This recipe has been found in Sant'Agata and it reminds the past times
where only rich people could afford to buy sweets and cakes in general,
while young poor people had to wait until Christmas or when they were
ill. On the other hand the thrifty use of sugar permitted to have healthier
teeth.
These sweets or "bonbon", as they were once called using a French
word, have a medical function: they cure hoarseness and sore throat.
Take some blackberries, search them and boil their juice without seeds
for a long time adding some sugar and mixing with a ladle in order to
avoid the juice to stick.
When the mixture becomes thick, put it on a marble board and level it
with a knife blade in order to have a thickness of about one centimetre.
then let it dry to the sun for several days covering it with a gauze.
When the mixture is well solidified cut it in many stock cubes and dip
them in castor sugar. Then put these cubes in a jar, well closed, and
eat them whenever you want, but especially in winter.
With the same recipe it is possible to prepare "bonbon" with
wood strawberries, blackberries and raspberries.
Text Tebaldo Lorini
Translated by Gianna Toni
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