Parma Violets
Parma Violets are a British violet-flavoured tablet confectionery manufactured by the Derbyshire company Swizzels Matlow,[1] named after the Parma violet variety of the flower. The sweets are hard, biconcave disc-shaped sweets, similar to the Fizzers product from the same company but without their fizziness. Swizzels Matlow have also released a line of Giant Parma Violets.
Ingredients include sugar, stearic acid, modified starch, glucose syrup, and anthocyanin.[2]
Precursors[edit]
The petals of violets have long been used in herbalism for their medicinal properties, even mentioned by Dioscorides.[3] "Violet tables", sugary lozenges flavoured with violets, were made before 1620.[4] During the 18th century, crushed violet petals, rosewater, and sugar were combined to make an early type of confectionery known as flower pastry.[5] These could be used for flavouring a cake, or moulded into pastils and eaten as sweets.[6] In the Edwardian era, violet-flavoured chocolate and liquor were used to relieve sickness.[7]
Description[edit]
Parma Violets were created in 1946[8] by the Derbyshire company Swizzels Matlow.[1][9] They are sweets that are hard, biconcave discs, based on similar aniseed confectionery traditionally consumed in India after a spicy meal.[10] Their flavour has been described as sweet with a soapy or floral taste.[8][11] The current recipe includes sugar, stearic acid, modified starch, glucose syrup, and anthocyanin.[2]
In 2016, Swizzels Matlow released a special Parma Violets flavoured cheese, produced by the Cheshire Cheese Company to celebrate their 70th birthday.[8] Cocktails that replicate the flavour of the confectionery are also available in some UK bars.[12] In 2019, Somerset cider company Brothers Cider launched a Parma Violet-flavoured cider.[13] Also, large bags of Parma Violets can be purchased from the official website in sizes up to 3kg[14] alongside other online retailers.
In popular culture[edit]
- In Ian Fleming's James Bond series, hard candies very similar in description to Parma Violets are the favourite sweet of the supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld due to their breath freshening properties.[15]
- The name of the British Indie pop band Palma Violets is derived from the Matlows confectionery. Irish singer Naomi Hamilton also released an album in 2016 named after the sweet.[16][17]
- A 2005 survey reported by The Guardian revealed Parma Violets to be the least popular sweet among the Millennial generation.[18]
- In British Pop Artist Stuart Semple's 'potion' paint line, Purple Haze is claimed to be Parma Violet Candy Scented.[19]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Lyons, Teena (25 May 2008). "Love Hearts maker Swizzels Matlow keeps clients sweet". The Times. London. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
- ^ a b Swizzels Matlow: Parma Violets Ingredients
- ^ Font Quer, Pio (1995). Plantas Medicinales; el Dioscórides Renovado (in Spanish) (15th ed.). Barcelona: Editorial Labor S.A. pp. 288–289. ISBN 84-335-6151-0.
- ^ "Oxford English Dictionary". OED. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ "Using flowers in the French cooking from the 18th century | organic-e-publishing-international".
- ^ "The Professed Cook: The Modern Art of Cookery, Pastry, and Confectionary, Made Plain and Easy". Translated by Clermont, B [Translated by Him from - Menon's "Les Soupers de la Cour"] (10th ed.). London: T. Simpson. 1812.
- ^ Ostrom, Lizzie (2015). Perfume: A Century of Scents. London: Hutchinson. p. 35. ISBN 9781473506084.
- ^ a b c Larbi, Miranda (15 July 2016). "Someone's made a Parma Violet flavoured cheese and it's confusing AF". Metro.co.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
- ^ Salter, Jessica (19 November 2011). "Dream factory: the story of a sweet company". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ^ Nozedar, Adele (4 September 2014). Great British Sweets: And How To Make Them at Home. London: Random House. ISBN 9781448161218.
- ^ Britton, Karen (1 August 2016). "Love it or hate it? Retro sweets Parma Violets inspire new cheese". Macclesfield Express. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
- ^ Lovell, Lucy (11 February 2017). "Love gin? Then you'll want to go to this gin festival in Levenshulme". Manchester Evening News.
- ^ Duke, Simon (26 March 2019). "Brothers launch Parma Violet cider and social media is going mad for it". ChronicleLive.
- ^ "Parma Violets - 3kg- Swizzels". www.swizzels.com.
- ^ Fleming, Ian (1961). Thunderball. London: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224602068.
- ^ "Album | Jealous of the Birds – Parma Violets".
- ^ Campbell, Brian (6 May 2016). "Jealous of the Birds singer-songwriter Naomi Hamilton takes flight with debut album". The Irish News. Belfast.
The album Parma Violets is released today.
- ^ Wainwright, Martin (5 March 2005). "Sweets we loathe". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "HAZE - MEDIUM VIOLET, HIGH GRADE PROFESSIONAL ACRYLIC PAINT, BY STUART SEMPLE 100ML".