The Story of the Cockerel on a Stick and His "Relatives" Who Are Older Than You Think

For many of us, the cockerel on a stick is a symbol of childhood, a reminder of the times when simple things brought joy. Now, when stores are bursting with complex sweets, we still remember this lollipop with warmth - sweet, sticky and so familiar. It seems that this is a traditional Russian delicacy, but this is not entirely true. The history of sugar candy did not begin in Rus', and it is much older than you might imagine.

Scientists have not been able to determine exactly when the first lollipops appeared. But it is known for sure that they existed in Ancient Egypt, India, China and among the Arabs long before our era. There were many recipes for their preparation. For example, one of the methods was to wrap a stick with a thread of candied fruit, then dip it in honey and dry it.

Sometimes the candies themselves were made first, and then strung onto sticks. Honey was the main substitute for sugar before its invention. It also served as a natural preservative. Due to its antiseptic properties, honey allowed the treats to be stored for a long time even in hot climates. The stick made the process of eating convenient, because the hands remained clean.

In Europe, hard candies only became popular in the 17th century. At first, they were used by doctors. The sweet candy eased sore throats and calmed coughs. Burnt sugar is still sometimes used for coughs. However, these days, people mostly buy lemon, mint, and berry-flavored hard candies: the choice in pharmacies and stores is impressive.

In Rus', excellent caramel was made as early as the 14th century. The base was honey and molasses. Candies were made in the shape of plants, birds and animals. For this, molds were created - first wooden, and later metal. The most popular were candies in the shape of cockerels. This bird was considered a symbol of life and fertility long before the adoption of Christianity.

Rooster figurines, not only made of caramel, were considered a powerful amulet against evil spirits and bad luck. No fair or celebration was complete without sweet roosters on sticks. It seems that what is easier than making caramel, which in Russia was called a lollipop? But the masters had their own, carefully guarded secrets, thanks to which the candies differed in taste, color and transparency. By the way, the word "lollipop" comes from the word "ice", because the finished caramel let in light like an ice cube.

In addition to the cockerels on a stick, small round lollipops sold in boxes in bulk were extremely popular. This was landrin. They appeared in the mid-19th century thanks to the confectioner Fyodor Matveyevich Landrin. The future creator of sweets was born in 1817 in the Nizhny Novgorod province in a family of Russified Baltic Germans.

In his youth, Landrin worked as a clerk in the famous Swiss confectionery shop Wolf and Beranger on Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg. It was there that the young man with an innate business acumen mastered the basics of confectionery. He soon left the Swiss and began making candies himself, selling them door-to-door from a stall in Gostiny Dvor.

In 1848, Fyodor Landrin opened his first workshop for the production of hard candy. He made small multi-colored candies, which he packed in tin boxes. This approach was a real innovation for the market of that time. Landrin candies were bought not only for their pleasant taste, but also for the sake of the box, in which it was convenient to store tobacco and various small items.

By the way, having become rich, Fyodor Matveyevich Landrin changed his name and began to be called in the German manner - Georg LandrinЪ. In 1869, he took part in the World Exhibition in Paris, where his products were a success. After that, the company's business went even more successfully, and in 1880 Landrin received the honorary title of Supplier to the Court of His Imperial Majesty. Russian emperors and their families loved Landrin lozenges, which became the best advertisement for the brand.

In 1882, Georg Landrin died, leaving behind an entire "candy empire." His business was continued by his wife, Evdokia Ivanovna. Under her, the company's assortment also included chocolate candies. The business was bringing in huge profits, but the elderly woman could not manage it, and there was no one to pass the reins of power to. Therefore, Evdokia Landrin sold the enterprise in 1913.

His wife Evdokia Ivanovna continued the business. Under her, the company's product range was expanded to include chocolates. The business brought in huge profits, but as Evdokia Ivanovna aged, she could no longer effectively manage the company, and there was no one to pass the management on to. As a result, in 1913, Landrin's widow sold the enterprise.

The new owners successfully developed the enterprise, turning it into a profitable joint-stock company. But in 1917, a revolution occurred, and the company was nationalized. The largest caramel factory in the country, and possibly in Europe, became part of the Lenpishcheprom trust. It did not stop working even during the siege of Leningrad. True, in addition to lollipops, it produced food concentrates, jam for soldiers, and one of the workshops was repurposed for the production of ammunition.

Later, the First Confectionery Factory was created on the basis of the factory founded by Georg Landrin. It still exists, producing not only the legendary lollipops, but also dozens of other types of delicious products. Thus, the business started by an enterprising German in the middle of the 19th century continues to live and delight sweet-tooths to this day.

In the USA, the master of the lollipop business was Robert Welch. It was he who invented the Lolly-Pop candies, familiar to every American - multi-colored spiral lollipops on a stick. The name Lolly-Pop is formed from two parts: "lolly" ("tongue") and "pop" ("knock"). These candies appeared at the beginning of the 20th century and were initially soft.

The first Chupa Chups was released even later, only by the middle of the 20th century. Its creator is considered to be the Spaniard Enrique Bernat. The treat was patented in 1958. It already resembled the modern version, but was released in an unattractive single-color wrapper. The modern bright wrapper appeared thanks to the great surrealist Salvador Dali, who developed its design.

Today, Chupa Chups is the most famous lollipop in the world. These candies were the first lollipops to go into space: astronauts tried them on the International Space Station. The brightly colored lollipops can be bought almost anywhere on the planet, with the possible exception of North Korea.

What were your favorite lollipops as a child? Did you prefer the classic cockerels or something unusual? Share your memories in the comments!