Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar

Appearance & taste

Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar are straight, cylindrical sticks 10 to 50 cm long, 10 to 100 mm in diameter and weighing 25 to 350 g. The surface is dry and smooth, the colour a neutral white with carmine-red spiral stripes whose intensity may vary slightly from batch to batch. They consist of 85 to 99 % sugar and up to 15 % glucose, plus peppermint oil and a natural red colouring, according to the specification usually carmine (E120).

The taste is distinctly minty and after a while is balanced by the sweetness; the peppermint aftertaste is refreshing and long-lasting, the smell minty with sweet notes. The inside is porous, with small, round air bubbles. In the mouth the stick is very hard at first and, thanks to these air bubbles, gradually becomes soft and easy to chew. It should be possible to cut it with a knife without it crumbling. It is sold in paper or cellophane wrapping marked “Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar”.

Production

Sugar, glucose syrup, water and vinegar are boiled in an open pan, with at most 5 kg of sugar per batch. At about 150 °C the mass is poured onto a cooled slab; a small part is taken off and coloured red. So that the mass cools evenly, the maker moves it and keeps folding in the edges. At about 70 °C the maker works in air by winding the mass again and again around a hook fixed to the wall, flavouring it with peppermint oil at the same time. The air makes the mass white and porous.

After that there are about 10 minutes left for shaping. The mass is pulled out long, the red mass is laid on top, and everything is folded and twisted until a large striped stick forms. This is divided halfway along its length, and the halves are rolled out thinner and divided again until the length and thickness are right. To cool, the sticks lie on a constantly moving conveyor belt so that they stay smooth and evenly round.

According to the specification, the maker’s skill determines the consistency: too much glucose or too little water makes the sticks hard, too little vinegar makes them grainy; if the mass is heated too slowly or poured out too cool, they stay soft. Too little air makes them hard, too much makes them brittle. Large sticks risk going flat under their own weight, which the maker compensates for with a higher boiling temperature or more glucose.

Origin & history

Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar are made in the municipality of Gränna in the north-west of the province of Småland. According to the specification, the method was developed by Amalia Eriksson in the mid-19th century in the town of Gränna. Since then the recipe and production have been passed on in an apprenticeship system in which newcomers learn the craft from an experienced maker.

At first the confectionery was a local product; press articles quickly made it known. According to the specification, by the early 20th century it was known in almost all of Sweden, and it was even exported to the United States. Today it is known throughout Sweden, as well as among the tourists who visit Gränna as the “Polkagris town”.