# What's your culture's version of circus peanuts? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [January 31, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247 "2026-01-31T22:09:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/101 "2026-02-03T15:23:45Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > How much of the hatred of licorice allsorts is just hatred of licorice of all types? It’s a polarizing flavor. People usually either love it or hate it. I like licorice, but I know people who despise it. Well, just because you don’t like _bad_ coffee, it doesn’t mean you don’t like all coffee. Allsorts and GoodNPlenty IMO are the bad coffee of licorice. Around here, the best licorice I can buy comes from Australia. Again, IMO – _de gustibus_ and all that > [@WildaBeast](#): > > I wonder if the people who claim to dislike Turkish Delight have never had the real thing. From my youth, I remember a spongy, gelatinous candy called “Aplets & Cotlets” that was pretty tasty & I always imagined was close to Turkish Delight. Can those who’ve tasted both weigh in on how close it comes? I haven’t seen it for sale in a long time, but Google assures me it is still manufactured: > **[Aplets & Cotlets 10 oz](https://madeinwashington.com/products/aplets-and-cotlets?variant=39568036266156&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21121782647&gbraid=0AAAAAD9n6c47wAp1t2JCgJhnAJ7QaOX48&gclid=CjwKCAiA1obMBhAbEiwAsUBbInr4oLdmXQBXsFpZef1ptvBIjatzg-aLO4ySknwE-Yy3hgJfqNQPhBoCj8kQAvD_BwE)** > > The famous fruit and nut confections of Cashmere, Washington have been made the same way since 1921! The blossom-fresh flavor of crisp Washington apples, the tangy goodness of ripe apricots, and the nutty richness of crunchy walnuts have made their... ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/102 "2026-02-03T15:55:31Z")
I never understood rock candy - it’s just really, really hard sugar, people! My grandparents always had a bowlful on a table in their living room. My Brit-born better half and my in-laws love Licorice Allsorts. I think nostalgia may be a big part of it since they all left England over fifty years ago. > [@Odesio](#): > > They’re not so uncommon in places where you can purchase old fashioned candy in bulk. I saw some of those strawberry candies at a candy shop near Rockport, Texas just last month. Would that be Grandma B’s, on Hwy 35 overlooking Little Bay? We were there for ice cream on my FIL’s birthday a couple of weeks ago. I like the old fashioned citrus slices candy they sell. They have a bit of lemon or orange tartness to them. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/103 "2026-02-03T17:00:25Z")
> [@bobsmom101](#): > > From my youth, I remember a spongy, gelatinous candy called “Aplets & Cotlets” that was pretty tasty & I always imagined was close to Turkish Delight. Can those who’ve tasted both weigh in on how close it comes? I haven’t had either, but the video mentioned that many of the British recipes for “Turkish Delight” include gelatin, which makes it chewy. That is not the texture a proper Turkish Delight should have (Like I said, the British attempts to recreate it screwed it up). A proper Turkish Delight should pretty much just melt on your tongue. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/104 "2026-02-03T17:08:16Z")
> [@bobsmom101](#): > > From my youth, I remember a spongy, gelatinous candy called “Aplets & Cotlets” that was pretty tasty & I always imagined was close to Turkish Delight. Can those who’ve tasted both weigh in on how close it comes? I love those too. If you go to Liberty Orchards direct website they sell not only Aplets and Cotlets but 9 different fruit candies, including _Turkish Delight_. > **[Shop All](https://libertyorchards.com/collections/shop-all)** > > Indulge in America's favorite Fruit Candies from Liberty Orchards! Discover our delicious fruit and nut gifts, including the iconic Aplets & Cotlets — a delectable lokum-like candy, reminiscent of Turkish delight. Since 1918, we've crafted these... ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/105 "2026-02-03T17:16:56Z")
> [@Bayaker](#): > > Would that be Grandma B’s, on Hwy 35 overlooking Little Bay? We were there for ice cream on my FIL’s birthday a couple of weeks ago. I like the old fashioned citrus slices candy they sell. They have a bit of lemon or orange tartness to them. That’s the one! I bought a root beer float and some candy for the trip back. I got a few of those citrus slices too. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/106 "2026-02-03T17:22:53Z")
My vote is for something called, “Rock Candy”. Definition: “Rock candy is a type of confectionery made from large, purified sugar crystals formed by cooling a supersaturated sugar and water solution, often grown on a stick or string over several days.” That’s it, pure crystalized sugar. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/107 "2026-02-03T18:22:25Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I haven’t had either, but the video mentioned that many of the British recipes for “Turkish Delight” include gelatin, which makes it chewy. That is not the texture a proper Turkish Delight should have (Like I said, the British attempts to recreate it screwed it up). A proper Turkish Delight should pretty much just melt on your tongue. I bought several varieties of Turkish delight from a sweets store in Selçuk and they all had a somewhat chewy texture. I guess the Turks don’t know how to make proper Turkish delight. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/108 "2026-02-03T19:34:05Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Definition: “Rock candy is a type of confectionery made from large, purified sugar crystals formed by cooling a supersaturated sugar and water solution, often grown on a stick or string over several days.” I found it fun, as a child on holiday, to visit a shop that made its own rock to watch the machinery combining the layers of colour, putting in the lettering for the town’s name, and then stretching and squashing it into sticks. You can get rock simulations of all sorts of things, like a fried breakfast. But in its most usual format in the UK is in a simple stick with the name of the town running all the way through it: a simple stick about 6" long and 1" in diameter with a plain pink outer layer. Hence the song: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8KQ6Wmbi5ig/hqdefault.jpg "With My Little Stick Of Blackpool Rock - George Formby") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KQ6Wmbi5ig) ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/109 "2026-02-03T20:03:03Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I wonder if the people who claim to dislike Turkish Delight have never had the real thing. That would definitely apply to the Fry’s chocolate rose one, which is truly _vile_. I would eat pretty much any sweets as a kid, but not them. However, I’ve also had some that a former boss brought back from visting family in Turkey, which he gave everyone ‘to try the real thing!’- the lemon flavour ones were OK, I had a few but I still wasn’t a fan, the rose ones were still just nasty and I ate one then gave the rest to a housemate. Talking of nasty British unpleasantly-perfume-flavoured-sweets, I’m surprised no-one’s mentioned Parma Violets yet. Weird little purple sugar tablets with an overpoweringly floral violet flavour. I will eat them (they often come in the mixes they sell for halloween sweets), but I’m never sure if I’m enjoying the experience. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/110 "2026-02-03T20:14:26Z")
