What do sugar plums taste like? It is definitely a mystery for those who have never had a chance to taste a sugar plum.
Sugar plums are versatile and can be used in many different desserts, including raw in dessert salads or cooked in jams and pies.
But, before you could use them in any of your recipes, it is natural to wonder, “What does a sugar plum taste like?”
Sugar plums have a complex flavor profile, and usually have a rich sweet flavor, which only intensifies as the fruit ripens with time.
Enter the World of Sweet Sugar Plums
Sugar plums have been around for centuries, and you can find their traces as far back as 1823 in Clement Moore’s poem.
That poem actually became the source of our indelible mental image of Santa Claus (cherry-shaped nose, snow-white beard, potbelly).
Surely, our frustrating memory lapses when it comes to remembering the names of those reindeer.
But, it highlights our inexplicable fascination with children dreaming of sugar plums while safely tucked into bed.
As it turns out, most of us do not have a very clear mental image of those sugar plums.
What are Sugar Plums Anyway?
Experts on the history of sweets agree that a sugar plum is a comfit.
It means it is a nut, seed, or fragment of spice wrapped in a coating of hard sugar, much like the crunchy outer casing of an M&M.
It is worth mentioning that comfit fillings have changed through the centuries.
The most common comfit fillings of the past include:
- Cardamom
- Coriander
- Fennel
- Caraway
- Walnuts
- Aniseed
- Cinnamon
Due to the time and effort required to manually add those sugar layers, the final treat was quite pricey.
In the 1860s, mechanization of the panning process reduced production costs, but the practice is rarely used nowadays.
Fact: According to the Oxford English Dictionary from 1608: "anything highly attractive or agreeable, especially in appearance," is referred to as a sugar plum.
Sugar Plums in the Modern World
These days, commercially grown in America, Europe and Japan, sugar plums are popular and appear in many different cuisines.
There have been a couple of novel sugar plum cultivars introduced in recent years.
The combination of honey and spices like cardamom, fennel, anise, and fennel with thinly sliced dried fruit and nuts is a popular dish prepared at home.
The dough is rolled into balls and then coated with coconut flakes.
Should You Take Sugar Plum as a Fruit?
Sugar plums are fruits, but they do not taste or look much like regular plums, which tend to be larger.
In contrast to the Christmas treat of the same name, sugar plums are somewhat different.
Those treats are produced by rolling a mixture of crushed nuts and dried fruits into a ball and coating it with sugar.
In the same way as almonds, peaches, and cherries are all related to one another, so are sugar plums.
The sweet plum-like flesh of this fruit is known to contain various vitamins and minerals. For instance:
- Phosphate
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Vitamins A and B
- Fiber
- Antioxidants
Fact: The true sugar plums have now been replaced with fancy candied plums and plum-flavored gummy candies.
What Do Sugar Plums Taste Like in Real?
Depending on whether you refer to sugar plum fruit or a sugar treat, the taste various quite a lot.
Sugar Plums are green on the inside when they are unripe, but turn a beautiful reddish brown once they have fully ripened.
A sugar plum taste often feels something like grapes. The skin is thick and jelly-like, and can be readily chewed through for a tasty bite.
The raw pulp has a greenish-amber color, but once it has been cooked, it takes on a fuchsia hue.
Fact: Sugar plums can be eaten fresh, fermented into wine or processed into jam.
The Taste of the Skin of Sugar Plums
Sugar plums are perfectly safe to eat, including the skin. The taste may not work for everyone, but it is not that bad.
When fully mature, the skin transforms from a light green to a deep reddish purple. It is usually quite firm and you can eat it in one bite.
The great thing is that it is rich in fiber and packed with some protective antioxidants.
The skin of a Sweet Plum will peel off when it comes into touch with heat, so if you are making a pie, you can just pick the skin out by hand.
The Taste of Sugar Plums as a Sweet Treat
Sugar plums have a delicious taste that combines sugar and tartness with a savory undertone.
This sweet treat is not only enticing, but also incredibly nutritious.
Dunkin’s Sugarplum Macchiato is quite popular, and features flavors, such as:
- Raspberry
- Blueberry
- Blackberry
- Plum
It is often complemented by vanilla and sugar for a satisfyingly sweet finish.
Does Dunkin’ Sugar Plum Swirl Have Anything to Do with Sugar Plum Fruit?
Not really. That is mainly because it is just a sugarplum variant of the regular iced coffee you can order at Dunkin’.
A nutty sweetness reminiscent of taro and blackberries characterizes this sugarplum take on Dunkin’s original iced coffee drink.
It is worth mentioning that unlike caramel, peanut butter, and chocolate, plum is not as blatantly recognizable.
The Smell of Sugar Plums
Sugar plums have an almost imperceptible sweetness and a hint of cinnamon scent.
It is not obvious unless you give a ripe Sugar Plum a whiff, but when they are ready to be eaten, they release a sweet fragrance.
Once baked or boiled, however, they take on a fragrant flowery scent.
It is worth mentioning that sweet plums do not have quite the same heady aroma as, say, berries or mangoes.
But, they really shine when baked into a pie or added to a jam because of their honeyed aftertaste.
How Do You Add Sugar Plums to Your Diet?
If you talk about sugar plums as holiday treats, they are still quite healthy.
Given that they are mostly composed of dried fruit and roasted almonds, seasoned with toasty spices, sugar plums are very safe to include in your diet.
Though traditionally coated in coarse sugar, the base is nutritionally equivalent to an “energy bite” because of the inclusion of fruit and nuts.
Despite the fact that most Sugar plums end up in the prune form, they are useful in many ways.
They work wonderfully in their raw form, but you can also use them as jams and preserves in desserts. They are equally useful in both sweet and savory salads.
You can get them in complimentary sweet flavors, including:
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla
- Chocolate
- Tropical fruits
- Citrus
- Butter
In case you are looking for savory pairings, you can go with fresh cheese, like ricotta and chevre.
Many herbs work just fine too, such as:
- Chiles
- Arugula
- Basil
- Fennel
And of course, you can pair them with grilled seafood, such as scallops and shrimp.
Can You Compare the Taste of Sugar Plums to Regular Plums?
The sugar plum, in reality, has nothing in it that even somewhat resembles a plum.
Any similarity to plums in Christmas stories is, of course, coincidental; the sugar plums in question are, in fact, sugar.
Contrary to popular belief, sugar plums are not actually a sweet version of plums.
The filling is a combination of ground dried fruit, nuts, and spices that are then wrapped in coarse sugar.
Fact: The prune is made from a freestone fruit sometimes known as the Italian plum, and the sweetness of this fruit is reflected in its common name, "sugar plum."
Can You Compare the Taste of Sugar Plums to Raisins?
While raisins and sugar plums may share a similar appearance, they are, in fact, very different things.
Like dates, sugar plums feature a single seed and a juicy inside with a slightly firm skin.
As opposed to this, raisins are actually dried grapes. When fully mature, the skin turns a similar shade of reddish brown.
When ripe, the flavor of both deepens and becomes sweeter, but raisins are much smaller than sugar plums.
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Takeaway
What do sugar plums taste like? The taste of sugar plums is rather sweet but somewhat tart as well.
It may be a bit like raisins, but you will notice a difference in size and tartness.
Sugar plums, as a fruit, can be used in many different dishes, but you can turn them into homemade sweets as well.
And of course, work well in various cuisines due to their rather complex flavor profile.