| Vichy Pastilles | |
| Country: | France |
| Region: | Vichy |
| Type: | Confectionery |
Vichy Pastilles (French: pastilles Vichy), less often pastilles of Vichy (French: pastilles de Vichy), are a French confectionery invented in 1825 and produced in the spa town of Vichy in central France. They are recognizable as a white, octagonal type of candy pastille bearing the word "Vichy" in all-caps.
The Vichy Pastilles brand belonged to the Vichy-État Company in 1940.[1] It was acquired by Cadbury France, a division of Cadbury, in 2003.[2] It later belonged to Kraft Foods (later known as Mondelez International).[2] In 2016, it was purchased by French company Eurazeo for 250 million Euros.[2]
The pastilles were invented in 1825 in Vichy, a spa town in the department of Allier, France.[3] [4] As early as 1839, they were originally made purely from bicarbonate of soda and taken for their digestive properties.[5] Empress Eugénie de Montijo is said to have been a fan.[3] Later, they were made with mineral salts extracted from the local spring water.[3] [6] Nowadays, they include sugar and are flavoured with mint, lemon, or aniseed.[3]
The pastilles were mentioned by French author Guy de Maupassant in his short story, The Magic Couch.[7]
During World War II, the sweets were used as "branding and marketing" by Vichy France.[6] By August 1942, shops in Vichy gave Vichy pastilles to customers, while other victuals were rationed.[8] However, the mayor of Vichy decided to mark sweets as cheese on their ration cards to avoid running out of them.[8]
In Einstein's Beets: An Examination of Food Phobias, American author Alexander Theroux opines that due to its connotation to Vichy France, "many French citizens are still made uneasy" by hearing the phrase.[9] In The Long Aftermath: Cultural Legacies of Europe at War, 1936-2016, Manuel Bragança and Peter Tame agree, as they argue that Vichy France's use of the sweets as propaganda eventually "backfired."[6]