Ode to a Chewy Candy

Today, I would like to present to you a very special friend. Meet the sweet, the soft, the fruity, the one-of-a-kind Fruittella! If you don’t know Fruittella, you don’t know nothing about good candy. Seriously! I am by no means a candy girl. I do like the occasional good chocolate, but other than that, I don’t go crazy over most sweet stuff (and yes, that includes icecream!). I especially don’t like most things that are made out of fruit (and again, yes, that includes jelly), as they tend to turn out very sweet, sticky and unnatural tasting.

Not so Fruittella! Its awesomeness could be explained by a glance at the ingredients: succo di frutta (limone, fragola, arancia) – believe it or not: real fruitjuice, guys! (I magically turn a blind eye at the end of the list of ingredients where it says aromi naturali).

It was the fuel that kept me going when we were wandering around Rome, walking, walking, walking. Pop one in, and you’re ready to go for another couple of kilometers (that’s 1.2 miles for my metrically challenged readers). Here’s a tip: if you plan to put me on a gruelsome task, drag me on an exhausting jungle expedition or the like, just pack some Fruittella. I will follow you wherever you go.

Seriously! It’s soft, it’s (not too) sweet, it kinda tastes like real fruit – what’s not to like? Also, just take a look at this: It’s so pretty! It looks as though it was handmade by this sweet old lady, who carefully carved some adorning lines in the soft gum (see how they are slightly crooked? The signora doesn’t have the same steady hand she used to have 20 years ago, but she is having so much fun that she will not pass on this task to her three beautiful grandchildren who are helping her with this family business by carefully stewing the freshly squeezed fruit juice and letting it simmer for days until its essence is captured in the yummy paste that is to be cut into lovely square junks of tastiness). Isn’t it appetizing???

If you are lucky enough to come across one of those luscious sticks, open up, click, and kick back and enjoy a truly Italian moment!