Our Lady Guimauve sweets, still popular after all those years

They are typically Belgian, 60 years old, and still trendy, without a penny of advertising. The Our Lady sweets or Guimauve are the classics among the end-of-year sweets, they are made in the small factory Etna near Brussels and have the shape of an Our Lady statue. Why is it that this somewhat old-fashioned candy remains so popular? At least not through clever marketing but it's a traditional sweet candy that is being past over from father to son or mother to daughter.

Picture courtesy of Etna

You can find them everywhere in Belgium, going from small local shops to exclusive Belgian chocolate shops. The soft candy is not made from chocolate but with sugar, glucose, dextrose, gelatin, and added natural and artificial flavors. Every day, 700,000 Maria sweets roll off the production line, all year round.

Next time you visit Belgian, look out for this traditional Belgian candy, a good alternative to that other famous Belgian candy, Chocolate.

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