The 17th century was a peculiar time. The same era that saw the Puritans running around also saw the development of a fun Christmas staple: the candy cane as we know it. Christmas candy had been around prior to the 17th century, but those sugary snacks were straight in shape and white in colour, not at all bendy and swirly like our candy canes today. In about 1670, a creative choirmaster in Cologne decided to spice up the candy sticks a bit—not by actually adding spice, but by bending the tops to make them like a shepherd's crook. He then distributed these to children in the church to remind them that you-know-who is their shepherd. Candy canes didn't make their way to the United States until the middle of the 19th century. The swirly stripes and minty-cool flavour? Those became common in the early years of the following century.
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