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Aplets & Cotlets facts for kids
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| Type | Confection |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Washington |
| Created by | Armen Tertsagian and Mark Balaban |
| Invented | 1918 |
| Main ingredients | Apples or Apricots, Walnuts, Powdered sugar |
| 150 kcal (628 kJ) | |
| Similar dishes | Turkish delight |
Aplets & Cotlets are yummy, chewy candies from the state of Washington in the United States. They are a bit like Turkish delight, a popular sweet from the Middle East. These candies were first made in 1918 by apple farmers. They wanted to use up extra apples that they couldn't sell. Later, people tried to make Aplets & Cotlets the official candy of Washington, but it didn't happen because of disagreements between lawmakers.
Contents
What Are Aplets & Cotlets?
Aplets & Cotlets are small, soft candies. They are like jelly and are covered in powdered sugar. Inside, you'll find walnuts. They taste and feel similar to Turkish delight. However, Aplets & Cotlets use a natural ingredient called pectin from fruit to make them firm.
How These Candies Began
From Farm to Candy Shop
Apples have always been a very important crop in Washington. In the early 1900s, Washington grew more apples than any other state. In fact, in 2003, Washington produced more apples than all other U.S. states combined!
Around this time, two Armenian immigrants, Armen Tertsagian and Mark Balaban, lived in Cashmere, Washington. They owned an apple orchard. They remembered eating Turkish delight when they were kids. So, they decided to make a similar candy using their extra apples. This is how Aplets were created. A few years later, they also started making Cotlets with apricots.
At first, they sold their candies at a small fruit stand by the road. But in 1962, the candies became much more famous. This happened during the Seattle World's Fair, a big event that brought many visitors to Washington.
Where to Find Them
Today, the main company that makes Aplets & Cotlets is Liberty Orchards. This was the original company started by Tertsagian and Balaban. Most people who buy these candies live in Washington or nearby states. However, in the late 1990s, the company started selling them in bigger stores like Target. You can also find them in many farm-style shops in the western United States. Some people even like to make their own homemade versions!
In 2021, Liberty Orchards announced they might stop making the candies. But then, a company from Russia called KDV Group bought Liberty Orchards. This means Aplets & Cotlets will continue to be made!
Trying for Official Status
In 2009, some people in the Washington State Legislature (the state's government) wanted to make Aplets & Cotlets the "official candy of the state of Washington." But not everyone agreed. Some thought other candies, like Almond Roca or Mountain Bar, should get the honor instead.
A group in the government said that making Aplets & Cotlets the official candy would help bring people together. They explained that the candy represents "one Washington." This is because the fruit for the candy grows in Eastern Washington, and then it uses transportation links in Western Washington to reach markets. Even with this idea, the bill (the proposed law) did not pass in 2009 or when it was tried again in 2010.