Succades — Сandied citrus peel

Interestingly, today we understand succade as candied fruits, vegetables, or other foods to be candied and dried. Although originally the word succade comes from the Old English word “sucket,” which means “moist”. So how did it come to be? Well, because succades used to be served and stored in the same syrup in which it was boiled, so it was really wet. But nowadays, after the syrup has been boiled and soaked, the syrup is removed and the candied fruits are dried and even rolled in sugar, as we do. This is done for easy storage and consumption. We no longer need special small forks and spoons so as not to get our hands dirty, thanks to the drying succades are easy to eat with hands. That’s how succades turned from wet to dry, the meaning has changed, but the name remained.

I’ll tell you right away: candied fruits are long to cook. Ideally, you need to keep them in syrup for about a week, sometimes heating it up so that the syrup completely displaces the moisture from the peels. But I’ve found a quicker way and will tell you how to make candied fruit in just 24 hours. Yes, it’s still a long time, but we’ll make enough candied fruit to last you a long time. You can make even more if you want, the cooking time won’t change much. 

⏱ Cooking time — 9 hours overall. Includes 60 minutes of preparation and cooking + 8 hours unattended.

🥣 Ingredients

For 600 g succades:

• 3 large oranges
• 3 limes
• 1 grapefruit
• 2 lemons
• 250 ml (1,1 cups) of water
• 500 g (1,1 lb) sugar + 200 g (0,5 lb) for crumbling
• 10 g (0,4 oz) salt

 🔪Step by step directions

Cut the skin off the fruit. To do this, place the fruit vertically on a board and cut the skin from top to bottom, repeating the shape of the fruit. Unlike when we only need the peel, here we can also take the white part. It will go away in the process of soaking, along with the excess bitterness.

Slice the citrus peels into long thin strips (I decided to do this after soaking for some reason, although it is more convenient at this stage).

Put the sliced crusts in a pot or large saucepan, pour cold water and put on the fire. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, drain the water, pour cold water again. Repeat this process a total of 3-4 times.

Put the candied fruits back in the saucepan, add 500 grams (1,1 lb) of sugar, 10 grams (0,4 oz) of salt and pour 250 ml (1,1 cups) of water.

Place on medium heat, wait for the sugar to dissolve, turn the heat down to low and leave for 1 hour. Stir occasionally so that the syrup coats the candied fruit evenly.

Place the candied fruit in a large sieve or colander and let the syrup drain off. Save the syrup; you can pour it over pancakes or add it to drinks.

Line a baking tray with foil or parchment paper to prevent the syrup from dripping down. Place a rack on top and arrange the citrus peels on it. Preheat the oven to 70°C / 160°F and dry the crusts for 3 hours. Leave the oven door ajar, I suggest putting a matchbox between the door and the oven so that the gap is smaller. After 3 hours, turn off the heat and leave in the oven until it has cooled completely. I leave it overnight.

The candied fruit is ready, but it is still a little sticky, so I recommend additional coating in sugar. Sprinkle 200 grams (0,5 lb) of sugar in a large bowl, remove the candied fruit in small portions from the grate and roll in sugar on all sides. By the way, it is more convenient to separate the sticky crusts from each other at the moment of dipping them in sugar.

Place ready candied fruit in an airtight container or jar. Use as a snack, such as with tea, or add to desserts and other dishes.