Everybody knows that Belgium is famous for its velvet rich chocolate and for fries with mayo, but some of its best culinary jewles have been kept a secret inside its frontiers. Cuberdon candy is a beloved childhood taste for many Belgians. A recipe that dates back to the 19th century and is only shared and mastered by a handful of confisiers (candy makers).
 A cuberdon candy is a violet sugar cone containing a thick raspberry syrup. They are hand-made with select ingredients. A mixture including gum arabic and raspberry aroma is cooked in a copper pot, and then poured into conical molds and dried during five to six days. during drying, the outer layer of sugar becomes crystalized, leaving a inner soft-interior. They can last upto 3 weeks, time after which the cristalization extends to the inside of the candy, and it looses its magic oozing center (that may be the reason why cuberdons have not been exported and shared with the global community).
I discovered cuberdons during my stay at Ghent a couple of years ago. I was couchsurfing with lovely Douglas, who was one of the best hosts ever! Day one he took me around the city and programmed a stop by The Chocolate Bar (everything chocolate!) and then went out for drinks at a bar that offers over 200 different kinds of beer (can it get better than that?). He spoiled me with friends and stories, food and drinks, and he recommened trying local specialties like Cuberdons.
Im gonna be frank... they might be an aquired taste (they really are very very sweet), but biting off the top and sucking out the syrup is something that should be tried at least once. The volcanic explosion of liquid rasberry scented sugar is, pretty interesting. Today you can find more than 25 different perfumes and flavors going from apple to liquorice. Recently, the cuberdon has gained some attention in star chef kitchens, as it has inspired desserts of Roger Van Damme and have been praised by international chefs such as Ferran Adria of El Bulli.