Opera creams are a

candy Candy, alternatively called sweets or lollies, is a Confectionery, confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum ...

made of chocolate. They are most popularly associated with

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, Ohio, though they are sold in other Ohio cities, as well as Kentucky.

History

Sources vary on whether the Cincinnati opera cream was invented by Bissinger's or the Robert H. Putnam Company, both Cincinnati confectioneries, though Dann Woellert notes that the first local advertisements for the candy was in 1924 by Putman's. A legend for how the candies got their name states that they were given to opera-goers at the

Cincinnati Music Hall Music Hall, commonly known as Cincinnati Music Hall, is a classical music performance hall in Cincinnati, Ohio, completed in 1878. It serves as the home for the Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, May Festiva ...

for free at intermission. They are a popular candy in Cincinnati confectioneries such as Schneider's Sweet Shop and

Aglamesis Bro's Aglamesis Brother's, commonly referred to as Aglamesis, is an ice cream parlor in Cincinnati, Ohio with 3 locations in Oakley, Montgomery, and Hamilton, Ohio. The business was founded by Greek immigrant brothers in 1908. In addition to ice cr ...

; they've been called the "most Cincinnati of all sweets". They are also produced by

Esther Price Candies Esther Price Candies is a chain of candy stores in the United States. The Esther Price candy and chocolate company is based in Dayton, Ohio. Esther Price Candies sells its products in 87 store locations in five states, including Ohio, Indiana, Ken ...

, however, which is based in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

. Chris A. Papas & Son, a

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...

business, lists the opera cream Easter egg as their most popular Easter egg variety.

Composition

The center of an opera cream is made of cream, sugar, vanilla, and a marshmallow cream. The exterior of the opera cream is milk, dark, or white chocolate. The creation of opera creams occurs in four stages. The ingredients for the center—cream, sugar, and vanilla—are heated in a

double boiler A bain-marie ( , ), also known as a water bath or double boiler, a type of heated bath, is a piece of equipment used in science, industry, and cooking to heat materials gently or to keep materials warm over a period of time. A ''bain-marie'' ...

to create what's called a "fondant". Once cooled, the fondant mixture is kneaded in a ball cream beater, which is a kind of horizontal circular mixer. In the third stage, the fondant is parsed into small pieces to form the cream center. Lastly, the cream center is coated in chocolate.

Variations

The usual form of the opera cream is a rectangular chocolate, with dark, milk, and white chocolate varieties produced. However, around the

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

holiday, opera cream

Easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The ...

s are popular, with some varieties of opera cream egg weighing up to . Other food and drink products are created based on the opera cream, including cakes, cupcakes, and flavored beer

stout Stout is a type of dark beer that is generally warm fermented, such as dry stout, oatmeal stout, milk stout and imperial stout. Stout is a type of ale. The first known use of the word "stout" for beer is in a document dated 1677 in the E ...

s. The BonBonerie Bakery in Cincinnati makes and sells up to eighty opera cream cakes per day during the winter holiday season.

References

{{reflist, 30em Chocolate confectionery American confectionery Food and drink in Ohio Cuisine of Cincinnati

History

Composition

Variations

See also

References