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&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Brighton_Rock_(6950629923).jpg) Traditional sticks of rock | |
| Type | Confectionery |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Main ingredients | Sugar, flavouring (peppermint or spearmint) |
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Rock (often known by its place of origin, for instance Blackpool rock or Brighton rock) is a type of hard stick-shaped boiled sugar confectionery most usually flavoured with peppermint or spearmint. It is commonly sold at tourist (usually seaside) resorts in the United Kingdom (such as Brighton, Southend-on-Sea, Scarborough, Llandudno or Blackpool) and Ireland (e.g. Bray, Knock or Strandhill); in Gibraltar; in Denmark in towns such as Løkken and Ebeltoft; and in Sydney and Tasmania, Australia.
It usually takes the form of a cylindrical stick ("a stick of rock"), normally 1–2.5 cm (0.39–0.98 in) in diameter and 20–25 cm (7.9–9.8 in) long. Blackpool rock is usually at least 2.5 cm (0.98 in) in diameter, and can be as thick as 17 cm (6.7 in) across and up to 2 m (6.6 ft) long when made for special retail displays. These cylinders usually have a pattern embedded throughout the length, which is often the name of the resort where the rock is sold, so that the name can be read on both ends of the stick (reversed at one end) and remains legible even after pieces are bitten off. Rock is also manufactured as a promotional item, for example with a company name running through it.
It is sometimes found in the form of individual sweets, with writing or a pattern in the centre; these are, in effect, slices of rock.