Seriously? In the states, at least in my hometown in MA, it was just an M&M sized baggie with chunks of crystalized sugar in it. Nothing fancy like that! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/111 "2026-02-03T20:19:01Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > > [@Jasmine](#): > > > > Definition: “Rock candy is a type of confectionery made from large, purified sugar crystals formed by cooling a supersaturated sugar and water solution, often grown on a stick or string over several days.” > > I found it fun, as a child on holiday, to visit a shop that made its own rock to watch the machinery combining the layers of colour, putting in the lettering for the town’s name, and then stretching and squashing it into sticks. You can get rock simulations of all sorts of things, like a fried breakfast. But in its most usual format in the UK is in a simple stick with the name of the town running all the way through it: a simple stick about 6" long and 1" in diameter with a plain pink outer layer. I think what you’re calling Blackpool rock is different from rock candy. Wikipedia says that Blackpool rock is like a hardened candy cane, while rock candy is literally crystallized sugar (which I find interesting as a crystal). ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/112 "2026-02-03T20:51:58Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > I’m surprised no-one’s mentioned Parma Violets yet. See post #58 in this thread. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Blackpool rock is like a hardened candy cane Which misled me back in the ‘70s when there was no internet and I listened to Queen’s “Brighton Rock.” I knew Brighton was a seaside resort, so I pictured a large offshore rock sticking out of the water. Like the Wight Needles or something. It was only recently I found out that Brighton Rock is candy. (Albeit in the song, “rock” self-refers to rock music.) It’s ridiculous how much you miss out on by being born in America. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/113 "2026-02-03T20:55:56Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > See post #58 in this thread. Ah, must have mentally avoided that. Just as I should the actual item. I don’t think I’ve met anyone who actually likes the stuff, though I have also seen a parma violet gin for sale in some local bars. Maybe the whole audience is just people buying it to horrify international visitors- I think that’s the only reason I’ve ever bought it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/114 "2026-02-03T21:11:39Z")
Isn’t that the only reason for surströmming to exist? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/115 "2026-02-03T21:25:23Z")
> [@Bayaker](#): > > I never understood rock candy - it’s just really, really hard sugar, people! It is pretty. On a thin wood stick it can be used to sweeten a hot beverage. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/116 "2026-02-03T21:50:59Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Seriously? In the states, at least in my hometown in MA, it was just an M&M sized baggie with chunks of crystalized sugar in it. Nothing fancy like that! The ones I remember used to come in boxes, something like this. > **[Rock Candy Crystals Packs - 24ct | CandyStore.com](https://www.candystore.com/products/rock-candy-crystals-packs)** > > Rock candy crystals are fun, unique and irresistible! This sugary snack will captivate with its original shape and texture. Young and old alike will want them. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/117 "2026-02-03T22:29:02Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Not liquorice, but in the UK you can get the same reaction if sucking one of these: > > [Fisherman’s Friend | Never be Without a Friend | fishermansfriend.com](https://fishermansfriend.com/en-gb) I had no idea there were flavors of Fisherman’s Friend other than the original. I keep those on hand as sinus-clearers. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/118 "2026-02-03T23:51:04Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > > [@Johanna](#): > > > > See post #58 in this thread. > > Ah, must have mentally avoided that. Just as I should the actual item. I don’t think I’ve met anyone who actually likes the stuff, though I have also seen a parma violet gin for sale in some local bars. Meh, I kind of like me some [Choward’s Violet Mints](https://chowardcompany.com/products/chowards-violet-mints/), although not as much as their Lemon Mints. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2026, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/119 "2026-02-04T01:53:05Z")
Darn it, you beat me to mentioning Choward’s Violet Mints. Around here, it must be the preferred candy (or gum – there’s also a gum version) of alcoholics, as the only place I ever see those things is liquor stores. I actually quite like them, but I also like rose water and flowery stuff like that. [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71GBwWlubaL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71GBwWlubaL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2026, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247/120 "2026-02-04T02:14:58Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Choward’s Violet Mints. Around here, it must be the preferred candy (or gum – there’s also a gum version) of alcoholics, as the only place I ever see those things is liquor stores. I actually quite like them, but I also like rose water and flowery stuff like that. Same here! Ever since I was a kid. Also the ones that come in the flat oval tins (?). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-cultures-version-of-circus-peanuts/1027247.md?page=7)