Flavor of the day: Violet.  My first impression: this is just a ball of sweetened perfume!  These French don’t know how to make candy!  Second impression: wow, these are actually pretty good!  But first for a bit of background…  These small, white, pearl-like candies are imported from France exclusively by Dorval Trading Co., and according to their website, they date back to medieval Europe.  According to my (very) rough translation of the French Flavigny website, the roman traveler Flavien first discovered the anise seed in Syria around 52 A.D.  This is why each tiny candy contains an even tinier anise seed in the middle (I confirmed this myself by chopping up a few pastilles).  The candies are made by placing lots of individual seeds in large copper basins, and they are then rolled and covered in sugar and assorted flavors, including violet, orange, and rose among others.  Each tin contains about 40 to 50 pastilles. 

Though the violet-flavored pastilles may have a slight “perfume-y??? taste to them the first time you taste them, in my opinion they are an acquired taste.  By the third one, I couldn’t stop popping them in my mouth!  The mixture of sweet violet and anise is exclusively for the refined palate.   “It’s like a flower blooming in your mouth!??? claims a teenage candy lover.  Flavigny Pastilles have been around for over four hundred years, and with their unique flavors and sophisticated taste, they will surely continue to be enjoyed all over the world.