February 7, 2012
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Taste and Memory
Last week I bought Agave Nectar and tried it.
It tastes like "Toy Candy" my mom bought at Christmas
for us when we were kids.For generations, children have received Christmas gifts of
Clear Toy Candy or Barley Candy which is hard, sweet,
crystal-clear edible shapes of red, green, and yellow animals, trains, ships,
and other objects called clear toy candy.
The candy is made from a solution of sugar, water, corn syrup, and food coloring.
The shapes are formed when the hot solution
is poured into molds in which the candy quickly hardens.
The barley candy is shaped like animals, toy trains and wagons,
and is traditionally made in three colors; amber or yellow, red and green.
It is amazing how our memory by association works.
Certain smells, sounds and tastes can jar a memory
and take us back to a different time and place in our minds in a heartbeat.Did you ever taste something that was like a blast from the past?
I had not thought about Toy Candy in years.
I remembered it vividly when I tasted the agave nectar.
Here is an interesting article...Taste: It's in your nose and memories
Comments (21)
licorice babies,love them.
Had to look up agave as I have never heard of it. How much did it cost? We used to call that kind of candy "rock" candy when I was a kid. When I was in elementary school we did the senses test and held your nose shut and tasted different things blindfolded and had to see what they were. Smell really plays a big part in knowing what you are eating. Baked bread for me. We had a bakery, Wonder Bread, in South Jersey and we used to get day old bread there but you could smell the new bread cooking. Really smelled good!
olfactory memory is the most potent. those are gorgeous
Anything licorice is in my olfactory and gustatory memories. The same is true of really well-made Italian meatballs.
We had a section on this in my Perception class last term. It is wonderful to see how all of our memories tie into our senses. I think smell for me is more memory, but taste really kicks in the calming hormones
Different things I've eaten in Latin America brought me vivid memories from my childhood, of eating the same things, especially strong flavors.
I've never tried Agave Nectar, tho I have seen it recommended as a sugar replacement in recipes. Of course, I really don't eat sweets as a general rule. More of a beef and tater guy, I am.
The receptionist where I work wears a perfume reminiscent of the gummy bears my kids used to eat! Does that count?
You are of course correct about smell and recall. I think I remember that candy, but I'd have to smell it first to be sure, which proves the point.
Smelling alfalfa drying is what always grabs me like a kitten by the back of the neck.I stop whatever I'm doing and look for a tractor.
I have quite a few mature agaves here, including one 50 years old and as big as a VW bug. I wonder if they are the correct species. Licorice, mentioned above is from anise, that much I can smell outside the door. And curry is another one probably brings it all back home if it was in the kitchen as a child.
Glad you found this treat again.
That candy is cute. I've never heard of it before, but I can imagine kids getting pretty excited by all the fun shapes.
I tasted an orange candy stick recently. It was orange in color, but not in taste, at least, not as I remember the flavor. I was disappointed.
Do you like the agave nectar? I've looked at various sweeteners like that, but don't want to shell out the cash without knowing if it's good/what it's good for.
Don't know about taste, but I've had similar experience with smell. It's an interesting experience to be transported across roughly 7875miles & 8 years.
I've never had toy candy, but I do love agave nectar!
I don't know that I have any particularly strong memories tied to flavors, but I have had a few dreams in which I experienced the sense of taste.Those are always exceptionally memorable.
Orange circus peanuts - being banana flavored. My dad would bring them home as a treat. To this day the smell triggers the specific memory of him getting out of that big ol white Ford station wagon and doling out the candy - one piece at a time. I tried one of those circus peanuts not too long ago and nearly gagged. It tasted so awful! I don't know how we ate them!
Oh I remember these and had forgotten all about them. Ty so very much for the sweet memories.
I'm that way with ribbon candy and those cherry licorice whips. I think I remember the smell even more vividly than the taste.
@murisopsis - They are nasty but I loved them too!
Hiya! My meories are all connected to smells mostly but some are tastes. Interesting candies I
knew nothing of them!
I recently bought a candle that smells like a combination of maple syrup and bacon! It fills the whole apartment and lingers long after I blow it out. My girls walk in and say, "Mom, it smells like Sunday morning in here!" I love that!