Dragée

About Dragees
A dragée (pronounced /dræˈʒeɪ/, dra-ZHAY) from the French, ultimately from Greek tragêmata "sweets, treats") is a form of confectionery that can be used for decorative or symbolic purposes in addition to consumption.


 * 1) Tiny, round, hard candies used for decorating cakes, cookies and other baked goods. Dragées come in a variety of sizes (from pinhead to ¼-inch) and colors, including silver.
 * 2) Almonds with a hard sugar coating.

A classic, popular version of dragée are whole almonds coated with a sugar shell in various colors. Called mulabbas in Arabic, confetti in Italian and Jordan almonds or sugared almonds in English, these confections have a long history, and are traditionally associated with weddings and special celebrations. Throwing or handing out these candies at such occasions (hence the name for the multi-colored paper confetti which usually now replaces them) dates back centuries, and is meant to ensure prosperity, fertility, happiness, and good luck.

The town of Verdun, France, had acquired a reputation for its dragées by the 13th century. Originally the dragée was a spiced lump of sugar eaten as a digestive after meals.

The process by which the sugar shell is applied to the center is often known as sugar panning.