Bêtise de Cambrai facts for kids
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| Place of origin | France |
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| Region or state | Cambrai |
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Bêtises de Cambrai (pronounced 'bet-eez duh kam-bray') are a famous French hard candy. These special sweets come from the town of Cambrai in northern France. The word "Bêtise" in French means "nonsense" or "stupid mistake." This is because the candies are said to have been invented by accident!
Contents
What are Bêtises de Cambrai?
Bêtises de Cambrai are small, hard candies, a bit like a boiled sweet. They are known for their unique flavor and often have thin stripes. The original flavor is fresh mint, but today you can find them in many other tastes too.
The Accidental Invention
The story behind Bêtises de Cambrai is quite interesting. It's said that these candies were created by mistake! There are two candy makers who both claim to be the original inventors: Afchain and Despinoy.
One popular story tells of a young apprentice candy maker. He supposedly made a mistake while preparing a batch of sweets. Instead of throwing them away, the candies were sold anyway. People loved them, and so the "mistake" became a popular treat!
Ingredients and Flavors
Bêtises de Cambrai are made mainly from sugar and glucose syrup. These ingredients give them their sweet, hard texture. For the classic mint flavor, real mint is used.
To make them even more special, thin stripes of caramel are added to the mint candies. This caramel is also made from sugar and glucose syrup. The stripes not only add extra sweetness but also give the candies their distinctive look.
History and Slogans
For many years, the Afchain company was well-known for its Bêtises de Cambrai. They used to sell their candies in cool metal boxes. These boxes often had special messages printed on them.
One famous slogan was "Non!...Mais goutez moi ça". This translates to "Get a taste of this!" or "No!...But taste this!". The boxes also proudly stated "Afchain seul inventeur", which means "Afchain sole inventor". This showed their claim to be the first to create these delicious candies.
