Ever since we moved to South Georgia where camellias bloom in yards around town, they have become my favorite flowers. Because my husband gave me my very first camellia bush as a Valentine’s gift, it truly represents a flower of love for me. Not only is each delicate blossom beautiful, but also the bushes bloom in winter when few flora show color.
Therefore, when I read back to back books by two South Carolina best selling authors who had their camellias blooming out of season, I couldn’t believe it. One had her camellias battling with azaleas to dominate spring; the other chose for her camellias to show in the summertime after the azaleas had peaked.
Do these magnificent bushes really bloom that much later one state away? I don’t think so. According to the American Camellia Society, four camellia shows are scheduled across the South Carolina in January and February. I think camellias must be in bloom for an organization to host a viable show.
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However, before I had grown accustomed to this error in time, one of these writers implied that the praline was first created in Charleston. Any good Texan knows she is wrong. After all, the praline has been the dessert of choice at every Tex-Mex restaurant since such culinary establishments opened their doors in the Lone Star State.
Oops! This time, both the author and I were wrong. According to Southern Candymakers of New Orleans, the praline was first created in France, brought to New Orleans by Ursuline nuns in 1727 and from there, it spread to places like Texas, Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, where each site then put its own distinctive mark on the candy.
According to one legend, Diplomat Cesar, duc de Choiseul, comte du Plesais-Praslin asked his chef to create an irresistible treat for his lady friends. He placed the sweet sugary nuts into little parcels marked with his name so that people began to call the candy after him.
The original praline was a confection made of almonds coated with caramelized sugar. After it was introduced in New Orleans, cooks substituted the native pecan for the more expensive imported almond. From early days to the present, the candy contains dairy, sugar and nuts. Some recipes call for fresh milk, others evaporated milk, and still others, buttermilk. Candy makers use pecan halves or pieces and may flavor the mixture with vanilla, maple, coconut. I’ve even seen a recipe for a chocolate praline and some are sprinkled with powdered sugar.
However, my preference leans toward the recipe my mother used to make for special occasions.
Pralines
1 box light brown sugar
1 small can Carnation evaporated milk
2 cups chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla
In an iron skillet on low heat, blend sugar and milk, stirring constantly to soft boil stage. Add vanilla and pecans. Beat until mixture is hard. Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper.
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Wednesday is Valentine’s Day. I’m sure some folks are still scrambling to purchase a variety of candies, flowers, cards and other gifts that speak of love. We all like being remembered. I’m still enamored with the boxed collection of silly sayings on little cards that young children exchange with each other. You know the ones that say something like “Bee Mine,”with a caricature of a honey bee adorning the card.
However as I have contemplated the prompt that led me to explore both the camellia and the praline at this time, I am reminded how easy it is for us humans to find fault with one another. We love to play “Gotcha!” We’re really good at nitpicking, especially with those we love the most.
What difference did it make that I found errors in two books? Of course, as readers, we expect facts to be accurate in any book, but I finished reading both books, enjoyed each plot and came away with a renewed appreciation for the South’s uniqueness. I know writers don’t intentionally spread falsehoods and they expect their editors to catch such glaring slips of the pen. In these instances, however, I doubt that New York editors even questioned what Southern writers should know.
No one deliberately makes mistakes, and we’ve been told that “to err is human.”
Hopefully, most of us try to avoid repeating the same errors over and over. Everyone benefits when we learn from our own blunders. And so for all of us, perhaps, the best Valentine gifts we ever give come wrapped in everyday civility one to another. In this instance, Helen Keller may see more clearly than most of us. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”
Happy Valentine’s Day!
2012