Michael Jamieson Bristow 
ANGELICA Archangelica officinalis
It is very good to know that the delicious, rather expensive, Angelica of confectionery will not only grow, but thrive and become a tall, handsome plant in the gardens of the British Isles. No doubt most of the crystalised Angelica that was once bought for festive iced cakes came from European countries, but it could quite easily have been grown and candied in the United Kingdom.
After the spread of Christianity from the Middle East into Europe, the plant became linked in the popular mind with archangelic patronage and associated with the spring-time festival of the Annunciation. According to legend, Angelica was revealed in a dream by an angel to cure the plague. Another explanation for the name is that the plant blooms in the day of Michael the Archangel (May 8th in the old calendar), and on that account it can be used as a preservative against evil spirits and witchcraft. From the 10th century onwards, Angelica was cultivated as both a vegetable and a medicinal plant, achieving great popularity in Scandinavia in the 12th century. It is a native of the northerly parts of Russia, Lithuania and Germany, but was brought to Britain during the sixteenth century and has been cultivated ever since. John Gerard (1545-1607) and the other herbalists grew it. John Parkinson (Apothecary to James I, King's Herbalist to Charles I, and was a director of Hampton Court Gardens) writes of it as 'a herbe of most especiall use' and herb-farms around London found its cultivation profitable. Angelica contains a variety of chemicals which have been shown to have medicinal properties. Chewing on Angelica or drinking tea brewed from it will cause local anaesthesia, but it will heighten the consumer's immune system. It has been shown to have some effectiveness against various bacteria, fungal infections and even viral infections. Beautiful specimens of it can now be seen in the Chelsea Physic Garden and at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
Angelica is almost a perennial, but the old plants die off after seeding, and young plants take about a year before they make much growth, usually to die out in the second or third year. It bears large seed heads, which scatter seeds when ripe, producing new plants. A rather damp, shady position is the most suitable, and it is quite unaffected by frost and snow. It grows quite well from seed, though shoots of a two-year-old plant are a quicker method of reproduction.
In 1602, Angelica was introduced in Niort in France, which had recently been ravaged by the plague. Its supposed medical effectiveness against the plague and other medieval maladies made it extremely popular and it has remained popular ever since In France, where it is largely grown, it has always been a valued ingredient in liqueurs or aquavits (e.g. Chartreuse especially and also Benedictine, Vermouth and Dubonnet), omelettes and trout. The method of crystallising the long bright green stems is similar to that employed for such fruits as cherries or violet and rose petals.
Angelica is still the main agricultural product of the Niort area and in particular the village of Bessines-sur-Gartempe. Their trade association is:
M. Botton-Vinet (Président)
L'Association de Promotion de l'Angélique
52 rue du Dixiéme
F-79000 Niort
F R A N C E
Tel: +33 05 49 06 91 96
e-mail: bottonvinet@aol.com
Website: www.angelique-maraispoitevin.fr
CRYSTALISED ANGELICA RECEIPE
Ingredients:
500g angelica
500g granulated sugar
6dl water
Preparation:
3 days
Receipe:
Cut angelica stems in sticks. Soak in boiling water for 45 minutes to take veins out. Boil stems until they're well tender. Drain and put under cold water.
Put the angelica pieces in a syrup made with 6dl water and 500g sugar. Stir the syrup until it's smooth. Turn it off and let it rest 1 day.
The day after take the angelica stems out of the syrup. Put the syrup again on the heat and stir it until it's pearl.
Put again the angelica pieces in the syrup and let rest again 1 day. Repeat the process a third time then take the crystallised angelica stems out and dry them on a shelf.
or
Ingredients:
1lb angelica
1lb granulated sugar
The most important thing about candying angelica is to choose stalks that are young and tender. Angelica is only worth candying in April and May when the shoots are new and softly coloured. Trim the young shoots into 3-4 inch lengths, put them into a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Drain and scrape away tough skin and fibrous threads with a potato peeler, rather as you might prepare celery. Return the angelica to the pan, pour on fresh boiling water and cook until green and tender. If the shoots are as youthful as they should be, this will take 5 minutes or less. Drain the stalks and dry them. Put them into a bowl and sprinkle granulated sugar between layers, allowing 1 pound of sugar for every 1 pound of angelica. Cover and leave for 2 to 3 days. Slide contents of the bowl into a heavy-based pan. Bring very slowly to the boil and simmer until the angelica feels perfectly tender and looks clear.
Drain, then roll or toss the shoots on greaseproof paper thickly strewn with sugar, letting the angelica take up as much sugar as will stick to it. Then dry off the angelica - without letting it become hard - in the oven, using the lowest possible temperature. Place the stalks directly on the oven shelf (with a tray underneath to catch any falling sugar) for about 3 hours. Wrap and store after cooling completely. Packed into pretty little boxes, home-candied angelica makes a charming present.