Aplets and Cotlets

Aplets & Cotlets is a confection similar to Turkish delight, associated with the U.S. state of Washington. The candy was first developed in 1918 by apple farmers as a way to dispose of surplus crops. A 2009 effort to legally designate Aplets & Cotlets as Washington's official candy failed due to provincial competition between legislators from the state's two geo-cultural regions. Aplets & Cotlets are small, jelly-like confections containing walnuts and dusted with powdered sugar. They are similar in taste and consistency to Turkish delight, on which they are based, but the pectin in the fruit acts as a gelling agent. Aplets are made with apples and Cotlets are made with apricots. Apples have traditionally been the most important cash crop in Washington. By the 1920s, the state had become the leading producer of apples in the United States. In 2003, Washington produced more apples than the rest of the United States combined. In the early 20th century, Armen Tertsagian and Mark Balaban, Armenian immigrants and proprietors of an apple orchard in Cashmere, Washington, began producing Aplets to make use of their surplus crops and earn extra income during the winter. Their inspiration for the candy came from their faint recollections of eating Turkish delight as children. Aplets were followed several years later by Cotlets. The candies were originally sold at a roadside fruit stand but gained greater attention in 1962 as a result of the Seattle World's Fair.

Source: Wikipedia