO sweeten the existence of
''les Parisiennes."
In Wis ting one of these immense estab-
lishments one descends a stone staircase
and Tin Dis ones self in a sitting atmos-
phere, too he avIly laden with the aroma OF
vanilla and other essences. Around are
scores of workmen in white paper caps and
hafr Tfb hoo ,,frr
particular fruits into large caldrons filled
with boiling syrups. More in the shade
are other stalNart men, their faces pale
with the heated atmosphere, pIling up
almonds on huge copper vessels, and so
constant is the sound OF metal clashing
against metal that the visitor might
Imagine himself in an arnOry
smjthy instead of sugar factory,
rather with Vulcan working for
the gods or some village blacksmith pound
ing out horseshOcs than with party OF
French curriers' making sugar plums for
children u crunch. On all sides one sees
Sugar. gallons of Iqueurs, syrups and es-
sences, arrac, rum, auiSc seed, noyeau,
maraschiuO. pineapple apricot straw berry,
cherry. vanilla. chocolate, coffee and tea.
with sacks ot almonds and baskets OF
chestnuts pjstaChia nuts and lilherts being
empticd into the machines. which bruse
their husks. dav them and bianch them,
All TtduA 10 receive tittl edlC+dElHe Coal
ing.
Those bonbons which have liQueur in
them are muCn appreciated by guurmets
who find other bOubonS disagree with
them. And a sugar-coated brandy cherry
Is relIshed nv the wIsCSt man. Most bon
hons are made by hand, only those which
are fiat Al the bottom are east in m0Ids.
In the handmade bonbous. the sugar
paste is rolled into shape by the aid OF an
instrument formed Of q stout piece OF " re.
one end ot which Is twisted and the other
fixed into q wooden handle. With this
the paste Is taken out OF the caidron and
worked into the desired form by rapid
coup dr mgja For bonhnn- IF a particular
form. such - those in imitation of various
fruits. models are carved IN wood.
Ligueur boubou~ are formed IF 4 MKT
ure OF some given I4Ueulr ant liquid
sugar. which Is poured iutJ mnulds. and
then placed I'M u slow oven to- the tav.
Long before they are removed 4 hard crust
has been formed on the outside. while the
inside remains in it, original liquid state.
Eauh5ns are crysta Iize3 by hein. pluuga!
into a syrup heated 10 thirty degrees EeaI-
muir: by the time they are dry the crystal
lizatlou is complete and acts IS q 9rot-C-
ton against the atmosphere, allowing the
bonuuns 10 be kept = certain time, a.
though their flavor 6Cter.oT2tes.
Think sugar one Of the most remark
able of all the gifts Of nature. Ii submits
Itself 10 all sorts of plastic arts. ami - see
4 contecUOnar pouring Il through little
I funaeis-to see him make flower, even 70
its stameus, al this excellent juice OF Tire
cane. or 81 the beet itlrv use beet sugar az
most entirely n tr4nceb IS 70 comprehend
anew how many OF she greatest OF ali cur
iosities are hidden IN the kitchen.
tlf,ea must 90 70 ham ft.rV. in SAVOY. 10