Did you know that the sugar bean originated with the Romans?
The legend of the sugar bean
Legend tells us that the Roman Julius Dragatus made the very first dragée when he accidentally dropped an almond nut into a jar of honey. He liked it so much that he gave out this delicacy at the birth of his son.
This is how the Roman tradition of handing out dragées at births and weddings arose.
The sugar bean as medicine
In 1120 there was a French apothecary who coated the almond nut with a mix of honey and sugar. This left a hard coating around the almond nut.
It certainly wasn't a delicacy, but that didn't matter. They were used as a medicine for pregnant women and as a potency enhancer for men.
Italian refinement
Ultimately, it was the Italians who perfected the coating process. They are the ones who started producing the almond bean as we know it today.
Because almond nuts are quite expensive, the almond nut was later replaced in other countries by a chocolate core to reduce the price of sugar beans.
