Edinburgh rock or Edinburgh Castle rock is a traditional Scottish

confection Confectionery is the art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two broad and somew ...

, and is quite distinct from conventional

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

. It consists of sugar, water,

cream of tartar Potassium bitartrate, also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, with formula K C4 H5 O6, is the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid)—specifically, l-( + )-tartaric acid. Especially in cooking, it is also known as cream ...

, colourings and flavourings. It is formed into sticks, and has a soft and crumbly texture.

History

Edinburgh rock was first made in the 19th century by a man named Alexander Ferguson, who became known as 'Sweetie Sandy'. Ferguson was born in

Doune Doune (; from Scottish Gaelic: , meaning 'the fort') is a burgh within Perthshire. The town is administered by Stirling Council. Doune is assigned Falkirk postcodes starting "FK". The village lies within the parish of Kilmadock and mainly with ...

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

in 1798. He learned the confectionery trade in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, and then moved to

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

to set up his own business. The success of Edinburgh rock was such that he was able to retire back to Doune a very rich man. In the early 20th century, the rock was produced and sold at 1 Melbourne Place (now demolished, but previously the corner of

George IV Bridge George IV Bridge is an Viaduct, elevated street in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is home to a number of the city's important public buildings. History A bridge connecting the High Street to the south was first suggested in 1817, but was origina ...

with the

Lawnmarket The Royal Mile () is the nickname of a series of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The term originated in the early 20th century and has since entered popular usage. The Royal Mile runs between two ...

Discovery

There is an

apocrypha Apocrypha () are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity. In Christianity, the word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to ...

l tale that Ferguson discovered Edinburgh rock by accident. One day he came across a tray of sweets that had lain forgotten for months. He tried a piece of the desiccated results, found it to be delicious, and so Edinburgh rock was born.

References

External links

A recipe for Edinburgh rock
Scottish confectionery Candy {{confection-stub

History

Discovery

See also

References

External links