Who Invented The Candy Cane? The Popular Christmas Treat Has Its Origins As Far Back As The 1600’s

One of the ubiquitous Christmas treats is the candy cane.  Those white and red-striped sticks - often with a cane shape - have their place in the traditions of this season.  But where did they come from?

The earliest recorded use of candy canes goes back to 1670, when a choirmaster at a cathedral in Germany fashioned the  treats to give out to kids as they watched "long-winded nativity services".  The shape was designed to look like a shepherds staff, which perpetuated the story of Christmas.  While these treats resembled the shape of what we now refer to as candy canes, they lacked the red stripping that we've become accustomed to.

The stripes first arrived about fifty years later - at least according to drawings included on Christmas cards and calendars.  No one knows for sure how or exactly when the stripes arrived, but this is the most accurate estimate we have.

Automation of candy cane making was invented by a Fr Gregory Keller  - a Catholic priest - in the 1950's.  Prior to this time period, the treats were made by hand.

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