Lemon sticks are a type of stick candy.[1] They are similar to candy canes and peppermint sticks except lemon oil and acids are used for the flavoring. The coloring is typically a transuclent yellow body and white stripe.[2] They are not the same as a lemon peppermint stick, otherwise known as a Baltimore lemon stick.
Since 1942, Giambri's is one of the candy makers that produces them.[3]
In Baltimore, Maryland, part of the culture of Baltimore is a summer rite of passage associated with the Baltimore Flower Mart where lemon sticks (also referred to as lemon peppermint sticks) are a treat in the form of a peppermint candy stick stuck in a lemon. Eaten together, they provide a sweet and sour taste sensation. The tradition may have come from France.[4]
They are sold at the mid-spring Flower Mart held by the Women's Civic League.[4] These simple 'drinks' are made by cutting the top off a small lemon, cutting a hole into the flesh, and placing a soft peppermint stick into it. Sucking on the stick and squeezing the lemon produces a sweet, minty, lemony drink. While mostly sold at Flower Mart, throughout summer, people in Baltimore will make these treats at home or social gatherings.[5][6]