Parma Violets are a British violet-flavoured tablet confectionery manufactured by the Derbyshire company Swizzels Matlow,[1] named after the Parma violet variety of the flower. The sweets are hard, biconcave disc-shaped sweets, similar to the Fizzers product from the same company but without their fizziness. Swizzels Matlow have also released a line of Giant Parma Violets.
Ingredients include sugar, stearic acid, modified starch, glucose syrup, and anthocyanin.[2]
The petals of violets have long been used in herbalism for their medicinal properties, even mentioned by Dioscorides.[3] "Violet tables", sugary lozenges flavoured with violets, were made before 1620.[4] During the 18th century, crushed violet petals, rosewater, and sugar were combined to make an early type of confectionery known as flower pastry.[5] These could be used for flavouring a cake, or moulded into pastils and eaten as sweets.[6] In the Edwardian era, violet-flavoured chocolate and liquor were used to relieve sickness.[7]
Parma Violets were created in 1946[8] by the Derbyshire company Swizzels Matlow.[1][9] They are sweets that are hard, biconcave discs, based on similar aniseed confectionery traditionally consumed in India after a spicy meal.[10] Their flavour has been described as sweet with a soapy or floral taste.[8][11] The current recipe includes sugar, stearic acid, modified starch, glucose syrup, and anthocyanin.[2]
In 2016, Swizzels Matlow released a special Parma Violets flavoured cheese, produced by the Cheshire Cheese Company to celebrate their 70th birthday.[8] Cocktails that replicate the flavour of the confectionery are also available in some UK bars.[12] In 2019, Somerset cider company Brothers Cider launched a Parma Violet-flavoured cider.[13] Also, large bags of Parma Violets can be purchased from the official website in sizes up to 3kg[14] alongside other online retailers.